Clara Jeanne Nuvoletti (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Agnelli; 7 April 1920 – 19 July 2016), formerly Princess Clara von Fürstenberg, was an Italian socialite and heiress.

Early life and family

Clara Jeanne Agnelli was born in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

on 7 April 1920 to

Edoardo Agnelli Edoardo Agnelli (9 June 1954 – 15 November 2000) was the eldest child and only son of Gianni Agnelli, the industrialist patriarch of Fiat S.p.A., and of Marella Agnelli, who was born '' Donna'' Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto. He converte ...

, a businessman and member of the

Agnelli family The Agnelli family () is an Italian multi-industry business dynasty family founded by Giovanni Agnelli, one of the original founders of the Fiat motor company which became Italy's largest automobile manufacturer. They are also primarily known fo ...

, and ''Donna''

Virginia Bourbon del Monte '' Donna'' Virginia Bourbon del Monte dei principi di San Faustino (24 May 1899 – 30 November 1945) was the wife of Edoardo Agnelli and the mother of Gianni Agnelli. Biography Born in Rome, she was the daughter of Carlo Bourbon del Monte, ...

, a noblewoman. She was the sister of Cristiana Brandolini d'Adda,

Susanna Agnelli Susanna Agnelli, Contessa Rattazzi (24 April 1922 – 15 May 2009), was an Italian politician, businesswoman, and writer. Involved in Italian politics for over twenty years, she was the first woman to be appointed Italian Minister of Foreign ...

, Maria Sole Agnelli,

Gianni Agnelli Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli (; 12 March 192124 January 2003), nicknamed ("The Lawyer"), was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat S.p.A., Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial ...

Giorgio Agnelli Giorgio Agnelli (29 November 1929 – 2 April 1965) was a member of the Agnelli family. Early life and family Born in Turin, Agnelli was the second son and sixth child of Virginia Agnelli (born '' Donna'' Virginia Bourbon del Monte) and of t ...

, and

Umberto Agnelli Umberto Agnelli (; 1 November 1934 – 27 May 2004) was an Italian industrialist and politician. He was the third son of Virginia (born '' Donna'' Virginia Bourbon del Monte) and Edoardo Agnelli, and the youngest brother of Gianni Agnelli. Ag ...

. Her paternal grandfather,

Giovanni Agnelli Giovanni Agnelli (13 August 1866 – 16 December 1945) was an Italian industrialist and principal founder of Fiat S.p.A., established in 1899. Under his leadership, Fiat became a cornerstone of Italy's automotive industry, significantly contr ...

, was the founder of

Fiat S.p.A. Fiat S.p.A., or ''Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino'' (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin), was an Italian holding company whose original and core activities were in the automotive industry, and that was succeeded by Fiat Chrysler Automobil ...

Her maternal grandfather was Carlo Bourbon del Monte, Prince of San Faustino. In 1935, when Agnelli was fifteen years old, her father died in an airplane crash. Her mother died in a car accident in 1945. In November 1968, Agnelli went to the break-away state of

Biafra Biafara Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicized as Biafra ( ), officially the Republic of Biafra, was a List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, partially recognised state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria ...

in Nigeria to give money to secessionist leader C. Odumegwu Ojukwu on behalf of her family.

Marriages

Agnelli married Prince Tassilo zu Fürstenberg in 1938, when she was 18 years old. The couple had three children,

Princess Ira von Fürstenberg Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for t ...

Prince Egon von Fürstenberg Prince Egon von Fürstenberg (Eduard Egon Peter Paul Giovanni Prinz zu Fürstenberg; 29 June 1946 – 11 June 2004) was a socialite, banker, fashion and interior designer, and a member of the former German princely family of Fürstenberg. In ...

, and Prince Sebastien von Fürstenberg. During her marriage, Agnelli had an affair with Italian actor Giovanni Nuvoletti, Count Nuvoletti Perdomini, whom she had met in

Sestriere Sestriere (, , , ) is a ski resort in Piedmont, Italy, a ''comune'' (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Turin. It is situated in Val Susa, from the France, French border. Its name derives from Latin language, Latin: ''ad petram sistrariam ...

when she was twelve years old. She ran off with Nuvoletti and the two were eventually arrested, as adultery was illegal in Italy at the time. She had to sign a legal document renouncing her relationship with Nuvoletti in return for an annuity. She continued on with the affair, which angered her brother

. Once divorce was legalized in Italy, Agnelli married Nuvoletti in 1974 in a civil ceremony and moved into the Villa Papadopoli. After the death of her first husband, she and Nuvoletti had a Catholic wedding ceremony at her villa's chapel in 1989.

Later life and death

Agnelli published several cook books. Nuvoletti died in 2008. Agnelli died on 19 July 2016 at the hospital dell'Angelo di Mestre. She had a Catholic funeral at the Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo in

Mestre Mestre () is a borough of the comune of Venice on the mainland opposite the historical island city in the region of Veneto, Italy. Administratively, Mestre forms (together with the nearby Carpenedo) the Municipalità di Mestre-Carpenedo, one ...

. Her inheritance was worth €100 million.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnelli, Clara 1920 births 2016 deaths

Clara Clara may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Clara'' (2018 film), a Canadian sci-fi drama * ''Clara'' (2019 film), a Ukrainian animated fantasy film * ''Clara'' (TV series), a German TV series * Clara the Cow, mascot of the Greek TV show '' P ...

Italian socialites Nobility from Turin