Attilio Fontana (born 28 March 1952) is an Italian politician fromVarese,Lombardy. He has served asPresident of Lombardy since 2018 leading acentre-right coalition.

Attilio Fontana
Fontana in 2025
President of Lombardy
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 March 2018
Deputy	See list Fabrizio Sala (2018–2021) Letizia Moratti (2021–2022) Fabrizio Sala (2022–2023) Melania Rizzoli (2023)[1][2] Marco Alparone (since 2023)[3]
Preceded by	Roberto Maroni
Mayor of Varese
In office 29 May 2006 – 21 June 2016
Preceded by	Aldo Fumagalli
Succeeded by	Davide Galimberti
Personal details
Born	(1952-03-28)28 March 1952 (age 73) Varese,Italy
Political party	Lega Nord
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Spouse(s)	Laura Castelli (div.) Roberta Dini
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Milan
Profession	Lawyer

A long-time member ofLega Lombarda andLega Nord (LN), he was Mayor ofInduno Olona from 1995 to 1999.^[4] Fontana, with LN, was elected in the2000 regional election and2005 regional election to theRegional Council of Lombardy, of which he functioned asPresident until July 2006.^[5]

He stepped down from that office after being elected Mayor of Varese with 57.8% of the vote in the first round of 28 May 2006.^[6] He was re-elected in May 2011 with 53.8% of the vote in a run-off.^[7] Fontana, ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits,^[8] left the office in June 2016. In 2007 Fontana was the lawyer ofAndrea Mascetti in the case against the left-wing journalist and television hostMichele Santoro from who they won: with this court case Fontana obtained notoriety at national level.^[9]

Some journalists in July 2016 speculated a nomination of Fontana as LN candidate in2018 election forPresident of Lombardy if theincumbentGovernor (President of Region)Roberto Maroni – who was elected in2013 regional election for a five-year term with the support ofLega Lombarda andLega Nord, the parties of Maroni and Fontana, and with the support of the others parties members of the2013 center right coalition – will not run for a second consecutive (and final) term; in January 2018, when Maroni announced his retirement from politics, Fontana was selected as Centre-right (composed byFI,LN,FdI,EpL,NcI and hiscivic personal list named "Fontana List" composed by members ofPP,RC,MNS and also by civic, independent and non-partisans members) candidate to the Presidency of Lombardy. For the media, his experience as Mayor andSalvini's popularity are among the strengths of his candidacy.

On 15 January 2018,^[10] Fontana stated that theWestern culture was in danger^[10] due to themigration flows from Africa.^[10] This created many protests as well as criticisms from the centre-leftDemocratic Party (PD) and the big tent anti-establishmentFive Star Movement (M5S). Because of the controversy he apologised for his remarks, declaring that it was a slip of the tongue and an expressive error, not due to inherent racism of him or his party.^[11] Fontana's principal rivals wereGiorgio Gori (PD) andDario Violi (M5S).

On 4 March 2018 Fontana won 50% against Gori (29%) and Violi (17%) in theregional election^[12] and Fontana sworn in office asGovernor on 26 March.

In October 2018, Fontana blocked, with his legal authority of Lombardy President, a Muslim association from turning a former hospital chapel into a mosque.^[13] In September 2020, a few weeks after the2020 constitutional referendum on the cut in the number of parliamentarians linked to the reform initiated by theConte I Cabinet led by the League with M5S and concluded by theConte II Cabinet led by the coalition between M5S and PD,^[14] Fontana announces his vote against,^[15] in dissent with the official line of the League (established by Salvini), lined up for the "Yes".^[16]

In May 2019 the Prosecutor Office ofMilan started an investigation on Fontana due toabuse of power as President of Lombardy in a case of corruption,^[17] but in March 2020 all the accusation falls and the case is definitively closed^[18] as the appointment in question did not constitute a crime.^[19]

In July 2020 another investigation started, following the activities of Fontana, his wife and his brother in law during theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[20] Some journalists in September 2020 speculated a retirement of Fontana from politics in 2023 - similar to Maroni's retirement in 2018 - in favour ofGiancarlo Giorgetti^[21] or an early election due to the media hype due to the "Covid investigation", butMatteo Salvini (the Federal Secretary of Lega) prevented the resignment of Fontana from the Presidency of Lombardy and an early election.

On 2 December 2021, the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office requests the indictment of Fontana, for the crime of fraud in public supplies,^[22] after he had renounced being questioned by the investigators. On 13 May 2022 he was acquitted by the Milan GUP together with 4 other suspects (including his brother-in-law) because the fact does not exist.^[23]

In March 2021, Fontana was entered in the register of suspects of the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office for self-laundering and false declaration in voluntary disclosure in reference to a suspected movement of money between Italy and Switzerland which took place starting from 2015.^[24] In February 2022, the case was closed; for the investigating judge of Milan, there are not enough elements to support the accusation against Fontana.^[25]