The Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo remembers Giorgio Squinzi

The Veneranda Fabbrica, on the first anniversary of his passing, remembers with gratitude and emotion Giorgio Squinzi, member of the institution’s Board of Directors and a generous donor to the Duomo, together with his dear wife Adriana Spazzoli.

The funeral of this historic sole director of Mapei, held in Duomo on 7 October 2019, drew a large crowd to the Cathedral. This was not just made up of great names from institutions, companies and sport, but also of the many workers who saw in Giorgio Squinzi the heart and soul of a passionate entrepreneur in love with what he considered not just a job, but a civil and philanthropic mission.

As Fedele Confalonieri, President of the Veneranda Fabbrica, recalled: “Giorgio Squinzi leaves us all a shining example of humanity: that of a person capable of looking beyond each barrier (Mapei is a successful company in over thirty countries), without ever forgetting his roots, a peculiarity he was proud of and that took him, not by chance, to collaborate as board member for two organisations that represent Milanese identity par excellence such as the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo and the Teatro alla Scala, of which he was a generous supporter. This love for his home territory translated into an entrepreneurial style: Giorgio was a sensitive man and capable of profound empathy with his workers, which he demonstrated both as president of Federchimica, bringing in great results such as the signing of six category contracts that revolutionised the sector, without even an hour of strikes, as well as at the helm of Confindustria. A way of living that took him – with heroic stoicism – to be present in the company right through to the last days of his existence.
This style blended harmoniously – this has to be said given his passion for music – with his being a husband and father. It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman: with Adrianna and then with his children Veronica and Marco, Giorgio knew how to build a splendid family”.

By choosing the spire of Duomo that he “adopted” on 15 May 2018, representing a Young Saint, during a ceremony held on the Duomo’s Rooftops, Giorgio Squinzi had wanted his loved ones at his side, indicating to them the direction to which his look tended towards: the future.
That statue and its meaning remain today as precious witnesses to a fruitful and satisfying life and, for the Veneranda Fabbrica, a tangible sign of Giorgio Squinzi’s great love for the Duomo and the city of Milan.