Luigi was the proprietor of the 26 Bedford Way café and a central figure in the broad PALS family. He was a lovely, kind and gentle person who genuinely liked people and company. Luigi was greatly loved by PALS staff and students alike as evidenced by him receiving the loudest cheers from the audience whenever he appeared in PALS Christmas videos.
He opened the Bedford Way café in 2007 after running a number of cafes elsewhere, including one in Marchmont Street. Outside of the café he loved football, and was President and Founder of the Italia Wasteels club which he founded in 1968. There is a lovely article in The Guardian here which describes Luigi’s involvement and passion for the club.
On 17 November 2021, a reception was held in the PALS Common Room to honour Luigi. Several speeches were given by Professor Anthony Smith (UCL Vice-Provost of Education and Student Affairs), Peter Fonagy (Director of PALS) and John Draper (Divisional Head of Administration) all said some words about Luigi (you can watch them below). The ceremony was attended by members of UCL PALS, the wider UCL community, as well as Luigi’s family and close friends. Luigi’s family was given a posthumous OneUCL award in honour of Luigi. Peter Fonagy also officially announced the renaming of the Common Room to the Luigi Farnesi Common Room.
Luigi’s family have asked us to pass on their thanks for the messages of support they’ve received.
We will miss you, Luigi.
