SM

Hero Image

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." — Proverb

A strategic approach to philanthropy

that applies business principles

to drive measurable social impact.

It prioritizes long-term investment in sustainable initiatives,

with clear objectives and defined outcomes

DISCOVER MY VISION

Simone Massaro's
Entrepreneurial Philanthropy

rotonda
fontana rossa

view project

oratorio contemporaneo

view project

casa del viandante

view project

casa rifugio donne

view project

Rotonda Fontanarossa

The Rotonda Fontanarossa is a monument in Catania built around the restored Fiat G.91T flown by Captain Giovanni Massaro, Simone Massaro's father and an Italian Air Force pilot with the 41st Wing at Catania Fontanarossa. Through an agreement between BaxEnergy and the Air Force General Staff, the aircraft's five surviving sections were recovered and restored, and they now stand at the center of the Via Fontanarossa roundabout, inaugurated on 6 May 2026. The monument honors all pilots who have served Italy with courage.

Rotonda Fontanarossa

Bright Start

Bright Start is the foundation through which Simone Massaro gives his philanthropic projects a lasting structure.

Bright Start

Oratorio Contemporaneo

A living space, constantly evolving, where gesture, community, and language intersect to generate something new. Not simply a physical place, but a cultural ecosystem connecting urban expression, creativity, and collective growth — where communities are built, cross-pollinated, and strengthened, giving rise to a new shared language that connects culture, identity, and future.

Oratorio Contemporaneo

Catania Air Show 2025

On 4 May 2025, the Frecce Tricolori, the Italian Air Force’s National Aerobatic Team, returned to the skies over Catania for the first time in more than thirty years, performing above the city’s open seafront. Organised by the Aero Club d’Italia and the Aero Club di Catania with the patronage of the Municipality of Catania, the event was made possible by the exclusive sponsorship of Free Mind Foundry. Simone Massaro chose to support it in memory of his father, an Italian Air Force pilot who passed away on 5 May, twenty years earlier.

Catania Air Show 2025

Frequently asked question abouts
Simone Massaro's entrepreneurial philanthropy

What is entrepreneurial philanthropy?

Entrepreneurial philanthropy is the approach Simone Massaro uses to design social and cultural initiatives that can last without depending forever on the person who started them. He sums it up in one line: “Philanthropy starts the initiative. Entrepreneurship makes it autonomous.” A donation creates an asset, the asset hosts an activity, the activity generates revenues and the revenues sustain the mission. It does not mean turning philanthropy into a business: it means asking of a social project the same questions an entrepreneur asks of a company, from who it serves to how it pays its costs and what happens when its founder is no longer there.

How is entrepreneurial philanthropy different from traditional charity?

Simone Massaro sees entrepreneurial philanthropy as another tool, not a replacement for traditional charity. Some needs, such as illness, extreme poverty, emergencies, disability and fundamental research, will always require resources with no economic return. Where a sustainable economic activity can coexist with a social mission, he believes the two should be designed together. In his view this also makes the relationship more dignified: charity can create a vertical relationship in which value travels in one direction, while a sustainable ecosystem lets people contribute money, work, knowledge, culture or time to something that keeps producing value.

How can private companies contribute to urban regeneration in Italy?

Private companies in Italy can contribute to urban regeneration through public tenders, sponsorships and agreements with local authorities and public bodies, funding and carrying out the redevelopment of shared spaces. The Fontanarossa roundabout in Catania shows how such a project works in practice. BaxEnergy, the company founded by Simone Massaro, first reached an agreement with the Italian Air Force General Staff to recover the five surviving sections of a Fiat G.91T, then had the aircraft restored by specialized firms, including local bodywork and metalworking companies. In 2024 it won the City of Catania’s tender to redevelop the roundabout: structural calculations were entrusted to the Genio Civile and structural works to SB Engineering. Work began in September 2025 and the monument was inaugurated on 6 May 2026. For Simone Massaro the job does not end with an inauguration. As he writes: “A building can be restored, but who will maintain it twenty years later?”

Which philanthropic projects does Simone Massaro support?

Simone Massaro’s philanthropic work in Sicily includes the Fontanarossa roundabout in Catania, a monument built around his father’s restored Fiat G.91T and inaugurated on 6 May 2026, and the projects of Bright Start, his foundation, which in 2026 is working on [progetti da completare con Paolo]. He also promotes Oratorio Contemporaneo, a cultural project for new generations sustained in part by paid activities, and he is developing an art space in Catania to make part of his collection of works by Sicilian artists accessible to the city.

What is the monumental roundabout on Via Fontanarossa in Catania?

The monumental roundabout on Via Fontanarossa, known in Italian as Rotonda Fontanarossa, is a monument at the entrance to Catania Airport, inaugurated on 6 May 2026. At its center stands the restored Fiat G.91T flown by Captain Giovanni Massaro, an Italian Air Force pilot with the 41st Wing and the father of Simone Massaro. The monument honors all the pilots who have served Italy and is a symbol of the bond between the city of Catania and the Italian Air Force. BaxEnergy, the company founded by Simone Massaro, recovered and restored the aircraft and in 2024 won the City of Catania’s tender to redevelop the roundabout.

What is the story of the Fiat G.91T at the Fontanarossa roundabout?

The Fiat G.91T at the Fontanarossa roundabout in Catania is the aircraft once flown by Captain Giovanni

Massaro. After its retirement in 1995, it was dismantled and its parts dispersed. In 2019 his son, Simone Massaro, began piecing together its story. In 2020 the five surviving sections were recovered through an agreement between BaxEnergy and the Italian Air Force General Staff, and then restored.

Who was Captain Giovanni Massaro?

Captain Giovanni Massaro was an Italian Air Force pilot and the father of Simone Massaro. He flew within the operational activities of the 41st Wing, based in the Catania area, including on the Fiat G.91T. The restored sections of the G.91T he flew are the heart of the Fontanarossa roundabout monument in Catania.

What I Say

People Behind the Vision

What They Say

I am Simone Massaro

Entrepreneurial Philanthropy

Projects

Ulisse's Journey

How does Simone Massaro’s vision work?

After more than twenty-five years building companies, software and organisations, Simone Massaro approaches a social initiative the way he would approach an entrepreneurial one.

Donations remain essential: hospitals, universities, research and culture depend on people willing to give. But his question is always what happens after the donation — who will maintain a restored building twenty years later, or what happens to a cultural programme in its second year?

Entrepreneurial philanthropy is his way of designing that answer from the start, so that capital works more than once:

  • It creates an asset.
  • The asset creates an activity.
  • The activity generates revenues.
  • The revenues sustain the mission.

 

VIEW THE ARTICLE

Rotonda Fontana Rossa

1965 – The 41st Wing in Catania
The 41st Wing of the Italian Air Force was stationed at Catania Fontanarossa as part of Mediterranean surveillance and patrolling activities during the Cold War.
During this period, the Sicilian base took on a strategic role in controlling the air and maritime space of the area.

1970s – 1980s – Operational Activity on the G.91T
Captain Giovanni Massaro flew within the context of the unit’s operational activities, including on Fiat G.91T aircraft.
Although designed as an advanced trainer and light tactical aircraft, the G.91T was employed to meet the Air Force’s operational and training needs of the time.
These were years of intense activity, characterized by continuous missions and a complex operational environment in the Mediterranean.

1995 – The Retirement of the G.91T
The Fiat G.91T was retired from service after reaching its intended flight hour limit.
Following standard procedure, the aircraft was dismantled, and its components were distributed throughout the national territory.

2019 – Recovering History
Simone Massaro returned to Italy.
Thanks to the support of Free Mind Foundry in Acireale, he established contact with the Sigonella base and several of his father’s former comrades from the Acireale branch of the Air Force Association (Associazione Arma Aeronautica).
From these meetings, the story of Captain Giovanni Massaro re-emerged.

2020 – The Recovery of the Aircraft Remains
Through an agreement between BaxEnergy and the Air Force General Staff, Simone obtained the five surviving sections of the G.91T his father had flown.
These consisted of the fuselage, wings, and part of the original structure.
The recovery and restoration project began.

2020 – 2024 – The Restoration
The restoration lasted over five years.
The aircraft was completely dismantled and rebuilt: surfaces were treated, structures restored, and damaged parts reconstructed.
The work was entrusted to various specialized entities, including local companies for bodywork and metalworking.

2024 – The Roundabout Project
BaxEnergy won the City of Catania’s tender for the redevelopment of the Via Fontanarossa roundabout.
The project involves installing the restored G.91T at the center of the area.
Structural calculations were entrusted to the Civil Engineers (Genio Civile).

September 2025 – The Start of Construction
Work on the roundabout began: excavations, foundations, systems, and the construction of the metal support structure on which the G.91T will be installed.
Structural works were entrusted to SB Engineering.

This monument is a symbol of the bond that unites the city of Catania with the Italian Air Force.
The monument honors all the pilots who, with courage, have served and continue to serve our country every day.

Simone Massaro, Eng.

Oratorio Contemporaneo

Oratorio Contemporaneo is conceived as a living space, constantly evolving, where gesture, community, and language intersect to generate something new. It is not simply a physical place, but a cultural ecosystem that transcends traditional boundaries of art and gathering, becoming a connection between urban expression, creativity, and collective growth. Here, every action becomes part of a broader system: an open dialogue between individuals, ideas, and territories, capable of building authentic and lasting relationships.

Oratorio Contemporaneo is designed with new generations in mind, yet it speaks to anyone who feels the urgency to actively engage in change, offering tools, spaces, and visions to transform talent into impact. It is a place where communities do not merely exist, but are built, cross-pollinated, and strengthened, giving rise to a new shared language that connects culture, identity, and future.

Casa del Viandante

Casa del Viandante is more than a space, it is a passage — where emerging artists don’t just exhibit their work, but inhabit it, finding time, place, and inspiration to create, connect, and leave a trace that moves beyond borders.

Casa Rifugio Donne

Casa Rifugio Donne is a space of protection and rebirth — designed to offer safety, listening, and concrete support to women facing violence, transforming vulnerability into strength and isolation into a path toward dignity and new beginnings.


Catania Air Show

“I wanted to bring the Frecce Tricolori to Catania to give something back to the city I call home, to honer those whom serve defending our nation every day, and to give everyone the opportunity to look up in the Sky with pride for our Nation”

-cit. Ing. Simone Massaro

The occasions may differ, but they share the same principle: innovation and technology can stand alongside institutions, national history and culture, and create new opportunities for growth and visibility for the territory.

The cost of the event where entirely covered by Simone Massaro trough the Free Mind Foundry, the innovation hub he founded in Catania in 2017 to bring his vision to life, demonstrating how entrepreneurship can extend beyond business to create shared experiences, celebrate local identity and contribute to the cultural and social life of a territory.
Free Mind Foundry is the hub for international cooperation in technological research and advanced training that I founded in Catania in 2017. Today it brings together more than 400 professionals working every day on research, technology development and digital transformation. Supporting the Frecce Tricolori was a way to bring that same commitment outside our walls, honouring my father and the Air Force while contributing to the growth and international reputation of the Etna region.

View the article

Rotonda Fontanarossa:
the story of
Captain Giovanni Massaro's Fiat G.91T

The Fiat G.91T at the center of the Via Fontanarossa roundabout in Catania is the aircraft once flown by Captain Giovanni Massaro, Simone Massaro's father. Its story runs from the 41st Wing at Fontanarossa to a monument for the whole city.

1965

1965 – The 41st Wing in Catania

On 1 October 1965 the 41st Wing (41° Stormo) of the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) was re-formed as an anti-submarine wing, with its 88th Group based at Catania Fontanarossa; in 1971 the group moved to nearby Sigonella. During the Cold War the wing carried out surveillance and patrol activities across the Mediterranean, and the Sicilian bases played a strategic role in controlling the air and maritime space of the area.

1965 – The 41st Wing in Catania

Bright Start:
building opportunities that last

For me, Bright Start is a way to give philanthropic work continuity, structure and accountability. The objective is not simply to fund an activity. It is to help create opportunities that can open new paths for people and communities, while building the conditions for those opportunities to continue over time.

-cit. Ing. Simone Massaro

The individual projects may differ, but they share the same principle: an initial contribution should create value that can continue beyond the moment in which it is made.

Bright Start is the foundation through which I am developing a long-term approach to philanthropy. My aim is to transform resources into opportunities, inclusion and better places for the communities around me, starting from Catania and Sicily. I do not see philanthropy as a series of isolated contributions, but as a way to create the conditions in which people, organisations and communities can grow.

Oratorio Contemporaneo

Oratorio Contemporaneo is a cultural project in development, promoted by Simone Massaro: a living, constantly evolving space where gesture, community and language intersect to generate something new. It is conceived not simply as a physical place but as a cultural ecosystem that transcends the traditional boundaries of art and gathering, connecting urban expression, creativity and collective growth. Every action will become part of a broader system: an open dialogue between individuals, ideas and territories, capable of building authentic and lasting relationships.

Oratorio Contemporaneo is designed with new generations in mind, yet it speaks to anyone who feels the urgency to actively engage in change, offering tools, spaces and visions to transform talent into impact. Its communities will not merely exist. They will be built, cross-pollinated and strengthened, giving rise to a new shared language that connects culture, identity and future.