At the age of 77, Paolo Vitelli, founder of Azimut Benetti Group, has died. According to reports from Corriere della Sera newspaper, the entrepreneur died in a household accident, while he was in his home in Ayas, a hamlet of Mascognaz in Valle d’Aosta.

It appears that Vitelli was working on a rolling shutter when he slipped on a patch of ice and hit his head on the cement. The accident occurred on the afternoon of 31 December. Emergency services were unable to resuscitate him.

Vitelli was much loved in the valley: not only had he bought and renovated the historic Hotel Breithorn, but he also helped gorw the village Walser di Mascognaz, now a luxury resort named Hotellerie di Mascognaz.

In 2022 he was elected “Turin citizen of the year” and left his company in the hands of his daughter, Giovanna, a company he had founded at the age of 21 working in boat charter. Afterwards, he began importing boats from Holland, England and France and in a few short years he was wellknown.

In 1974, he decided to start manufacturing in Italy, with the support of English designers and Italian artisans. In 1980 Azimut became a shipyard and five years later, Vitelli acquired Benetti, opening the yards in Avigliana and Viareggio. Today, the Group has a turnover of 1.2 billion, with 2100 employees and thousands of contractors.