Charity begins at Rome (Anniversary Event)
Italian
jewellery house Bulgari celebrated its 125th anniversary with a debut
retrospective exhibition at the prestigious Exposition Palace of Rome. Bethany Hutton-Stigga looked at Bulgari's merger of exhibition, party and charity support at last week's launch. (26 May'09)
The Event
(Above) Actress Jessica Alba views the exhibits
The
“Between Eternity and History: 1884 – 2009” exhibition portrays the
highlights in the history and evolution of Bulgari design, from the
opening of the first store on Via Sistina in 1884 to the present day. 
The event format involved a cocktail party followed by an exclusive dinner at Castel Sant’Angelo for all the celebrities who participated in Bulgari’s charity campaign, the international Save the Children board and Italian and international media.
Bulgari's jewels and watches were positioned to support its contribution to the Save the
Children charity and Bulgari’s
commitment to the “Rewrite the Future” campaign.
Charity focus
The inauguration of the retrospective exhibit spearheads Bulgari's donation to the Rewrite the
Future campaign which provides a quality education to eight
million children living in war-torn countries.
Bulgari's public debut presentation of its prestigious limited edition collection, comprising 11 unique couture jewels and seven
luxury watches, will
be auctioned off at Christie’s New York on December 8. The estimated
value of the collection totals at some three million euros. This will
be
donated to Rewrite the Future. 
Who was there?
The worlds of business, politics, celebrity and charity converged in Rome to celebrate the Bulgari family.
Francesco Trapani, managing director of Bulgari Group hosted the event with Paolo Bulgari and Nicola Bulgari, respectively, the president and VP of Bulgari Group.
Also present were Charlotte
Petri Gornitzka (general secretary,International Save the
Children Alliance), Charlie MacCormac (MD, Save the
Children USA), Claudio Tesauro, (president, Save the Children Italia) along with Rome's mayor Gianni Alemanno.
(Left) Gina Lollobrigida, Nicola Bulgari and Francesco Trapani
Guests included Ginnifer Goodwin, Chloe Sevigny (pic right), Alain Delon, Enrique Iglesias, Selma Blair, Samantha Morton and Santo Versace 
Presenter Mar Saura Actress Alessandra Mastronardi
Related screenings:
IWC Schaffhausen, Switzerland Cartier, India
