The I Tatti community is saddened by the death of Avv. Paolo Fresco, a member of the I Tatti Council whose generous support and thoughtful engagement with our Center left a lasting legacy.
Avv. Fresco was internationally recognised for his distinguished career in business, serving in senior leadership roles at General Electric before becoming Chairman of Fiat. A lifelong lover of art, from the Renaissance to the contemporary, he came to know I Tatti and its work well in recent years. He subsequently joined the Center's Council and, in 2022, established the Marlène and Paolo Fresco Fellowship in African Studies.
Named after Paolo and his late wife, Marlène, the fellowship was endowed to stimulate and support scholarship on cultural exchanges between the African continent and the Mediterranean world during the period c. 1250–1750.
As a member of the I Tatti Council, Avv. Fresco was a regular presence at events and lectures here in Florence, following the work of the Center and its scholars with keen interest. Through the Marlène and Paolo Fresco Fellowship in African Studies, his commitment to I Tatti’s mission will continue to foster new scholarship for generations to come.
Image: Paolo and Marlène Fresco