Week of Guardianship

Below is the press release distributed to regional and national media outlets during the press conference held in Milan on 12 June 2025:

Perugia, Week of Guardianship
A beautiful city is also a well-cared-for city
The Municipality of Perugia leads the project, conceived by Brunello Cucinelli

Milan, 12 June 2025 - This morning, at Casa Cucinelli in Milan, a press conference was held in the presence of journalists and friends to unveil an important initiative entitled the “Week of Guardianship”.
Conceived by Brunello Cucinelli, the project has been warmly embraced by the Municipality of Perugia, which acts as the main organiser of the initiative. The endeavour also involves the Umbrian region, the University of Perugia, the University for Foreigners of Perugia and the Academy of Fine Arts of Perugia.
Dedicated to the architectural and natural wonders of the entire municipal territory of the Umbrian capital, the initiative aims to raise public awareness around fostering a civic culture of preservation, guardianship, and beautification. The full scope of the project -which will take place in the week of 15-21 September 2025 - was outlined during the event.
The initiative was presented by Brunello Cucinelli, President of the eponymous fashion house based in Solomeo, alongside the Mayor of Perugia, Vittoria Ferdinandi, in the presence of the President of the Umbria Region, Stefania Proietti; the Rector of the University of Perugia, Maurizio Oliviero; the Rector of the University for Foreigners of Perugia, Valerio De Cesaris; and the Director of the Academy of Fine Arts of Perugia, Tiziana D'Acchille.
The objective is to instil a collective sense of responsibility for the care of the common good and Beauty itself, by identifying and enhancing specific areas within both the urban and peripheral parts of the Umbrian capital. This endeavour also seeks to safeguard the city's authentic memory and identity. The noble aim of the initiative is that every citizen feels engaged in this communal labour of beautification —beginning with tending to the facade of one's home, nurturing the plants in one's garden, and maintaining the cleanliness of one's gate.
All of this is undertaken in the spirit of civic commitment and collective generosity, in constant collaboration with schools, families, neighbourhood associations, businesses, and merchants, so that each individual may select one or more days during the Week of Guardianship to perform their personal act of care towards Perugia.

Brunello Cucinelli commented: «I like to think that this Week of Guardianship will find joyful participation from all Perugians and beyond, urging them to recognise the importance of each person caring for a small part of our splendid city of Perugia, a heritage of humanity. We are all temporary guardians of Beauty, and that represented by Perugia's monumental stones, parks, gardens, and orchards awaits daily, gracious, and gentle acts of care from all —whether residents or students, or those visitors who come to experience it as tourists. The ancient Athenians taught us: 'If the doorway to your home is clean, the whole city is clean,' 'It is our duty to leave the city more beautiful than we inherited it.'I believe that everything can begin with caring for one's own doorway. A cleaned and polished door will be more beautiful; a well-tended garden will be more beautiful; and soon after, a pavement, a bench, a wall, a plaque, a flowerpot, a path, a fountain, a small park, a public square —all will regain their shine. Thus a virtuous circle will be sparked whereby all will feel responsible for the city's beauty and respectful of its territory. You will see, I am certain, that when we restore dignity to certain corners of the city, our very souls will benefit and feel lighter. In Siena, in the town hall, the fresco 'The Allegory of Good Government,' masterfully painted by Benozzo Gozzoli for our instruction and pleasure, depicts the Sienese Constitution of 1309, the supreme expression of the norms regulating civic, political, and judicial life, where it is written: 'Those who govern must hold the beauty of the city foremost in their hearts for the delight and joy of visitors, for the honour, prosperity, and growth of the city and its citizens'».

The Mayor of Perugia, Vittoria Ferdinandi, remarked:
«The Week of Guardianship is far more than a project; it is a collective act of love towards our city. It is the recognition that beauty is not merely an aesthetic matter but an ethical value, a way of living and coexisting. Beauty is shared responsibility—it is caring for one another and the places we inhabit. It is the ability to look beyond ourselves to build a more united and just community.Through this initiative, we give voice and space to an idea of active and tangible participation, involving every citizen, associations, enterprises, and institutions. To guard the city means to keep it alive, to restore its dignity, and to bring light to those places which, though seemingly marginal, form part of our collective identity. It is a daily, simple gesture, yet profoundly revolutionary.We will work together to restore value to our common goods, strengthen the bond between people and urban spaces, and cultivate a deep civic spirit that translates into concrete actions of care and renewal. For every cleaned bench, every reflowered flowerbed, every wall restored to its original beauty, is a step towards a city that is more welcoming, inclusive, and humane.
The beauty of Perugia is its soul, and it is the duty of us all to safeguard and nurture it, today andfor those who will come after us».