President of the Foundation from 1977 to 1995

Bruno Visentini was born in Treviso on 1 August 1914 into a family of lawyers. After finishing high school, he enrolled in Faculty of Law in Padua, from which he graduated in 1935.
From university on, he was part of the militant anti-fascist movement. He joined Ugo La Malfa, Parri and Ragghianta in founding the Partito d’azione. In early 1943 he was arrested in Rome on the grounds of propaganda against the regime and remained imprisioned until 26 July 1943, the day after the fall of Fascism.
In September 1945 he became a member of the National Council representing party members of the Veneto. In December 1945, he was nominated undersecretary of Finance under De Gasperi. In 1948 he was appointed vice-president of Iri, a position he hold until 1972.
Visentini served as president of Olivetti from 1963 until the 70’s, with a few interruptions. In 1972 he was elected deputy in Tuscany for the Pri. In 1974 he was elected vice-president of Confindustria, a role from which he resigned a few months later when became Minister of Finance under Moro.
In 1979 he was Minister of the Budget in Andreotti’s fourth term. He was re-elected Senator and then member of the European Parliament that same year.
From 1979 to 1992 he was President of the Pri. From 1983 he headed the Ministry of Finance under Craxi. In 1992 he left the Republican party over a controversy with Giorgio La Malfa.
On 29 November 1976 Visentini was appointed to the General Council of the Giorgio Cini Foundation, of which he was elected president on 11 March 1977. President until 1995, he was resolute in dealing with budget issues and managed to make the most of the means provided by Vittorio Cini. He worked on developing strong ties with other institutions, promoting opportunities for cultural exchange, and obtaining financial backing from public and private entities. Though ongoing ties with the Cini family and thanks to a relationship of collaboration and reciprocal esteem established with the Patriarch of Venice, Cardinal Marco Cè, he knew how to uphold and maintain the continuity of the Foundation’s values and traditions.
Bruno Visentini died in Rome on 13 February 1995.