Maria Pia Fanfani | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Fanfani in 1981 | |
| Born | Maria Pia Tavazzani 29 November 1922 |
| Died | 7 November 2019 (aged 96) Rome, Italy |
| Other names | Mariapia Vecchi, Mariapia Tavazzani Fanfani |
| Occupation(s) | Photographer, writer, and humanitarian worker |
| Years active | 1940-2010 |
| Spouse | |
Maria Pia Fanfani (formerly Mariapia Vecchi, née Maria Pia Tavazzani, 29 November 1922 – 7 November 2019) was an Italian photographer, writer, and humanitarian worker. Born in Pavia, she attended the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera (Academy of Fine Arts in Brera) in Milan. After completing her schooling, she worked in the family textile business. During World War II, she married Giuseppe Vecchi and founded a humanitarian organization to assist in war relief. Joining the resistance, she worked as a courier, assisted Jews fleeing to Switzerland, and became active in anti-Nazi campaigns. At the end of the war, Vecchi established ties with the Italian-American community to bring humanitarian aid to war-torn Italy.
Interested in photography, Vecchi studied with Evelyn Hofer and began traveling the world to document human hardships and raise awareness of people's struggles by publishing books, including Italian Embassies of the World, Poland Second Millennium and Romania Latin World. The first two won cultural prizes from Dag Hammarskjöld and the Polish government. After the death of her first husband, she married Amintore Fanfani, a former Italian Prime Minister. Although a socialite and official hostess for her husband, she maintained her career as a photographer, writer, and humanitarian. In 1983, she became president of the Women's Committee of the Italian Red Cross, a post she held until 1994. In 1985, she also became vice president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, for a four-year term. She formed Sempre Insieme per la Pace (Always Together For Peace) to expand her humanitarian efforts. With more than 200 projects over the years, she provided humanitarian aide for the benefit of victims of wars and natural disasters, covering food, medicine, agricultural equipment, water-filtration systems, and school supplies.
Fanfani was recognized by many awards for her humanitarianism, including the Meritorious Activist of Culture, Poland's highest cultural award in 1970 and 1983, and she was honored as a Grand Cross Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1993. She was presented with the Premio Pellegrino di Pace (Pilgrim's Peace Prize) of the Assisi International Center for Peace in 2008; the Glory of Ossetia Medal, the highest award of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, in 2010; and the Umurinzi Medal, the highest honor a foreigner can receive for preserving life during the Rwandan genocide in 2010. She died in Rome in 2019.