Guido Venosta European Foundation – “Il Ponte” Award and “Medal of Gratitude” (2004 – 2014)

The “Il Ponte” Award

In 2004, the Guido Venosta European Foundation (FEGV) established the Il Ponte Award to create an annual event that would bring together the Foundation’s supporters while strongly embodying the spirit reflected in Guido Venosta’s writings and interviews. In collaboration with the Foundation’s Scientific Committee, a form of recognition was designed to highlight and reward key figures in the successful integration of economy and ethics.

The award was granted each year to individuals or organizations that had achieved, through the specificities of their field, a meaningful transfer of values between the profit and nonprofit sectors—those who had successfully bridged two seemingly opposing worlds and, in doing so, brought society a step closer to the ideal of coherence envisioned by Guido Venosta.

The image of a bridge was chosen to symbolize the mission of the FEGV. The award itself was a laser-cut steel design object composed of the letters forming the phrase “DAL PROFIT AL NONPROFIT” (From Profit to Nonprofit). Naturally, the design was created by Carla Venosta—a highly renowned designer and two-time winner of the prestigious Compasso d’Oro, the oldest and most esteemed design award—together with Sebastiano Cogoli and Gianfaroli. As Carla herself wrote:

“My work as a designer has left a clear mark both on the project framework and on the Foundation’s visual identity, visible in the covers, graphics, and design of the award itself.”

Over its ten-year span, the Il Ponte Award recognized individuals and institutions in a setting that brought together Milan’s elite and beyond—from Marco Tronchetti Provera, the first award recipient for his foundation named after his father Silvio, to Opera San Francesco per i Poveri di Milano, which successfully evolved from traditional charity to efficient assistance, as well as physicians, philanthropists, and institutions.

The final award in 2014 bore the influence of both Carla and Giorgina Venosta, Guido’s daughter, who had long been active in the social sector and was becoming increasingly involved in the Foundation as Carla’s health declined. Giorgina presented the award

“within the framework of Design Week, when the world of culture is fully focused on creative design on a global scale.”

The last recipient was Massimo Vignelli, a celebrated designer who had “become a bridge” across multiple projects and diverse cultural landscapes, embodying the effort to create a shared language that fosters understanding, knowledge, and exchange.

A truly fitting award for what journalist Lina Sotis described in the third edition (2007) as the recognition of “the last of Milan’s great gentlemen”. In her editorial, Awards for Volunteers in Memory of a Gentleman, she wrote:

“Guido Venosta was a man of elegance—in spirit, in thought, and in appearance. He passed away in 1998, yet for decades he represented the essence of a sober, industrious Milan that never compromised. (…) Venosta has been gone for almost ten years, but no one in the city, not even among the distinguished elders of Milan’s elite and aristocracy, has managed to take his place. His judgment, his advice, his words always set the right course. (…).”

Certainly, through his writings, he has done so for the FEGV.

The “Medal of Gratitude”

Alongside the Il Ponte Award, another annual recognition was established: the Medal of Gratitude, awarded to the Foundation’s active supporters—friends who had distinguished themselves through exceptional contributions in providing concrete support and collaboration across various initiatives.

Over 40 individuals were honored across different editions, including notable figures from the worlds of industry, politics, culture, and science—from Guido Vergani to Giuseppe Barbiano di Belgiojoso, from Ferruccio de Bortolito Gabriele Albertini, from Gillo Dorfles to Salvatore Veca.

The Medal itself was designed as a refined object, featuring a satin-finished circular design encircled by the engraved and repeated inscription:
“DAL PROFIT AL NONPROFIT” (From Profit to Nonprofit).

Sources:
Villa San Valerio (MB), Archives of Villa San Valerio, Guido Venosta European Foundation Archive, 2000–2020:

• C. VENOSTA, Material for a Potential Book for Guido, 2008, unpublished bound draft.
• Documents related to various editions of the Il Ponte Award (editorials, posters, invitations, press releases, etc.).

Bibliography:
L. SOTIS, Awards for Volunteers in Memory of a Gentleman, in Corriere della Sera, September 27, 2007.