Luigi Ridolfi Vay da Verrazzano (7 November 1895 – 31 May 1958) was an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and sporting director, founder and first chairman of

ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...

in 1926.

Life and career

Luigi Ridolfi was born into one of the oldest noble families in Florence. He participated in the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and he was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor. He joined the

National Fascist Party The National Fascist Party ( it, Partito Nazionale Fascista, PNF) was a political party in Italy, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Italian Fascism and as a reorganization of the previous Italian Fasces of Combat. The ...

in 1921, actively participating in squad actions and the

March on Rome The March on Rome ( it, Marcia su Roma) was an organized mass demonstration and a coup d'état in October 1922 which resulted in Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party (PNF) ascending to power in the Kingdom of Italy. In late October 1922, Fa ...

as a deputy commander. Parallel to his political involvement, starting from the 1920s, he pioneeringly engaged in sports at different levels. He founded

and contributed to the construction of the Stadio Giovanni Berta in Florence, which later became known as the

Stadio Artemio Franchi The Stadio Artemio Franchi is a football stadium in Florence, Italy. It is currently the home of ACF Fiorentina. The old nickname of the stadium was "Comunale." When it was first constructed, it was known as the ''Stadio Giovanni Berta'', after ...

, as well as the Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano. He was the chairman of Fiorentina for 16 years, winning the 1939–40 Coppa Italia. He was elected as a deputy to the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

in 1929 and 1934. In 2012, he was inducted into

ACF Fiorentina Hall of Fame This is a list of ACF Fiorentina players who have been inducted into the club's Hall of Fame. History and regulations ACF Fiorentina's Hall of Fame has been launched in 2012, resulting from a collaboration between ACF Fiorentina and Museo Fiorenti ...

References

{{ACF Fiorentina Hall of Fame 1895 births 1958 deaths Italian football chairmen and investors