About us
A history.
A commitment.
A foundation.
Born from a deep desire to give back to the community, the Paolo Vitelli Foundation carries forward the values of those who inspired it every day.
The foundation paolo vitelli.
Entrepreneur and founder of Azimut|Benetti, one of the world’s leading yachting groups, Paolo Vitelli has always combined entrepreneurial success with a deep conviction: business has concrete responsibilities towards the community in which it operates. Among these is the responsibility to return value to the areas that welcome it and foster its growth, through tangible actions rooted in the local context.
From this vision, the Sogni e Sorrisi (Dreams and Smiles) call for projects was born, launched in 2023 in the Turin area to support social projects dedicated to the most vulnerable people. To this was added support for the rebirth of the Picco Zerosei School in Avigliana and collaboration with non-profit organisations active at national and international levels.
Today the Foundation, chaired by Giovanna Vitelli, continues this journey with an inclusive and collaborative approach: it does not act in isolation, but in a network with other Third Sector organisations, convinced that change arises from cooperation and the shared construction of value.
Key milestones.
A journey that keeps growing, year after year, project after project.
Sogni e Sorrisi Is Born
Paolo Vitelli launches the first annual call for proposals in support of non-profit organizations in Turin, with the aim of supporting children, teenagers and vulnerable people with concrete tools for growth and participation.
Saving the Asilo Picco
The historic Asilo Picco in Avigliana, active since 1871, is at risk of closing. The Foundation chooses to step in, funding a project to radically transform it into a modern Educational Hub.
Sogni e Sorrisi, 2024 Edition
The call funds and supports 22 social projects aimed at developing high-quality, inclusive and equitable educational and social opportunities, as well as promoting occasions for growth and learning that enhance abilities, skills, talents and aspirations.
The Foundation Is Established. Scuola Picco Zerosei Opens.
Fondazione Paolo Vitelli ETS is officially established, chaired by Giovanna Vitelli. In September of the same year, the new Scuola Picco Zerosei opens its doors to over 100 children from 3 months to 6 years old, serving local families as well as the children and grandchildren of Azimut Yachts employees.
Sogni e Sorrisi, 2025 Edition
The call funds and supports 26 projects in the Turin area aimed at children, teenagers and people living in conditions of fragility and vulnerability.
Sogni e Sorrisi, 2026 Edition
The call focuses on Turin's most challenging suburban areas and on projects in the regenerated spaces of Castello di Lucento and the AIEF Center in Mirafiori, with a focus on mental health, education and parenting.
A concrete commitment
to the local area.
Support for vulnerability
The projects we implement and support are aimed at the vulnerabilities of our local area, with particular attention to children and adolescents living in complex contexts.
Beauty of places
We enhance spaces through structural and furnishing interventions, promoting a culture of beauty, because the context in which one lives is never secondary.
LOCAL PROXIMITY NETWORKS
We support Third Sector organisations already active in the area and capable of generating impact, to strengthen existing networks and multiply the value of actions.
Concrete needs
We intervene in real and urgent needs of the local area, with a practical and results-oriented approach.