Ask any Italian, young and old, who most embodied charm, style, and power in the last century, and they will likely think of Gianni Agnelli, “L’Avvocato” (his nickname, meaning “The Lawyer”). His hallmarks included a charcoal double-breasted Caraceni suit. Perhaps a Rolex Daytona-clad wrist out the window of a forest green Ferrari Testarossa Spider. Occasional cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Often smiling, or hinting at it.
Gianni was known as Italy’s uncrowned king–the most important industrialist and leader of the Fiat motor company, President and number one fan of the Juventus soccer club, and, of course, an impossible-to-resist seductor. Born into the dynasty of the Fiat company that his grandfather, Giovanni, founded in 1899, Gianni’s streak of living luxuriously and dangerously was supposed to be temporary. Giovanni, who raised Gianni after both his parents died when he was very young, advised him to have as much fun as he could before taking the reins at Fiat. While Vallette–the president of the company from 1946-1966–successfully navigated through Italy’s post-war industrial reconstruction, Gianni was speeding through the streets of Monaco in one of his many cars or schmoozing at black tie bashes with the world’s elite, among them Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller, and John F. Kennedy. What else could the heir to the automotive throne be expected to do with his rumored allowance of $1,000,000 a year?
As his niece Isabella Rattazzi said, he “was involved in all that Italians loved: sex, cars, and sport.” Gianni was part of a generation of jet-setting men, including Aly Khan and Porfirio Rubirosa, who perfected the art of the playboy in the 1950s. All three were known for their handsome looks, sophisticated flair, aversion to boredom, and countless romances with the most desired women across the globe. They would wake up in Gstaad, and be in Venice by nightfall for a party. The carefree French Riviera was their main playground, but, wherever they landed, the cocktails were flowing and the women were beautiful.
Among the women Gianni is known to have seduced are Anita Ekberg, Rita Hayworth, Linda Christian, and Pamela Churchill, the daughter in law of Sir Winston Churchill. There are even hot rumors that he had a relationship with first lady Jacqueline Kennedy: the two spent time at Villa Episcopio in Ravello and around the Amalfi Coast in the early 60s. A romance was never confirmed. When asked, Gianni said, “I don’t like talking about women–I like talking to them.” Even after marrying Marella Caracciolo, a noblewoman from Naples, Gianni wouldn’t change his playboy ways; his humor, success, and gusto for life somehow pardoned any blemishes of character, although he is not considered entirely faultless by most Italians.
Worshiped by many for his iconic style, Gianni was the definition of sprezzatura and the seemingly effortless art of dressing impeccably. He took unprecedented fashion risks like pairing a sharp, double-breasted suit with distressed combat boots. Otherwise, he could be found almost exclusively in Tod’s moccasins. His friends say that he always added a studied carefree touch to an elegant look, like wearing his tie slightly off center. Each outfit was completed with a classic watch worn over his cuff–one of his most imitated style quirks. When he wasn’t dressed to the nines, Gianni donned designer swim trunks, a towel around his waist, or, often, nothing at all at the helm of one of his yachts, accompanied always by a gorgeous entourage. Photographs of Gianni on that vacation with Jackie O or on other trips to Capri, Positano, or Forte dei Marmi reveal where today’s dapper Italian vacationers draw their inspiration: linen button downs and Villebrequin shorts, effortlessly chic.
Gianni was a capital I influencer. The trends he set–from what he wore, to where he vacationed, and how he carried himself–continue to be imitated even decades after his death.
The popular, five-star Augustus Hotel & Resort in Forte dei Marmi encompasses Villa Agnelli–charming Tuscan quarters where the Agnelli’s would discreetly vacation for over 30 years–giving vacationers a feel and taste of what their sun-drenched summers were like. Painted in the most summery pinks, greens, and blues, the villa has a garden from which the Agnelli family built an underground passageway connecting it to the beach in the 50s (which can still be used by the guests who know to ask).
Gianni’s lavish lifestyle didn’t end when he took over Fiat in 1966–it just became more discreet and, some could say, balanced. When he was living at Villa Frescot, a helicopter would pick him up and drop him off 30 minutes later at the top of a slope in the ski destination of Sestriere. Literally drop him–Gianni, a fan of heliskiing, would jump off the chopper while it was still in motion. (He was known to do the same, though ski-less and into the sea, on the way to Hotel Du Cap or Villa Leopolda, his estate on the French Riviera.) It saved time, he said. He’d ski to the bottom of the hill, likely dressed in a smart-looking knit sweater and tailored trousers, where the helicopter would collect him and return him to the family villa. He’d then race–by car this time–to Corso Marconi in Turin, where the company’s offices were located until the late 80s.
Gianni’s great rarity was his ability to balance his passionate lust for life with business acumen and incredible leadership. Presiding over 30 challenging years of trade union turbulence, terrorism, political scandals, and automotive industry ups and downs, he managed to turn Fiat into a worldwide conglomerate and an unequivocal symbol of Italy. When the country mourned his loss in 2003, people from all walks of life paid tribute. L’Avvocato will be remembered as a symbol of the Italian post-war Renaissance and of everything Italians were and are–with a little dash of extra.
