Fondazione Ant, 45 years of solidarity and support

On 12 October in the Salone dei Cinquecento of Palazzo Vecchio a Luxury Charity Dinner to celebrate this important milestone

“The most beautiful human deed is to be useful to others”; so said Sophocles, way back in the 5th century BC. For the past 45 years, a shining concrete example of this important spirit of solidarity is the Fondazione Ant Italia Onlus, Italy’s largest non-profit organisation providing free health and social care at home for cancer patients, founded in 1978 by the oncologist Franco Pannuti. Between 1985 and the present day, over 149,000 patients have received support, thanks to multi-disciplinary teams all over Italy who work to deliver specialist assistance to cancer sufferers and their families.

Simone Martini, head of the Tuscan and Florence area, tells us more.

What are the key words of the Ant philosophy?

The work done by Ant can be summed up perfectly in the single term Eubiosia (from the Greek, eu/good bios/life: ‘good life’), understood as a series of qualities that ensure dignity at every stage of the illness.

When and how did you become involved with the Fondazione?

It was October 2010. I remember the meeting with Professor Pannuti and his words of encouragement, which are still a great motivation to always give my best.

How are you celebrating the 45th anniversary of Ant?

There’s a lot going on, from the Prevention Tour, taking in more than 50 provinces, to the Scholarship programme, open to students of eight Italian universities. But there are also plenty of events, including a Luxury Charity Dinner, planned for 12 October in the fabulous Salone dei Cinquecento at Palazzo Vecchio. It’s a charity event to raise funds for Bimbi in Ant, a professional support service for young cancer patients which enables them to be cared for in their own homes, among the people and things they love.

What will the key moments be?

Once again for this 12th edition - under the artistic direction of Cristina Casamassimi, the head of large fundraising events for Ant in Florence - the ingredients will be music, song, dance and solidarity. The evening will be hosted by Veronica Maffei, with performances including singer-songwriter Giovanni Caccamo, dancers from the Lyric Dance Company in costumes by the genius of head sculpture Giuseppe Fata; Yaser Ramadan and Victoria Aletta, the Florentine ballerina who captivated the world with her performance in the streets of Barcelona during the lockdown.