Italy is home, by some estimates, to two-thirds of the world’s cultural treasures – the Colosseum, the Trevi fountain, Michaelangelo’s Pieta, and that’s just in Rome! The trouble is the country can’t afford to keep many of its historic ruins, churches and monuments from crumbling. Now leaders of one of Italy’s most prosperous industries – fashion – are stepping in.
One of those leaders is Diego Della Valle, CEO of Tod’s, the luxury leather goods company. He’s funding the three-year-project to clean the Colosseum which must be done inch by inch, by hand, without chemicals. The Fendi fashion house has donated $3.5 million to give the Trevi Fountain a new plumbing system. And the Bulgari fashion house is paying to clean and repair the Spanish Steps. Morley Safer will interview these philanthropic fashion tycoons on CBS’ 60 Minutes, June 21 at 7pm.
