Nicknamed the Lawyer, due to his law degree, he was a key figure in the economic, political, and sports history of 20th century Italy. Born in Turin and passed away here in January 2003, Giovanni Agnelli, known as Gianni, took over the presidency of FIAT from his father Edoardo in 1966, leading it for 40 years through ups and downs. A life senator since 1991, his relationships with trade unions and left-wing parties, primarily the PCI, significantly influenced the political debate on labor and economic development issues. A refined football connoisseur, his name is linked to the major triumphs of Juventus, of which he was honorary president until his death.
My life coincides for three quarters with that of Fiat. And my relationship with Fiat is half memory and half experience.
He had a youthful relationship with Pamela Churchill, the divorced wife of the son of the English statesman: "They used each other." Gianni gifted her an apartment in Paris, a car with a chauffeur. But it didn't work out, partly due to the aversion of his sisters. Then came the marriage to the young aristocrat with the long neck: Marella Caracciolo. "My mother didn't like Gianni — says his brother Nicola — she found him terrible, he had too glamorous a reputation." And his daughter adds: "In the early months of marriage, Marella lay on the sofa, drank orange juice, read poetry. Gianni, fearing he had married a weak woman, sent her to Venice to Lily Volpi to learn how to run a household."
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