It may not come as a surprise that Italy
is home to some of the wealthiest people in the world given that it is known for its extravagant splendor, which includes high-end Milanese fashion, traditional cuisine, and Tuscan wine.
But a lot of the people on this list had to work very hard to get there. As you will see, these business moguls and billionaires come from a variety of backgrounds and have achieved success in a variety of markets, including candy, eyewear, and designer products.
The Ten wealthiest Italians are listed here if you’re curious in who has accumulated the largest money.
- Miuccia Prada
Net worth: $4 billion
Fashion designer Miuccia Bianchi Prada is a successful businesswoman. She is the founder of the subsidiary apparel firm Miu Miu and the chief designer of the well-known brand Prada.
She took over the upscale company in 1978 and is Mario Prada’s youngest grandchild. Since then, she has also bought other well-known labels including Helmut Lang and Jil Sander. In the meanwhile, she founded her own museum of modern art in 2002.
Prada was the subject of scandal in 2014 when Milan prosecutors opened an inquiry into her for alleged tax dodging, which led to her paying more than €400 million ($412 million) in 2016.
- Patrizio Bertelli
Net worth: $4 billion
Patrizio Bertelli, Prada’s spouse and a multibillionaire businessman, serves as the company’s CEO. When he was 21 years old, he started the leather goods business Sir Robert, which served as the foundation for the rest of his entrepreneurial development. In the 1970s, he first met Prada, and what began as a business partnership soon developed into a romantic one; they later got married.
By uniting all internal operations at Prada to fully manage the manufacturing line and quality standards, Bertelli developed a new business model that sparked the company’s explosive growth in the 1980s and 1990s.
Bertelli took part in the 2014 tax dispute as well.
- Augusto and Giorgio Perfetti
Net worth: $4.1 billion
Brothers Augusto and Giorgio Perfetti, co-owners of the candy industry’s behemoth Perfetti Van Melle, are in charge of producing a number of well-known goods for the world market, including Mentos, Fruittella, and Chupa Chups (bought in 2006).
After Mondelez International and Mars, Inc., the company has positioned itself as the third largest confectionaries manufacturer in the world after acquiring of Perfetti Van Melle’s shareholdings in 2001. The two notoriously media-averse brothers currently reside in Switzerland and are not involved in the day-to-day operations of the company.
- Piero Ferrari
Net worth: $4.2 billion
The second and sole surviving heir of Enzo Ferrari, Piero Lardi Ferrari, holds a 10.23% stake in the Ferrari business and serves as vice chairman.
Informally translating for his father at the start of his profession, he was formally hired as a technical supervisor in the early 1970s. He joined the Formula One team in 1974 as a co-organizer and worked with the sporting directors.
Ferrari launched HPE COXA in 1998, and he serves as its chairman as well. This business’s objective was to establish high-end engineering services and highly precise niche prototype manufacturing.
- Giuseppe De’Longhi
Net worth: $4.4 billion
Coffee lovers are likely familiar with De’Longhi coffee makers, which are overseen by Giuseppe, president of parent firm De’Longhi SpA.
Although the firm was established in Treviso in 1902 and initially made its money manufacturing heaters, air conditioners, and household appliances, it wasn’t until 1990 that they began manufacturing the premium coffee makers that have come to be associated with the family name.
The business, which is currently led by De’Lognhi’s son Fabio, has successfully negotiated production and distribution contracts with other industry giants including Kenwood and Braun.
- Massimiliana Landini Aleotti
Net worth: $5.4 billion
In 2014, Lucia and Alberto Giovanni, along with Massimiliana Aleotti, who is the widow of medications tycoon Alberto Aleotti, took over management of the significant Menarini Group while she retained controlling ownership.
However, there has been some controversy surrounding the family. 2016 saw the conviction of Lucia and Alberto Giovanni for tax fraud and money laundering. They were given sentences of 10 and 7.5 years in jail, respectively. The Florence Court of Appeal reversed this decision in December 2018, absolving the siblings of all charges.
- Silvio Berlusconi
Net worth: $7.1 billion
Silvio Berlusconi, one of the most divisive and enigmatic figures in Italian and European politics, amassed wealth through his media business Fininvest before beginning the first of his three stints as Italian Prime Minister in 1994. Since then, “Il Cavaliere” (or “The Knight”) has become involved in a number of extortion, corruption, and tax fraud incidents, leading to a 2014 election ban that was later overturned by a court.
Despite persistent allegations of a dispute among his media and public careers, Berlusconi nonetheless maintains control over his sizable media empire along with his family. The AC Milan football club, which he had owned for 31 years, was sold to a Chinese investment group in 2017 for a sum of money (€740 million ($762 million).)
- Giorgio Armani
Net worth: $7.8 billion
Even though Giorgio Armani’s name is today synonymous with grandeur and opulence, his early years couldn’t have been more dissimilar. The fashion mogul was raised in a working-class household and attended medical school before joining the army and landing a job as a window dresser in a Milan department shop in 1957.
Armani established his eponymous line in 1975 after establishing his status as a designers in the 1960s and 1970s. Since then, it has evolved into a global powerhouse with over 60 stores across 37 nations. Since 2005, the company has expanded into the luxury hotel industry, constructing a flagship property at Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.
The Lord of Fashion, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be slowing down. He is still in charge of managing the business on a daily basis, and he hasn’t yet chosen a replacement for when he inevitably retires.
- Leonardo Del Vecchio
Net worth: $27.3 billion
If the majority of the capitalists on this list had a substantial helping hand from their parents, then take Leonardo Del Vecchio’s case. The eyeglasses tycoon, who was born into poverty in 1935, was sent to an orphanage at age 7 before beginning an apprenticeship at a parts company at age 14 to make ends meet.
Del Vecchio had his heart set on going to design school, but instead he used his metalworking abilities to launch a company that made eyeglasses, founding the now-famous Luxottica in 1967. While continuing to produce frames for designer labels like Armani, Bulgari, and Chanel, the company has now bought some of the largest eyewear companies around the world, namely Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Sunglass Hut.
Sadly, Leonardo died suddenly on June 27, 2022, at the age of 87, and the family is now debating what to do next.
- Giovanni Ferrero
Net worth: $36.2 billion
Built entirely from a family’s special Pasta Gianduja recipe, or as the whole of the world today refers to it: Giovanni Ferrero, the grandson of founder of the company Pietro Ferrero, is currently in charge of the multibillion dollar Nutella division of the Ferrero empire.
Ferrero manufactures both the Kinder line of sweets and Tic Tac mints. The corporation is notoriously wary about industrial espionage and forbids the media from seeing its manufacturing facilities. Since then, under Ferrero’s competent management, the firm has expanded its amazing portfolio to include various candy brands sold in the North American market as well as some Nestlé products.
The current residence of Ferrero, who is engaged with two kids, is Brussels, Belgium. Since 2016, he has stepped down from his role as Ferrero’s CEO and is now the company’s executive chairman, in charge of long-term planning.
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