Fondazione Piera, Pietro e Giovanni Ferrero (spazio espositivo)

The Fondazione Piera, Pietro e Giovanni Ferrero was established by the Ferrero family in Alba as a social and cultural institution. Its exhibition programme has brought Burri, Penone, Lartigue and Berruti to the Langhe, alongside concerts and a distinctive medical-scientific series.

Why it matters

The foundation was created in 1983 by Michele Ferrero as an Opera Sociale, becoming a recognized foundation in 1991, to honour the memory of his parents, Pietro Ferrero and Piera Cillario, and of his uncle Giovanni Ferrero. Its motto, "Lavorare, Creare, Donare" (work, create, give), captures a double mission: caring for retired Ferrero employees and promoting culture for the wider public. Its cultural programme has included exhibitions of twentieth-century and contemporary art and photography, alongside concerts and scientific conferences.

What to notice

Photography exhibitions have included Jacques Henri Lartigue's "L'invenzione della felicità" (2023), Ivo Saglietti, Guido Harari and Nino Migliori. Painting and sculpture are well served too: Alberto Burri's "La Poesia della materia" (2021–22) with Fondazione Burri, Giuseppe Penone's "Impronte di luce" and "Indistinti confini" (2024), and Alba-born Valerio Berruti's "More than kids" (2025). The programme has also addressed Beppe Fenoglio, Alba's writer, and has included the Festival Uto Ughi per i Giovani and Healthy Aging scientific conferences.

Context and history

Michele Ferrero conceived the foundation as a lasting act of gratitude toward the people who built the company, extending support beyond working life into old age. The foundation's original social mission also includes attention to health and ageing, reflected in the Healthy Aging conferences and the Carta di Alba on active ageing. Over four decades the cultural side has grown into a full programme of exhibitions, author talks — Tomaso Montanari and Tullio Pericoli have appeared — and concerts.