Who we are
FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano (the Italian National Trust) is a national, not-for-profit trust that was set up in 1975 and has since gone on to save, restore and open to the public numerous fine examples of Italy's artistic and natural heritage.
FAI manages a set of assets of exceptionally high value in terms of their history, culture, landscape and natural heritage, with a view to conserving, supporting and enhancing the environment on behalf of the Italian people and those from further afield.
Dealing with the environment means dealing not only with the places where people live but also with how people live, develop and operate in those places. It is in this sense that FAI is concerned with the landscape, which – according to the Italian Code of Cultural Assets – is territory that encapsulates a sense of identity, the character of which derives from the action of natural and human factors and from the inter-relations of those factors.
FAI's main areas of action are:
- protection, enhancement and management for the community of the properties and land that it owns or that are licensed to it
- protection and enhancement of the Italian properties and land that it owns or that are licensed to it, with a particular focus on elements of the country's heritage that have been neglected or are at risk
- training and education of all citizens, with a particular focus on children, young people and students.
Here is an overview of what FAI has achieved since its establishment in 1975:
- 60,000 m2 of historic buildings protected
- more than € 87,000,000 raised and invested in restoration projects
- 5,283,000 m2 of landscape protected
- 7,000,000 visitors to our properties
- 30,000 antique books and 19,000 objets d'art catalogued and protected
- 14,000 m2 of frescos and decorated surfaces restored
- 7,000 sites open to the public and utilised on FAI's Spring Days, which are attended by 7,000,000 visitors, with 150,000 students involved as apprentice tour guides
- 1,000,000 students made aware of the importance of protecting Italy's artistic legacy and natural heritage
- 31,000 Places of the Heart highlighted to Local Councils and Regional Conservation Boards as being "at risk of neglect and decay" and 45 sites in favor of which the FAI intervened and is 'intervening thanks to the survey 'Places of the Heart?
- 100,000 FAI members
- 116 delegations across 20 Italian regions, with more than 7,000 volunteers throughout Italy
- more than 500 corporate sponsors contributing funds every year.
FAI International
FAI has founded 3 international support groups that, through cultural events and initiatives, increase the overseas understanding of the Foundation's work and participate in its fundraising activities:
- Friends of FAI www.friendsoffai.org
info@friendsoffai.org
T: +1 212 242 3377 - FAI SWISS www.faiswiss.ch
info@faiswiss.ch
T: +41 798 420 310 - FAI UK www.faiuk.org
infofaiuk@gmail.com
T: +44 (0) 755 144 8513
Reg. Charity No.: 1155041
Donate
By making a donation of an amount of your choosing to FAI, you can help us make a tangible contribution to the development of a culture of respect for Italy's landscape, art, history and traditions and to the protection of a heritage that belongs to the whole world.
Make your donation using these bank details:
Banca Prossima - Gruppo Intesa Sanpaolo
BIC (SWIFT) Code: BCITITMX
IBAN Code: IT 46 I 03359 01600 100000013785