The Italian branch of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation celebrates 15 years of action to protect the planet

In the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Italian branch of His Foundation, chaired by Marco Colasanti, celebrated the 15th anniversary of its creation in Rome on Friday 27 September.

The festivities began with a conference entitled "Building tomorrow: the value of ethics and pragmatism in preserving the environment", attended by over a hundred guests in the auditorium of Villa Farnesina, home of the prestigious Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.
The conference was opened by Marco Colasanti and a number of eminent academics, including Prof. Roberto Antonelli, President of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, and Prof. Eugenio Gaudio, President of the Roma Sapienza Foundation.
The discussions, moderated by journalist Claudia Conte, brought together a number of key speakers to shed a holistic light on the contribution of ethics and pragmatism to the search for sustainable solutions: His Eminence Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Prof Carlo Blasi, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Environmental Biology at Rome's Saîenza University, Prof Fabrizio Fracchia, Professor of Administrative Law at Milan's Bocconi University, Prof Michele Morgante, expert in genetics and Director of the Institute of Applied Genomics in Udine, and last but not least, three-star chef Heinz Beck.

The conference was part of a series of initiatives to raise awareness and educate people about environmental issues run by the Italian branch of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which works alongside a number of Italian universities and academies.
As a prelude to the conference, the Italian branch ratified a partnership agreement with the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the oldest scientific academy in the world, to strengthen its action. In the presence of the Sovereign Prince, Olivier Wenden, Vice-President and CEO of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Marco Colasanti, President of the Italian branch and Prof. Roberto Antonelli, President of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, signed the agreement in the magnificent Villa Farnesina, the headquarters of the Accademia.

The day ended with a gala dinner in aid of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, at the prestigious Palais Colonna, attended by almost 200 guests. In his opening speech, H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco reminded the audience that "the cause that brings us together here this evening is so universal that it touches our humanity. It is about our duty to bequeath a sustainable world to future generations. It is our common responsibility not only to repair the damage we have caused to the planet's major balances, but also to work to make a liveable future possible, while respecting the planet's limits", before renewing his confidence in our ability to collectively achieve new advances in favour of a new balance between Man and Nature "that would enable us to live in cohesion and not in opposition".

The gala evening was also an opportunity to bring together members of the Italian branch and members of the Araldi family to thank them for their involvement in the Foundation. The evening ended with a concert by Ilaria della Bidia.

©Axel Bastello Palais Princier