Who was Anna Bulgari (1941-2020), Bvlgari heiress?

Anna Bulgari, heiress to the Italian jewellery dynasty Bvlgari, died in May. She was the only descendant of Sotiris Vulgaris, the founder of the Bvlgari. Following the tragedy that befell her family in 1983, Anna withdrew completely from public life. She had made world headlines in 1983 when she and her then 16-year-old son Giorgio were kidnapped by three armed men who broke into their house on 19 November in Rome. In the moment when the family refused to pay the 3-billion-lira ransom, they cut off Giorgio’s ear and increased the ransom to 4 billion lira (worth 2 million euros). The family paid the money, fearing that both would be killed, and Anna and her son were finally set free on 24 December after 36 days in captivity. Giorgio had a serious infection from the amputation and needed five operations in order to have his ear reconstructed. 

“They cut the ear of my son so they could get the ransom, the kidnappers were from Sardinia. Murderers. They held us on the floor and cold in a mountain for 35 days. My family payed them four million lira, that is, 2 million euros. My child was strong. He said nothing. They cut off his ear with a knife. I lost 10 years of my life. It was horrific.”

* Bulgari  (BVLGARI) is an Italian luxury brand known for its jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories and leather goods. While the majority of design, production and marketing is overseen and executed by Bulgari, the company does, at times, partner with other entities. For example, Bulgari eyewear is produced through a licensing agreement with Luxottica, and Bulgari formed a joint venture with Marriott International in 2001 to launch its hotel brand, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, a collection of properties and resort destinations around the world. Currently part of the LVMH Group, Bulgari was founded in the region of Epirus, Greece, in 1884 by the silversmith Sotirios Boulgaris (Greek: Σωτήριος Βούλγαρης, Italian: Sotirio Bulgari) as a single jewellery shop that has, over the years, become an international brand. The company has evolved into a player in the luxury market, with an established and growing network of stores. The BVLGARI logo was used for the first time in 1934, when its gilded brass letters graced the central doorway of the Via Condotti flagship store. In reference to ancient Rome, the “U” was replaced with the letter “V”, and a logo was born. Since then, the trademark is written BVLGARI in the classical Latin alphabet.