AIFO, Milan: Stewardship and the Value of Family Collections

Reflections on legacy, governance, and cultural responsibility.

I was honored to contribute to the Master in Family Office program organized by AIFO – Associazione Italiana Family Officer in Milan. The session, “La valutazione dei beni artistici e delle collezioni di famiglia,” gathered leading professionals and founders to discuss how art, legacy, and governance intersect within family offices and private heritage management.

The dialogue was both insightful and inspiring. Engaging with Italian family offices offered a chance to reflect on how distinct cultural frameworks influence the stewardship of art and patrimony. In Italy, the conversation often begins with heritage and emotion; in the United States, it starts with governance and structure. Bringing these two perspectives together revealed how sustainable cultural models can emerge from their intersection, combining Italy’s sense of history and continuity with the strategic rigor often found in American institutional practice.

Our exchange explored how families can move from preservation to active cultural engagement, ensuring that collections evolve as living legacies. The discussion highlighted a growing awareness among Italian founders of the need for long-term planning, transparency, and professional management: principles that increasingly define the global conversation around private museums and cultural philanthropy.

I am deeply grateful to Fadrique Diana Maria de Vargas-Machuca and Silvia Stabile for the invitation, and to Patrizia Misciatelli delle Ripe, President of AIFO, for her leadership and hospitality. It was a privilege to contribute to a dialogue that bridges two worlds, and to see how Italy’s family offices are shaping the future of cultural stewardship with renewed vision and responsibility.