Milan court voids will of Lady Gucci's mother, clearing path to 20-million-euro inheritance

From socialite to convicted murderer

Patrizia Reggiani, now 77, was once married to Maurizio Gucci, the head of the iconic fashion house. Their lavish 1972 wedding in Milan drew over 500 guests, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1985. Ten years later, Gucci was shot dead in Milan, and Reggiani was convicted of orchestrating the murder. She served 17 years in prison and was released in 2016 on good behavior. She has since lived in Milan, estranged from her two daughters, Alessandra and Allegra Gucci.

I have never worked in my life and I have no intention of starting now.

A mother's contested will

When her mother Silvana Barbieri died in 2019, Reggiani discovered that she had been cut out of the will. The document, signed on November 6, 2018, when Barbieri was 90 and in a hospital bed, left the bulk of her estate, worth at least 20 million euros, to the newly created Fondazione Fernando e Silvana Reggiani. The foundation was set up and chaired by lawyer Maurizio Enrico Carlo Giani, who was also named executor. The estate included a large property complex behind Milan's central station, with 130 apartments, shops, and garages generating about 950,000 euros in annual rent, a 4-million-euro legacy, and a 100,000-euro fee.

The audio recording that changed everything

Reggiani challenged the will in civil court. The turning point came when a housekeeper known as "Rita" produced an audio recording of the will signing, made at Barbieri's own request.

Mrs. Barbieri asked me to record the signing of the will. I left the phone on and left. She told me to give the recording to Patrizia, Allegra and Alessandra if any problem arose.

The recording revealed discrepancies with the written document, and the Fourth Section of the Milan Civil Court declared the will false in late 2025. The court noted that several statements in the will did not match what was said during the signing.

What happens next

The foundation's lawyers have appealed the decision, so the outcome is not yet final. If the ruling is upheld, Patrizia Reggiani will inherit the estate, but she will not have full control over it. She remains under judicial administration, a measure her mother had requested years earlier. This is not her first inheritance: she previously received a Gothic castle in central Milan worth 10 million euros, a large warehouse, and numerous apartments from her mother. The lawyer Giani was previously investigated for undue influence of an incapacitated person but was acquitted.