Francesco Vittorio Ambrosio (18 September 1932 – 15 April 2009) was a businessman from

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. He became a multi-millionaire through wheat trading, primarily for pasta production, and built up a large business empire. He was murdered in a robbery at his home near

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

in 2009.

Life

Francesco Vittorio Ambrosio was born on 18 September 1932 in San Gennarello, a neighbourhood close to

Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of s ...

in the

Ottaviano Ottaviano ( nap, Uttajano) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about east of Naples and is located in the Vesuvian Area. Ottaviano was in Roman times a hamlet of houses within ...

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of

. At the age of 18 he joined a wheat milling business near Naples which he rose to lead within 10 years. He renamed the business Italgrani

SpA A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

in 1960. Its huge financial growth led to his nickname 'the king of grain' (Italian: ''il re del grano''). Italgrani expanded rapidly in the 1980s into Africa, Australia, and the United States. Ambrosio created a holding company comprising up to 50 companies, importing and exporting various commodities. The businesses gradually unravelled in the 1990s following his involvement in the Enimont financial scandal. He declared the Italgrani company bankrupt in 1999. Parts of Italgrani survived bankruptcy and were sold to new owners. A friend of the politician

Paolo Cirino Pomicino Paolo Cirino Pomicino (born 3 September 1939) is an Italian politician, who was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in the 2006 Italian general election representing the Christian Democracy for the Autonomies. Biography Pomicino was born in Napl ...

, Ambrosio was included in investigations into possible conspiracy to defraud involving Campania criminal organisations, politicians and entrepreneurs.

Death

On the morning of 15 April 2009 his eldest son Massimo discovered the dead bodies of Ambrosio and his wife Giovanna Sacco in their seaside villa in

Posillipo Posillipo (; nap, Pusilleco ) is an affluent residential quarter of Naples, southern Italy, located along the northern coast of the Gulf of Naples. From the 1st century BC the Bay of Naples witnessed the rise of villas constructed by elite Roma ...

. The cause of death was determined to be injuries to the head from a blunt object. There were signs of a robbery: a broken window, possessions scattered and valuables missing. The next day three Romanian immigrants, including one who had worked as his gardener, were arrested and charged with murder.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambrosio, Franco 1932 births 2009 deaths Businesspeople from Naples People murdered in Campania 20th-century Italian businesspeople Deaths by beating in Italy