GRAND TOUR: Brunello Cucinelli may have Jeff Bezos on his speed dial, but Leonardo Del Vecchio has Mark Zuckerberg‘s number popping up on his screen.
Facebook’s founder and chief executive officer was seen on Thursday visiting Luxottica’s headquarters, located in the Italian town of Agordo.
Employees of the eyewear giant were already buzzing and expected Del Vecchio to visit the offices with a guest, but rumors in the morning pointed to renowned soccer champion Cristiano Ronaldo as the designated visitor for the day.
Instead it was Zuckerberg who got off Del Vecchio’s helicopter, which landed at the headquarters at lunchtime. Flanked by Del Vecchio and the company’s vice president Luigi Francavilla, Zuckerberg took a two-hour tour across Luxottica’s offices and production plant, getting to see up-close the manufacturing processes of the eyewear leader.
It was a clash between generations and cultures, with Del Vecchio representing the signature Italian industrial approach to business and Zuckerberg embodying Silicon Valley’s digital entrepreneurship.
Before touching base in Agordo, Zuckerberg was also spotted out and about in Milan with his wife, Priscilla Chan, doing shopping and, according to local media, meeting with a real estate agency to look for a house in the city. On Friday, the social media titan is expected to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.