A more symbolic farewell could not have been imagined for Leonardo Del Vecchio, the giant of eyewear.
At the opening of the funeral home, in his Agordo, many of those who were in line to greet the coffin were dressed in the same way:
in breeches and blue work shirts
, the Luxottica crest on the chest.
Everyday clothing for the factory shift.
An image that more than many others has revealed what Del Vecchio was, 'the paron', for Agordo and for the employees of the plant from which it all started, in 1961, then only a small mechanical workshop.
Luxottica, even before the agreement with Essilor,
was a global giant.
In Italy alone it has 80,000 employees
.
And for the funeral in this town in the Belluno Dolomites, the elite of the economy and finance will arrive to bid farewell to the great entrepreneur, who died on Monday at the age of 87.
The mayor of Agordo, Roberto Chissalè, had to come up with a logistical solution, because on Thursday morning no less than 4-5 helicopters will land here, which after having brought down the names of finance in the Luxottica pitch will have to park elsewhere, in the sports field of the town. .
Del Vecchio, long line of employees at the funeral home for the last farewell
In the meantime, from 1 pm a continuous procession of Agordini and Belluno people paraded, without any gathering, in front of the Knight's coffin, in simple walnut wood, bunches of white flowers on the sides, no concession to pomp.
Among the first to gather in front of the coffin
Francesco Milleri
, who inherited the presidency and is on the way to the succession of Del Vecchio in Delfin.
Emotion among the employees of the company: those who left a flower, those who caressed them, those who put their hand to their hearts after the last farewell.
"Of the old man - said one of them - he was a proprietor and a rigorous man, who knew how to get the best out of his workers. But he was also ready to reward them for their commitment".
Precious is the testimony of
Dino Dorigo, 78, the company's "number 1" freshman worker
, who in Del Vecchio was one of the few to speak of you.
"He taught me everything" said Dorigo, recalling the words of that young entrepreneur, in 1961: "Here you have to do as long as you want".
Dorigo, who entered 17, was earning 100 lire an hour at the time, and was able to work over 150 hours a month ".
The
anecdotes
among former employees are naturally endless.
As when Luigi Francavilla (future CEO of Luxottica) arrived in 1968 from Switzerland in that factory at the beginning.
"Go there - they told him - there are 6-7 workers in the workshop".
Francavilla entered and I count only 6: "And the seventh?", He asked: "It's me", replied Leonardo Del Vecchio.
