The
Annemarie and Arturo Gandioli-Fumagalli
Foundation
Annemarie and Arturo’s wedding on the 8 November 1971 in Milan, Italy. Photo Otello Bellamio ©
Milan-born Arturo Gandioli-Fumagalli and his late wife, Melbourne-born Annemarie, established the RMIT Milan-Melbourne Exchange Program in 2014 as part of their philanthropic efforts through the Annemarie and Arturo Gandioli-Fumagalli Foundation. The program pays homage to their respective hometowns and combines the couple’s passion for philanthropy and design, giving Milanese design a home at RMIT. It consists of providing an annual scholarship and an additional masterclass program.
The couple started this program because Melbourne and Milan are twin cities, and because Annemarie was from Melbourne and Arturo from Milan. The aim of the Milan-Melbourne Exchange Program is to deepen the knowledge and understanding of both cities, and to open that up to as many people as possible.
“We believed we were very lucky to have received gifts from life, and with our retirement we felt that it was time to give back and make sure that other people were able to benefit from the opportunity to have interesting experiences.”
- Arturo Gandioli-Fumagalli.
Annemarie and Arturo chose RMIT because they felt it had strengths that match the most outstanding characteristics of Milan, and because it offered subjects that would best stimulate the interchangeable relationship between Milan and Melbourne. They were also particularly impressed by the welcome that they received from RMIT, and felt it was a place full of passion and enthusiasm.
“We hope that by continuing this project in the future, more and more people will be aware that the two cities are closely related, and that Melbourne and Milan become very familiar names to both Melbournians and Milanese.”
