I recently returned from a Young President’s Organization (YPO) event in Florence, Italy. As many of you know, I am Italian-American with three of my four grandparents migrating from the “old country.” Though I do feel a special bond with Italy because of my heritage, all - and I mean all - can appreciate the splendor of Firenze.

Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world - steeped in art, culture and history. Obviously, it was the hub of one of the most vibrant times in history, the Renaissance, when the world experienced the brilliance of the likes of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Raphael, and so on. But also, it is a city of exceptional, friendly and proud people. Over the five days I was there, I had the privilege of meeting several business and cultural leaders in Florence and Tuscany and was most impressed with their knowledge, mindset and heart.

There is one organization I would like to point out in particular, called the “Friends of Florence”, which is doing critical work and adding significant value to all of us. The Friends of Florence is led by Contessa Simoneta Brandolini d’Adda, a true leader and very special woman, who has built this organization from the ground up. The difference between Florence and any US city is its history dates back thousands of years. This presents a most difficult challenge. There are literally thousands of pieces of art and historic and religious artifacts that have helped shape our world. Many of these works reside in Florence and if they go unattended, they will eventually wither away or be destroyed. So why doesn’t Italy just provide funds and restore these living fabrics of our culture? There are two distinct problems: one has to do with red tape as the Italian political process is nightmarish to achieve any funding decision; the second issue is that public funds in Italy are not in abundance for these efforts.

Here is where Countess Simoneta has stepped in. She has been wildly successful to-date raising private funds that go directly to the job of restoring some of the world’s most important pieces, including Michelangelo’s David and his Prisoners, Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, 22 paintings from renowned artists in the Galleria Dell’Accademia, etc. I would encourage everyone to visit the Friends of Florence website at www.friendsofflorence.org to get a better sense of what they are accomplishing and determine if you would like to be involved. By the way, this is not a political group; all of the funds go to restoration, not the Italian government. And to be very clear, no one asked me to write this blog. I am truly overwhelmed with the work the Friends of Florence organization has done and continues to do (there is much more to accomplish). Whether you are Italian or not, we can all appreciate the culture, art and history one of the greatest cities on Earth, Firenze, has bestowed on us and it’s our responsibility to ensure this history is preserved.