{Carlo Ricci}
Carlo was instrumental in obtaining the support of his multiple family members to execute the sale of the palace to Viaggio Resorts, LLC (parent company to Palazzo Ricci).
Carlo was born in Milan and resides today in Francavilla del Mare. Since 1990 his professional life extends over local and regional development with particular focus on the challenges faced by rural and remote areas. In these fields he works at the local level, designing and running development projects with particular focus on tourism and agro-food. At the national and European level, Carlo acts as a policy advisor, evaluator, coach and trainer in the same sectors.
Carlo uses his passion for typical products and the local identity of Abruzzo to promote many regeneration projects and coordinate the creation of several tourist guides.
Below is pictured
Francavilla al Mare (Carlo’s current place of residence)
and Palazzo Ricci (Carlo’s family’s former noble palace) – Garden Illustration
{Marina Cvetic Masciarelli}
Marina is a truly formidable businesswoman, highly respected in her field throughout Abruzzo, nationally and internationally.
Dynamic and tenacious, she has built up a business empire spanning wineries (products sold in 50+ countries), award winning extra virgin olive oil, and the refurbishment of the Castello di Semivicoli, now a destination hotel of the highest quality set amongst her vineyards.
Marina spent her childhood in her native Croatia as well as Austria and Germany. Her travels formed her intellectual curiosity and her love of engaging with other cultures. It was also whilst abroad that she met and subsequently married the Abruzzan winemaker Gianni Masciarelli, resulting in not only an extraordinarily successful business partnership but also three children, now also closely connected to the family businesses. Some of her many accolades and awards are:
Businesswoman of the year 2006’ (Abruzzo Impresa)
Grande Ufficiale dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica’ 2103
Humanitarian prize Mother Teresa of Calcutta’ 2013
Abruzzo Impresa; prize 2014 given for environmental awareness and sustainability
Ambassador WAI (Women Ambassadors of Italy) for the Abruzzo Region
{Riccardo Maccolini}
Ricardo lives in Italy and is an international business manager with skills in dynamic, complex environments. His university background is in business organization and he began his career in the fashion-retail sector and later ventured into hospitality/tourism, and luxury real estate.
He was the former general manager of one of the few similar projects to ours in Italy, called Palazzo Tornabuoni in Florence. Palazzo Tornabuoni is a unique, very high-end, Private Residence Club with worldwide reputation. 
{Dr. Ernesto Sirolli}
Ernesto is one of the world’ s leading consultants on the topic of economic development. He started working in the field of International Aid in Africa in 1971 and has since worked in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Latin America and Asia in projects that promote local entrepreneurship.
Today, Ernesto resides in California, USA where he established the Sirolli Institute. Ernesto was born in the Chieti Province of Abruzzo, Italy in the town of Altino, which is a neighboring small village to Casoli.
Dr. Sirolli received a Laurea di Dottore in Political Sciences from Rome University in 1976 and a Ph.D in Local Enterprise Facilitation from Murdoch University, Australia in 2004. He received the 2016 IOEE International Lifetime Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship Education at the House of Lords in London.
Ernesto is the author of two books: “Ripples from the Zambezi” a best seller that is used by Economic Development Faculties in Universities the world over, and :”How to start a business and ignite your life” a book aimed at would be entrepreneurs. In 2012 Dr. Sirolli was invited to give a TED TALK; his talk: “Shut up and Listen” has been translated in 31 languages and downloaded more than 3.3 million times.
{Michael Watson}
Michael lives in England and has extensive experience in the financial industry. He is also the brother to Palazzo Ricci partner, Bimbi Bellhouse.
He practiced as a corporate solicitor in London with Linklaters & Paines and then worked as a corporate finance investment banker at Hambros Bank and UBS before becoming Finance Director of a Lloyd’s of London insurance group. He has also been a private client investment banker at Barclays, with significant experience in wealth preservation strategies and corporate debt financing.
Michael is assisting Palazzo Ricci on numerous legal, financial and accounting matters of importance.
