Media: Publishing brands

The kitchens of Palazzo Farnese opened their doors yesterday for a festive meeting and cultural exchange, organised by the French Embassy in partnership with GialloZafferano, Italy’s number one food media brand, which promotes Italian cuisine throughout the world.

Participants from all over Italy arrived early in the morning at Palazzo Farnese in no particular order, as well as some chefs and members of the jury directly from France. The idea for the event came from Martin Briens, French Ambassador to Italy, a food and wine connoisseur and keen chef – who recently tried his hand at preparing the cacio e pepe recipe together with Nonna Silvi, the ‘Grandmother of Italy’ – and Andrea Santagata, CEO of Mondadori Media, publisher of GialloZafferano.

As part of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the French Embassy in Rome, several teams of aspiring chefs, culinary masters under 35, and talents from the food world competed to offer a contemporary and multicultural reinterpretation of Sunday lunch.

The key concepts for the day hosted by the French Embassy were three: the transmission of knowledge, by training new generations of chefs and fostering dialogue and collaboration between schools and professionals from different nations; sharing, as the creation of synergies between young French and Italian chefs through cooking; and sustainability, seen as the promotion of the use of zero-kilometre products and limited budgets for each menu.

The program for the day at Palazzo Farnese

Gustofolie is a project – organised by the Institut Français Italia in collaboration with the Alliances Françaises d’Italia – aimed at students of Italian hotel schools, created with the aim of promoting Franco-Italian relations in the professional hotel training sector. The competition invited participants to reflect on topics such as Francophonie, eco-responsibility and creativity in the kitchen. During the first part of the day, the two finalist teams (each made up of three students, two Italians and one French from a partner school, Genoa-Dijon and Viareggio-Grenoble, under the guidance of a teacher) challenged each other on the theme of “Sunday Lunch” – always a symbol of togetherness and tradition – which was reinterpreted with a modern twist, maintaining a maximum spending limit of 25 euros. This limitation presented a stimulating challenge, encouraging reflection on the social importance of shared moments at the table and their sustainability, not only environmental but also economic.

The members of the jury and the chefs involved in this unforgettable cultural exchange initiative arrived yesterday morning at Palazzo Farnese from all over Italy and directly from France.

Alongside Ambassador Martin Briens, the jury included Luana Belmondo, the “favourite Italian cook of the French”, embassy chef Cyril Esneault, Ludovica – Lulù – Gargari, resident chef of GialloZafferano and part of the Zenzero Talent Agency roster, and Carla Parolari, headmistress of the IPSEOA Vincenzo Gioberti vocational high school in Rome. The prize is the creation of the winning recipe at the GialloZafferano production studios in Milan, with publication of the video online.

The Gustofolie final was an occasion for joyful cultural and culinary competition aimed at highlighting French and Italian cuisines and products, promoting new links in the field of food and wine and professional training.

In the afternoon session, the baton was passed to the young (under 35) chefs. The theme of their menus was also Sunday lunch, reinterpreted with a contemporary approach (with a maximum charge this time of 35 euros) to celebrate the meeting of French and Italian cuisine. The friendly challenge took place between the following pairs:

• Carla Ferrari, executive chef at Pizza Cosy, and Sabrina Macrì, executive chef at BistRo Aimo e Nadia. They cooked:
  • Appetizer – Emilian-style stuffed onion: whole onion steamed and glazed with chicken jus, stuffed like a tortellino, parmesan cream and mixed salad
  • First course – Pasta with potatoes d’a-mmare: mixed creamy pasta with potatoes, provola cheese and seafood ragù (mussels, clams and calamari), parsley cream, bisque and lemon zest
  • Dessert: Pastiera mon sciú: religieuse with two fillings, lemon curd and Neapolitan pastiera

• Alessandro Belmondo, chef at the Bistrot Gourmand Caillebotte, and Aurora Cavallo – Cooker Girl, chef, content creator at Zenzero Talent Agency and Ambassador of GialloZafferano Their menu was:
  • Appetizer – Warm, soft homemade focaccia to dip in a selection of pissaladière-inspired toppings: thyme-confit onions, anchovy and black olive cream, and sweet chili-confit cherry tomatoes. With the addition of sweet and sour red onion
  • First course – Large ravioli filled with shredded veal, fondant carrots and mushrooms, inspired by the classic blanquette. The ravioli is topped with a bright jus creamed with hazelnut butter. Accompanied by a small ramekin of lukewarm mousse with lemon cream and fresh herbs. Finish: lemon zest, chopped herbs, a touch of fleur de sel, toasted hazelnut
  • Dessert: Choux pastry with cocoa craquelin filled with whipped cream with Piedmont PGI hazelnut praline. Sour heart with lemon confit or wild blueberry for freshness.

• Umberto Rocca, chef de partie at Joia, and Apolline Soëte, chef at Le Clarisse de Apolline, who prepared:
  • Appetizer (recipe by Apolline Soëte) Oysters in jelly with their own water, vermouth, wild fennel and pink pepper. Tomato tartare with two consistencies, Ligurian herb oil.
  • First course (recipe by Umberto Rocca) Anima mundi, Vegetable risotto with young carrots, tasty mushrooms, cashew and saffron crescenza, salsa verde and fresh blueberries.
  • Dessert (Umberto Rocca and Apolline Soëte) Cuddles under a white blanket: a meeting between Normandy and Lombardy with soft milk bread mousse and stimulating surprises

The jury will once again be chaired by ambassador Martin Briens, Andrea Santagata, CEO of Mondadori Media Digital and MarTech area, Massimo Borgnis, Editor-in-Chief of CHI, here exceptionally in the role of host of the Food Network television series “Le Locande del cuore”, Sebastian Fitarau, resident chef at GialloZafferano and part of the Zenzero Talent Agency roster. A winning team was chosen for each course. The three couples will also cook for a gala dinner at the Embassy in the autumn, as the closing event of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the French Embassy in Rome.

The sponsor of this festive day was Julie Andrieu, a TV presenter and food critic, who announced the winners in the splendid setting of the Embassy’s Murano Gallery, with a buffet prepared and served by a Roman hotel school.

Celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the French Embassy in Rome

The celebrations for the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Embassy and the Ecole française de Rome at Palazzo Farnese opened on 3 December 2024 with a dinner “in the style of 1875”. The event on 21 May opens a new season full of culinary sharing between Italy and France with events that in 2026 will again involve young students and chefs to explore the themes of knowledge transmission, cultural sharing and sustainable creativity.

Statements

Martin Briens, French Ambassador to Italy, commented: “Since I have been living in Italy, I realise more and more, even when I travel in the various regions, that Italians and French share this passion for food. We are two peoples who place particular importance on food in our daily lives, but also importance on the sense of sharing that a meal with family or friends provides. I want young Italians and French people to always feel welcome in our countries. This is why hotel school students and young chefs met and cooked, and I hope they will meet again to cook together, which is the best way to have unforgettable experiences together.”

Andrea Santagata, CEO of Mondadori Media Digital and MarTech area: “We are deeply honoured to join the French Embassy and Ambassador Martin Briens in this project that celebrates the meeting of two extraordinary cultures through cuisine. GialloZafferano is increasingly a reference point for Italian cuisine worldwide, with over thirty million followers outside Italy. Participating in this initiative means supporting dialogue between young chefs, professionals and creators, providing space for new ideas and stimulating discussions. The greatest pleasure is to see how French and Italian culinary traditions meet, revealing not only deep affinities, but also an extraordinary ability to tell stories through flavors. Because, after all, cooking is a universal language that unites and enriches.”

A carbonara can express more than a recipe: it can communicate tradition and quality, as well as innovation, contemporary taste and brand choices. This is exactly whatTulip has done. This Danish brand, which boasts over a century of experience in meat processing, turned to AdKaora, the MarTech agency of the Mondadori Group, for a digital advertising campaign tailor-made to celebrate the latest edition of Carbonara Day.

A tailor-made format for an impactful experience

Goal: to communicate the two variants of its diced pancetta – sweet and smoked – in an engaging way through an immersive experience that speaks to the audience, combining brand storytelling, design and performance.

The heart of the campaign, running from 1 to 13 April, was a fully customised rich media format designed by AdKaora Creative Studio. The creativity took the form of a Product Carousel, designed to highlight the two variants of Pancetta Tulip through simple and engaging navigation.

The format, designed to stimulate user engagement and ensure complete product discovery, integrated high-impact visual elements and immediate call-to-actions, ensuring high visibility and memorability, while encouraging interaction to drive qualified user traffic to the site.

“The campaign created for Tulip best expresses our understanding of shared value: a tailor-made project, creativity built for the right channel and distribution capable of reaching the most receptive audience at the ideal time. What makes the difference is our Creative Studio, which allows us to develop truly tailor-made advertising formats in a very short time to market, designed to deliver fluid, engaging experiences that are perfectly integrated into the user journey. This combination of content, context and innovation yields concrete and lasting results,” commented Davide Tran, MarTech Director at Mondadori Media.

The power of distribution: valuable content in valuable contexts

The campaign found its ideal home in the AdKaora Value Network, a publishing ecosystem that today brings together 159 publishers and over 1,900 web domains and AMPs, reaching millions of passionate users in brand-safe and relevant environments. Thanks to the quality and vertical nature of the contexts on offer, Tulip conveyed its message through the main food properties, reaching highly profiled audiences

“The collaboration with AdKaora is a perfect fit in our multi-channel strategy, which integrates high-performance digital activities with a strong in-store presence. We developed a project that enhanced the product’s distinctiveness in qualified digital environments, generating not only excellent results in terms of engagement and conversions, but also a high and authentic level of attention from the public. Today, attention is a key indicator for measuring the real effectiveness of campaigns and confirms the solidity of our integrated approach, geared towards building value for the brand,” comments Daniele Moggia, Trade Marketing & Business Development Manager at Tulip Italia.

The natural integration of the advertising format within users’ digital habits, coupled with the strength of the tailor-made creativity developed by the AdKaora Creative Studio, led to excellent results: an engagement rate of 4.4% and a CTR of 2.8%, clear signs of genuine and spontaneous interest from the audience.

To coincide with the NYCxDesign Festival (15-21 May 2025), INTERNI is presenting an international issue and bringing to the Big Apple the second edition of Big Italy New York: a circuit of events conceived, curated and organised by the magazine edited by Gilda Bojardi, in partnership with NYCxDesign, ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Faire) and ITA (Italian Trade Agency) that will take place from 13 to 21 May.

The May issue of INTERNI, published in English/Italian, contains a 30-page dossier dedicated to the events featuring the more than 50 showrooms, flagship stores and single-brand stores taking part in the initiative and showcasing the excellence of Italian Design around the world, along the NoMad route via Madison to SoHo.

The magazine also discuss thevirtuous relations that historically link Italy to New York – and more generally the US – through places, projects and personalities that in recent decades have shaped a history of cultural reciprocity between the two countries. Notable figures include Gaetano Pesce and the couple Lella and Massimo Vignelli. The fact that Americans know and appreciate Italian design is largely thanks to these Italian masterswho moved to New York. Other Italian designers chose to settle overseas where they succeeded in establishing their professional expertise. Two notable current figures include the architect and urban planner Carlo Ratti, director of the Senseable City Lab at the MIT in Boston, who this month is inaugurating the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, of which he is curator, and Giorgia Lupi, an award-winning information designer and partner of the interdisciplinary design studio Pentagram, who designed the visual identity of the XXIV Milan Triennale.

New York City’s skyline is represented in the magazine through a selection of projects ranging from social housing to exclusive residences, offices and event spaces, resulting from targeted urban regeneration efforts. Leading names in international architecture are behind these projects, from Steven Holl to Daniel Libeskind, Bonetti/Kozerski, Gabellini Sheppard, LOT-EK, SOM, Tihany Design and Fuller/Overby. And the distinction of a strong linguistic identity, strikingly interweaving themes of historical memory, contemporary design, material experimentation, environmental sustainability and an unmistakable touch of Made in Italy.

Events

Big Italy New York will be inaugurated on Wednesday 14 May at 6 p.m. at ITA’s headquarters (33 E 67th St, New York) with a special meeting that will revolve around the project Casa Italiana x Italy on Madison, curated and conceived by Paola Navone (Studio Otto), who directs a narrative that interweaves entrepreneurship, craftsmanship and design. After greetings from Erica di Giovancarlo (director of ITA New York) and Gilda Bojardi (director of INTERNI), the talk entitled Where Design Meets History will begin. This will involve a form of cultural sparring between Paola Navone, a panel of international interior designers, including Duccio Grassi, Yabu Pushelberg, Enrico Bonetti, and Gabriele Chiave, and Italian entrepreneurs Rossella Bisazza, Giulio Cappellini, Bendis Ronchetti Illulian, and Daniele Busca/Scavolini USA.. An open exchange of visions and skills that conveys the image of an Italian House that can enhance tradition by projecting it into the contemporary. Decorated in the colours of the flag, the house is brought to life at ICE through objects united not only by chromatic harmony, but by a shared intent: to improve the quality of daily life through design.

This will continue on Friday 16 May with the ICFF Night Out, a series of widespread events and presentations focusing on design, culture and innovation. Finally, on Sunday 18 May at 12 noon at the ICFF headquarters at the Javits Center (429 11th Ave), the INTERNI Cre-Action Big Italy in New York debate will be held with Francesca Portesine, SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), in dialogue with Massimo Iosa Ghini. Two design visions compared, two different paths, but with a common goal: to create spaces and objects that improve people’s lives. From the concept to the choice of materials, every design gesture aims to improve the quality of inhabiting the world. Architecture, design and art become tools for reading the present and imagining new perspectives, working on different scales and contexts: from building to exhibiting, promoting and reinterpreting.

May’s edition of INTERNI will also enjoy special distribution in the most iconic showrooms and flagship stores on the NoMad, Madison Avenue and Soho circuit; inside ICFF; in New York City’s leading design studios, major schools of design and architecture, at Rizzoli Bookstore and in a select number of book and magazine stores.

GialloZafferano is bringing to TuttoFood – the prestigious B2B trade fair dedicated to the agrofood ecosystem – the successful formula that has made it the most popular food media brand among Italians: the pleasure of cooking together and the ability to communicate.

The tenth edition of TuttoFood, hosted by Fiere di Parma for the first time, is welcoming 4,700 companies in over 150,000 square metres spread over 10 stands, as well as thousands of professional visitors and top buyers from all over the world. GialloZafferano, a reference point for Italian cuisine – one in two Italians cooks with its recipes – is the media partner of the 2025 edition.

During the four days of the fair (5-8 May, Rho Fiera Milano), the GialloZafferano Lounge will host entrepreneurs, chefs, creators and opinion makers. In addition to the preparation of dishes and tastings that combine innovation and tradition, there will be discussions about ways to showcase cuisine in Italy and around the world, as well as opportunities for development in the dynamic agrifood market.

GialloZafferano Lounge with live kitchen

In the GialloZafferano Lounge, a 180 sq m stand in the centre of Corso Italia, the main street of TuttoFood 2025, every day begins with a coffee tasting followed by a showcooking session featuring chefs, GialloZafferano ambassadors and creators from the Zenzero Talent Agency, the agency that manages the best food creators in the Italian digital scene.

The heart of the GialloZafferano Lounge is the live kitchen where, every day, GialloZafferano resident chefs Sebastian Fitarau and Lulù Gargari, hosts Giovanni Castaldi and Manuel Saraceno, together with Chef Daniele Rossi, offer innovative ideas and suggestions in the kitchen, alternating with debates moderated by Federico Quaranta, one of the most authoritative voices in the food and wine world and in the media.

The program, which is packed with dishes and content, also addresses the theme of catering and hospitality with Rossella Cerea, general manager of Da Vittorio, and chefs Cesare Battisti of Ratanà, Raffaele Minghini and Sauro Ricci of Joia, Alessandro Pinton of Horto, Fabio Pisani of Il Luogo Aimo e Nadia, and Giovanni Ricciardella of Cascina Vittoria.

Finally, a business perspective is brought to the Lounge thanks to contributions from entrepreneurs and managers such as Anna Bardon, brand & digital marketing senior manager cheese – Gruppo Lactalis, Amanda Biasi, marketing manager – Rummo, Antimo Caputo CEO – Mulino Caputo, and Andrea Santagata, managing director of the Digital and MarTech area of ​​Mondadori Media.

Commenting on the occasion, Andrea Santagata remarks: “We are delighted to present the  GialloZafferano content and network in the physical setting of TuttoFood. With 50 guests including important chefs, content creators, entrepreneurs and managers of food companies, the GialloZafferano Lounge becomes a reference point for the guests of the Fair. We hope that these four days of discussion will shed even more light on the need for the media and companies to innovate and communicate more effectively against a backdrop full of critical issues, as well as opportunities for the Italian food sector: foreign markets, in particular the United States, the use of artificial intelligence, and new consumption habits.”

The GialloZafferano Lounge will also be animated with showcooking activities and tastings featuring Mulino Caputo flours, a selection of Leffe beers, Urbani truffle products and the aroma of Verzì coffee. The partnership activities have been developed together with Brand On Solutions, a project area of Mediamond.

GZ Lab and Italians’ well-being at the table

In the rich programme of meetings and showcooking sessions, a central role is dedicated to a discussion of the ways in which Italians’ consumption is changing, particularly the concept of well-being at the table. New data will be presented by GZ Lab, the first digital food observatory in Italy created with scientific support from the Sylla research institute, which, thanks to the GialloZafferano community, explains how Italians’ cooking habits and priorities are changing.

Here is a preview of some figures: 27% of Italians have increased the number of times they eat at home compared to last year. Moreover, as many as 98% of Italians associate the concept of healthy eating with home-cooked meals: this makes it possible to combine health, taste and high-quality ingredients, which, according to 39.5% of respondents, should ideally be locally sourced.
For 62%, well-being is also about having enough time to cook; ‘meal prep’, i.e. planning and preparing weekly meals in advance, is increasingly popular, with 58% of respondents practising it, and a further 25% interested in trying it out.
The recipe for eating well is a balance between health and taste (rating 8.9/10), which, according to 65% of respondents, is achieved by using fresh, seasonal ingredients

GialloZafferanois the leading food media brand in Italy: on the web, 1 in 2 Italians cooks with GialloZafferano, which reaches 23 million people every month (Comscore incremental reach, March 2025). With a fanbase of 72 million followers, it tops the world’s food media brand ranking on social media (source: Shareablee-Comscore and social insights). Offering recipes that are always easy to make and accessible to everyone, it is available to people at any time of day on all channels: from the web to social media, apps, smart devices, magazines, books and local events.

To celebrate the centenary of the public opening of the first planetarium, which took place on May 7 1925 at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Focus, the Mondadori Group’s flagship popular science and entertainment brand, is organising a special event in collaboration with the Italian Association of Planetaria (PLANit) and Città della Scienza in Naples, which will be held at the Città della Scienza planetarium in Campania’s capital on Wednesday 7 May starting at 6.30 pm.

The event, which is part of a series of initiatives organised by planetariums around the world, will involve Roberto Ragazzoni, President of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), who, following institutional greetings from the President of Città della Scienza, Riccardo Villari, will give a talk entitled “Immense skies and infinite skies”, focusing on the immense skies of planetariums and the infinite skies that astronomers observe from the tops of the most remote mountains on Earth and from space. This will be followed by a speech by Dario Tiveron, President of PLANit, who will emphasise the importance of planetariums for education and outreach.

“The collaboration with PLANit to celebrate the centenary of planetariums was an extraordinary opportunity for Focus, which we enthusiastically embraced,” continues Gian Mattia Bazzoli, director of Focus. “Planetariums perform a fundamental work of popularising science in a widespread, in-depth and often hidden way that enriches our cultural fabric, stimulates scientific curiosity from a young age and democratises access to astronomical knowledge through unique immersive experiences, all of which deserves our support. This is the reason why we consider it a privilege to have been able to contribute to the production of the Italian version of the 100 Years of Eternity video. Being hosted for the first time in the Città della Scienza planetarium and in the beautiful city of Naples, where we had never organised any initiatives until now, makes this occasion even more special and significant.”

“For 100 years, planetariums have been a bridge between science, culture, art and imagination, places where the wonders of the universe meet audiences of all ages,” explains Dario Tiveron, president of PLANit. “This event is a celebration of their fundamental role in our society, further underlined by the recent acceptance by the Treccani Institute of the term ‘planetarista’ (planetarist), which finally recognises the identity of those who work in planetarium domes, combining extensive and cross-cutting skills.”

The evening will also include a screening of the film 100 Years of Eternity, a 35-minute production created by Tobias Wiethoff and the Bochum planetarium on behalf of GdP (Society of German-speaking Planetariums) specifically for the planetariums’ centenary.

The Naples event is part of a broader collaboration set up between Focus and PLANit to mark the centenary, which includes, in addition to Focus’s contribution to acquiring the licence and creating the Italian version of the video – which has therefore been made available free of charge to all PLANit member planetariums – the presence of the Italian Association of Planetaria at the next Focus Live, which will be held from 7 to 9 November at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, featuring an inflatable planetarium for the three days of the festival.

Starting at 8 pm, outside the planetarium, it will also be possible to observe the sky (weather permitting) thanks to the telescopes of theNeapolitan Astrophile Union.

Exceeding expectations for INTERNI CRE-ACTION at FuoriSalone 2025, which offered the design community projects with a strong emphasis on research, sustainability and the future.

From 7 to 17 April, the event devised and coordinated by the magazine of the Mondadori Group managed by Gilda Bojardi was the most followed of Design Week, with extraordinary numbers in terms of participation and audience. In fact, 475,000 people visited the University of Milan, the Strettone of the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Botanical Garden, and the Audi House of Progress at Portrait Milano. For the third consecutive year, there has also been great success at the two satellite locations: Eataly Milano Smeraldo and De Castillia 23 of Urban Up | Unipol.

This edition of the exhibition proposed a reflection on the theme of CRE-ACTION, through a large event that manifested as a choral and widespread exhibition in the city, conceived as a laboratory of ideas, a place of discussion, where creativity became a synthesis between creation and action. At the same time, it brought to light the deeper meanings of the project and highlighted how Architecture, Design and Art are increasingly connected disciplines in constant dialogue with Ecology, Economy, Botany, Climate Change and Philosophy.

“During FuoriSalone, Milan becomes a great cultural and productive hub to carry out projects that cannot be carried out elsewhere,” explains Gilda Bojardi. “Once again this year, the city has transformed into a design gym for architects, designers, and creatives from all over the globe, who found the opportunity to compare their visions and to contaminate their knowledge, in a common effort to build a more beautiful and sustainable world.”

With the contribution of two co-producers (Audi and the Italian Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka) and in collaboration with companies and institutions, INTERNI called over 50 famous and young designers and architects from 10 countries around the world and several artists, to explore how design and architecture can translate the present, using both concrete and metaphorical materials with the aim of highlighting the role of the project as a means of expressing identity and individual representation. For the exhibition, installations, micro-architectures, and macro-objects were created, all site-specific that – along with conferences, talks, live performances and showcases – created a varied mosaic of styles and visions, but also moments of discussion, attracting thousands of people. Among them were also many Italian and foreign journalists who gave INTERNI CRE-ACTION exceptional media coverage – from national newspapers to radios and televisions, to specialised press, to widely circulated publications – as well as ensuring a continuous presence on the main social and web channels.

The exhibition of INTERNI therefore confirms itself as the symbolic event of FuoriSalone, founded in 1990 at the initiative of Gilda Bojardi, the magazine’s director. At the foundation of this success is the high level of design and cultural quality of the installations, the brands involved, known at both Italian and international levels, as well as the smaller realities, which have also been able to convey content of great value. This exceptional response, both in terms of audience and media visibility, therefore testifies to the absolute leadership of INTERNI in the professional living segment and in the communication of the design system.

Thanks to co-producers Audi with DRIFT and Italian Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka, as well as all the companies, designers, and architects who participated: Philippe Starck with ABS GROUP, Marco Balich with Pasquale Bruni, Chen Yaoguang with Kuka Home, BIG – João Albuquerque with Roca, One Works – Francesco Vitetta with Atlas Concorde, Mapei, Ricci, Celia Centonze for GO! 2025 European Capital of Culture and PromoTurismo FVG, AMDL Circle – Michele De Lucchi with Rubner Haus, Annabel Karim Kassar with Annaka, M. Alvisi and J. Kirimoto with Corepla, Francesco Librizzi with Dameda, Piero Lissoni with Sanlorenzo, MAD – Ma Yansong and Andrea D’Antrassi with Amazon, Simone Micheli with Be Up, Pangea – Colombine Jubert and Laëtitia Rouge with Fidenza Village, ZHA – Michele Pasca di Magliano with A.A.T.C. and Co. and Carpenterie Pezzetti, Marco Piva with Saint-Gobain, Bruno Simões and Lorenza Brandão for ApexBrasil, SOM with Artemide, M.Design – Wu Bin with Empire, Antonio Mastrorilli with Disney+, Beko Design Studio with Whirlpool – Beko Europe, Salvatore Colasanto with IUAD, Christian Grande with Besenzoni, Dainelli Studio with B.I.CI / Status Contract, Gruppo Bonomi Pattini, Silvio De Ponte with Espositiva, Idealverde, Living Surfaces – Claudio Uberti, Ludovica Diligu with Labo.Art, Pablo Dorigo Degan and Genny Canton with MCZ Group, Dario Ghibaudo with Galleria Deambrogi, Federica Marangoni with cle contemporary, Marco Merendi & Diego Vencato with Gypsum, Simona Ottieri with Ronald McDonald Foundation Italy, Claudio Larcher and Astorre Collective with NABA with ASU, David Lopez Quincoces and Francesco Meda with HD Surface, Glauco Ramazzotti and Livia Balossini with Danilo Ramazzotti for NovaBell, Argentine Republic with Argentine Design, Marco Nereo Rotelli with Ever in Art and Elital, Viruta Lab with Tile of Spain, Elisa Bizzotto with Quarella, Elena Salmistraro with Eataly, Felice Limosani with Urban Up | Unipol.

Noemi, one of the most popular artists at the moment, has received the Telegatto, a coveted award in the entertainment world. The statuette symbol from TV Sorrisi e Canzoni was delivered by the brand’s director, Aldo Vitali, “to celebrate the exceptional career of one of the most sophisticated and beloved performers of pop music”.

Noemi performed in a special showcase for the public, playing three of her most famous songs on the piano, “Glicine”, “Vuoto a perdere” and “Sono solo parole”, and giving her fans an incredible cover of “Albachiara” by Vasco Rossi. The event ended with an unforgettable performance of “Se t’innamori muori”, the song she participated with in the Sanremo Festival 2025.

During the event, which took place on Sunday 13 April in the Aula Magna of the University of Milan as part of the Cre-Action Interni exhibition-event, Noemi also told her story and talked about her new tour IN Italian theatres, starting in November, and the big live event in December at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome.

Hej!, a specialist in conversational marketing and part of the Mondadori Media MarTech Hub together with AdKaora – the international digital agency with full-funnel advertising solutions – launches a new product designed to take full advantage of WhatsApp in lead acquisition and qualification. Hej! has already integrated the solution into several campaigns in the education, automotive, service and utilities sectors.

The right channel for lead acquisition? WhatsApp convinces users and companies

According to research conducted by expert Vincenzo Cosenza in July 2024 using Audicom-Audiweb data, the instant messaging platform has 35.7 million active users in Italy, with a penetration rate of 90.3% between the ages of 16 and 64. It is used more than 17 hours per month on average, making it the most common channel among Italians today. Not only that, 69% of users are more likely to buy from a brand that can be accessed via WhatsApp.

Hej! proposes strategies for using the WhatsApp communication channel at an early stage in the user-brand relationship, and not only for engagement, nurturing, e-commerce and caring activities after customer acquisition. This solution fosters conversation between users and brands and transforms lead acquisition into a simple, functional and high-performance experience.

AI-enhanced conversations to improve digital performance

The new product developed by Hej! uses WhatsApp to activate two key solutions: lead generation and lead qualification, designed to radically improve the effectiveness of media campaigns.

Through AI-enhanced conversations, the system begins an initial interaction with users on WhatsApp, facilitating both their access to information on products, services and offers, and data collection by brands in a natural, non-invasive and privacy-focused manner. After an initial guided exchange, AI adapts the conversation based on the answers, refining the interaction, improving data quality and providing an engaging user experience.

‘We wanted to create a product that was simple for users, but advanced for businesses, one that could combine the immediacy of conversations via WhatsApp with the power of AI applied to conversational marketing. We have specialised in lead generation and conversational marketing for several years and our technology is designed not only to optimise lead generation, but especially to enhance qualification, making each contact more relevant and useful for the brand. We have always focused on offering functional user experiences, aware that there are humans on the other end, at least at the moment, and that they are the only thing that matters,’ says Paolo De Santis, COO and co-founder of Hej!

Different user acquisition channels are available, starting with the more traditional ones, such as Meta, TikTok and Google, up to proprietary channels.

The heart of the product is the proprietary platform, developed over the years for conversation management and predictive scoring. Together with a wide range of marketing automation and AI features, it maximises performance and guarantees concrete results for brands.

Hej! and WhatsApp: optimising the entire lead generation chain

The campaigns conducted for customers to date have yielded extremely positive results. More than 70% of users completed the qualification process and were sent to the brands’ CRM systems with different qualification scores, allowing for more streamlined and effective post-lead management. The reaction speed was also surprising: 80% of users completed the qualification within five minutes of first contact. The data show how an intuitive interface, direct communication and a familiar context can make a difference in terms of performance and engagement.

‘This project is the perfect example of how innovation in the MarTech Hub can generate tangible value. In the Mondadori Group PLAI accelerator, we have a hub of innovative solutions and the possibility of interacting with tech professionals. Artificial intelligence is not only the workflow engine, but also the key element that allows us to personalise the conversation while making it scalable with high performance. The integration of WhatsApp into lead-generation flows is not just a technological choice, but a concrete response to the evolution of consumers’ digital habits. We are already working on other innovations that will significantly change the world of performance marketing,’ says Davide Tran, MarTech Director at Mondadori Media.

On Sunday 13 April at 6:00 p.m., TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, the reference brand for Italian entertainment, will continue its tradition and offer the FuoriSalone public an exclusive meeting with one of today’s most popular singers at the Interni Cre-Action exhibition-event.

Fans and visitors at Milan Design Week won’t want to miss an interview with Noemi on stage in the Aula Magna at the University of Milan (Via Festa del Perdono 7). This is a great opportunity to meet one of the most loved and recognisable voices on the Italian music scene in person (free entry until full capacity is reached).

Noemi, whose real name is Veronica Scopelliti, is a multifaceted artist with 18 platinum records and 8 appearances at the Sanremo Festival, the last in 2025 with ‘Se t’innamori muori’. She will be hosted by Aldo Vitali, director of TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, for a special event in which the artist will talk about herself and her new tour of Italian theatres, which starts in November, as well as the live event in December at Palazzo dello Sport in Rome.

Following the interview, Noemi will perform a special show for those present, singing some of her most famous songs along with songs from her new album ‘Nostalgia’, which was released in February 2025.

After celebrating its first 70-year anniversary (1954–2024), INTERNI continues to reflect on design, its deeper meanings and how architecture, design and art are increasingly connected in a constant dialogue with ecology, economics, botany, climate change and philosophy.

This is the basis of CRE-ACTION, INTERNI’s eagerly-awaited exhibition-event, which will enliven the next edition of FuoriSalone in an engaging and innovative programme with the participation of international designers, architects and artists who have come together to design a better future.

Forty creative ideas, including installations, microarchitecture, giant objects and exhibitions created by a variety of more than 50 designers from 10 different countries, will be distributed in 6 iconic locations across Milan for 10 days of events, meetings, debates and more. These are the numbers for INTERNI CRE-ACTION, the exhibition conceived by Mondadori Group’s interiors and contemporary design magazine, edited by Gilda Bojardi. It will be held from 7 to 17 April in the courtyards of the University of Milan, the Brera Botanical Garden, the Strettone of the Pinacoteca di Brera and Portrait Milano, the home of Audi House of Progress. Renewing its role as an ‘activator’ of design-focused energy, INTERNI will also join Eataly Milano Smeraldo and De Castillia 23 by Urban Up | Unipol for the third year running.

‘This year, INTERNI presents a reflection on the theme of Cre-Action through a large exhibition-event that comes alive as a group exhibition spread throughout the city, conceived as an idea workshop, a place to interact, where creativity becomes the synthesis of creation and action,’ explains Gilda Bojardi.

In this edition, INTERNI also intends to take an interdisciplinary approach to exploring and deepening the complexity of the project, outlining perspectives in a vision oriented towards a ‘possible future’.  During FuoriSalone in April, Milan will become a cultural and production hub where professionals from around the world will have the opportunity to compare visions and develop projects to anticipate different scenarios.
The co-producers of CRE-ACTION are Audi and the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka.

The INTERNI exhibition-event is one of the main initiatives proposed by the Municipality of Milan for Design Week and FuoriSalone 2025, which was created in 1990 by Gilda Bojardi and is internationally recognised as a key event in international design and architecture.

Press Conference at the University of Milan

INTERNI CRE-ACTION will officially begin on Monday 7 April at 2 p.m. in the Aula Magna at the University of Milan (via Festa del Perdono, 7).
In addition to the designers, the press conference will be attended by: Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan, Marina Brambilla, Rector of the University of Milan, Antonio Porro, CEO of Mondadori Group, Rodolfo Ziberna, Mayor of Gorizia, and Gilda Bojardi, Director of INTERNI.
The meeting will be moderated by journalist Monica Maggioni.

Press Conference in Brera

To inaugurate the two installations in Brera, a press conference will be held on Monday 7 April at 5 p.m in the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense di Brera (via Brera, 28). Those present will include Angelo Crespi, General Director of the Pinacoteca di Brera, Palazzo Citterio and the Biblioteca Braidense, Alessia Cappello, Councillor of Fashion and Design for the Municipality of Milan, Tommaso Sacchi, Councillor of Culture for the Municipality of Milan, Martin Kater, President of the Brera Botanical Garden, Philippe Starck, architect, designer and artistic director, Rémi Babinet, founder of BETC (Babinet & Co), and Marco Balich, creative director.

At Portrait Milano, Corso Venezia 11 – Audi House of Progress

A co-producer and primary sponsor of INTERNI CRE-ACTION is Audi, the premium automotive brand whose creative hub will return to Corso Venezia 11 from 7 to 13 April in the evocative spaces of Portrait Milano. Confirming the House of Progress as a pivotal venue enlivening Milan Design Week, Audi presents flexability, a project hosting the site-specific installation Drift Us, designed by Drift for the brand with the Four Rings emblem. As always, the work stems from the Dutch studio’s passion for the systems that activate and guide everything in nature. In this case, they draw inspiration from the movement created by a gust of wind in a grassy meadow. The work consists of light bulbs that switch on and emit sound as visitors pass by, as if they themselves were the wind. In this way, the designers invite the public to become an integral part of their surroundings and experience the human impacts on nature. ‘Wind,’ as Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, the founders of Drift, explain, ‘is the driving force behind evolution and innovation in nature. Without movement, there is no progress. Audi drives innovation by moving people, and Drift shares this vision, creating sculptures and installations that invite people to be a force for change’.

With flexability, Audi expresses its vision of technological flexibility through the development of technologically advanced solutions focused on sustainability and efficiency that are capable of interpreting the need for mobility in every possible context.

At FuoriSalone, the public can discover the world premiere of the new Audi A6 Avant, based on the innovative premium platform combustion, and the fully electric Audi A6 e-tron. The first model projects the brand’s ‘family’ concept into a more dynamic, efficient and digital dimension through technical features such as adaptive air suspension, all-wheel drive and advanced Digital Matrix LED headlights. The second model, the first electrically powered Audi Avant and Sportback, is intended to be a category benchmark in terms of range — up to about 750 kilometres — and charging power. With 270 kW DC, it can charge up to 310 kilometres of travel in 10 minutes.

The Installations in Brera

In the heart of Brera, two apparently antithetical installations bring observers face to face with the urgency of our time: war and the search for peace.
Metaphors for the present prompt reflection and questions on our role in building a different, new and better future.

It Means Peace by Marco Balich

Entering the Strettone of the Pinacoteca di Brera, visitors will see It Means Peace by Marco Balich. Conceived with the participation of Eugenia Bruni and the support of Pasquale Bruni, the work was developed by Balich Wonder Studio with Marco Cisaria (artistic producer). Peace is a choice, a journey that is both personal and collective, one that requires courage, determination and perseverance. Visitors will embark on a symbolic journey, passing through a dark bottleneck filled with sounds, voices and messages that evoke difficulties in the world beyond. It is an emotional, personal journey that presents us with the need to persevere, despite the chaos. At the end, a space of light and harmony opens up. An olive tree, a universal icon of peace and balance, glows with iridescent colours, a tangible sign of a goal achieved. From here, the journey continues with the peace flag divided into parts, with the word ‘peace’ written in seven different languages, one for each colour in the flag. The project celebrates the variety of cultures and essential dialogue for building peace in the world. Each word is also accompanied by a speech that has marked the end of a conflict in contemporary history. This is precisely where a ‘call to action’ is inserted, a kind of ritual that also recalls the theme of CRE-ACTION. Below the lettering, there are pools with floating lotus flowers inspired by Pasquale Bruni’s jewellery, where people are invited to leave messages of peace and light candles. The installation offers a space of respect and harmony where Pasquale Bruni’s Ghirlanda Collection fits in perfectly. It Means Peace is silent food for thought, but also an invitation to act, to believe in change, to recognise that peace is a responsibility for each of us.

War Flags by Philippe Starck with Babinet & Co

Somewhere between reality and dystopia, War Flags is a political installation imagined by Philippe Starck with Babinet & Co that radically denounces the forces and violence at work in the emerging new world order and urges the public to take a stand and act. Anticipating the prospect of an upcoming global conflict involving not only traditional states but also new private militias, Philippe Starck has envisioned Hate Unlimited Korporation, a company that has long been dedicated to promoting hatred in all its forms and freest aspects around the world. The gamble has paid off: hatred creeps in, forging new paths every second. Hate Unlimited Korporation is expanding its mission by publishing a catalogue of signs, flags and armbands, indispensable tools for new warriors to recognise each other on the battlefield. Installed along the paths in the Botanical Garden, the flags and armbands represent the inaugural repertoire of Hate Unlimited Korporation, which is undoubtedly the first in a long series that we will enrich over time, at night and in wars. In this unique immersive political installation, oscillating between reality and dystopia, Philippe Starck (with Babinet & Co) radically denounces the forces and violence at work in the emerging new world order and urges the public to take a stand and act.

War Flags consists of flags and armbands from the inaugural catalogue of Hate Unlimited Korporation. Ten Night Flags help to measure the progress of the night and allow us to check the degree of darkness at any time and with a certain degree of accuracy. Quantifying and encouraging such darkness is one of the missions of Hate Unlimited Korporation. Nothing can escape — everything we believe in, everything we love, everything we are, all the colours that life used to display.

After sunset, new thoughts must flood our minds. Hate Flags aim to clarify what is on the market, as well as create a traceable domino effect. They are often more effective than keywords. Of course, the ten Hate Flags on display in the Botanical Garden are only the basic ones. Hate Unlimited Korporation will soon announce more advanced collections representing more sophisticated states of hatred.

The powerful narrative of War Flags is accentuated by Klaus Wiese’s psychoactive sound, with the track Déjà Vu from the album Smarkand. Produced by ABS Group.

Designers and Installations:  INTERNI CRE-ACTION

The intention of INTERNI’s great exhibition-event is to develop and multiply connections and relationships, a virtuous system between leading figures in creativity, companies and distribution networks with the unavoidable need to connect people and ideas from different places and cultures. In collaboration with companies, multinational companies, start-ups and institutions, 40 creative ideas (site-specific installations, exhibitions, design islands, microarchitecture and giant objects) were created to interpret the theme of this edition. INTERNI has invited more than 50 designers to explore how design and architecture can translate the present, using both concrete and metaphorical materials with the aim of highlighting the role of design as a means of expressing individual identity and representation. Design in CRE-ACTION is not just related to aesthetics or innovation; it is a conscious act that seeks to decipher the present day and propose alternative ways of inhabiting the world. It is a playground of experimentation in which different disciplines come together to offer an experience in which visitors are not just observers, but an active part of an event that challenges perceptions and opens up new perspectives on the world.

University of Milan

A series of impressive immersive and experimental installations designed by renowned architecture and design studios in collaboration with prestigious companies will come to life at the University of Milan. Through sensory journeys, they offer food for thought on topics such as sustainability, innovation and human interactions with the environment.

The installation Kalos Il Caleidoscopio della cultura, created by designer Celia Centonze for Plateam, is situated in the Aula Magna. The work is not only enchanting with its gilded metal structure, coloured methacrylate and illuminated poetic verses, but is also a tribute to the art project Go! Pharus, designed for Gorizia Capital of Culture 2025. Its symbolic value is amplified by the sister city relationship between Gorizia and Milan, a dialogue on art, design and history that crosses geographical and mental boundaries. Passing through the entrance, visitors enter a kaleidoscope of evocative images projected onto stained glass windows. These recount the richness of Friuli-Venezia Giulia through a multisensory experience that emphasises the region’s cultural identity and excellence. At the centre of the kaleidoscope, a golden line symbolises the ancient border between Gorizia and Nova Gorica, located across the Italian frontier. This is crossed by a beam of light celebrating cultural openness. The work invites us to reflect on the past and imagine a future of harmony and growth.

Wind Labyrinth, an immersive work designed by Piero Lissoni for Sanlorenzo that translates the essence of sailing into an enveloping, poetic and contemplative experience, is located in the evocative Cortile del Settecento. A labyrinth of suspended sails, a metaphor for the infinite sea and the interaction between wind and movement, creates a dreamlike atmosphere with dancing light and shadows. This emotional journey expresses the relationship between humans, nature and technology through an aesthetic and design language increasingly oriented around sustainability.

The path continues in the Cortile della Farmacia with The Amazing Plaza, designed by international studio MAD for Amazon. This work reinterprets an Italian piazza, the historic heart of social and commercial life, in a contemporary key. As in traditional squares, where a central monument full of wonders to discover becomes the focus of community life, the installation is built around a mirrored pavilion that encloses elements of extraordinary value, creating a harmonious dialogue between the forms of classical architecture and state-of-the-art technology. The spaces are enhanced by a soundscape curated by the Giuseppe Verdi Milan Conservatory and the Music Informatics Laboratory at the University of Milan. One distinctive feature is the spectacular cover made of coloured ETFE strips, which amplify the light and enhance the entire experience.

The Cortile d’Onore holds more than 20 installations that interpret CRE-ACTION in an equally extraordinary way.

The Gift results from a collaboration between designer and artist Chen Yaoguang/Light Mix and KUKA HOME, a Chinese manufacturer of furniture distributed around the world. A 250-m² flower meadow in the centre of the courtyard becomes the focus of an immersive experience in which nature itself is the star. More than 1,400 seedlings of rapeseed, broom, forsythia and Texas privet flowers create an ephemeral landscape, destined to change over time as a symbol of the bond between humans and the environment. The installation takes the form of a circle, a powerful symbol in Chinese culture representing the infiniteness of life cycles and the connection between past and future. The design acts as a bridge between cultures, harmoniously merging Eastern and Western elements. The design is enriched with poetic lighting. The word ‘gift’ in Latin, Italian and ancient Chinese characters appears in lights throughout the circular structure, emphasising the message of inclusion and sharing. The reference to ‘mooncakes’, the traditional Chinese sweet associated with gratitude and conviviality, further reinforces the concept of giving and human connection. One of the central elements of Cre-Action is also repeated here. Mirrors are understood as a medium capable of transformation, in the reflected image, into a place for questioning identity, differences and illusion. The polished stainless steel structure reflects the historical architecture of the courtyard, blending the natural and built space. The entire project is designed for zero carbon emissions. The flooring is made of recycled materials and the lighting is powered by solar panels. At the end of the exhibition, the flowers will be donated, while the other elements of the installation will be reused, ensuring a sustainable and responsible life cycle.

The work by Alvisi Kirimoto for Corepla – TAM TAM. Temple, Action, Movement reinterprets the classical temple as a living, evolving organism, allowing people to interact and redefine space in real time. The installation recalls the classical principles of firmitas, utilitas and venustas, combining them with the concepts of flexibility and participation, turning columns, traditionally a symbol of stability, into a metaphor for the changing nature of human relationships. In line with a design vision attentive to the life cycle of materials, TAM TAM is made of recycled plastic through a collaboration with Corepla (Italian National Consortium for the Collection, Recycling and Recovery of Plastic Packaging), guaranteeing a second life for the project.

‘A pile is not a construction with a specific function, but it is valid for what it evokes. Stacking wood is an art. You have to choose pieces that are similar in shape and size, and then meticulously put them together. Otherwise, the result is unstable and dangerous and its presence is chaotic and disturbs the landscape fabric. This reminds us of the value of being designers,’ says Michele De Lucchi. Developed by Rubner Haus, the Catasta that AMDL CIRCLE brings to the Cortile della Ca’ Granda is a small house with large sloping roof reminiscent of an ancient temple. A dry-assembled structure of wooden (fir) planks stacked one on top of the other in alternating directions leads to an orderly composition marked by relationships of distance and emptiness permeable to light and the gaze. Light enters from above through a hole in the top of the pile and cuts through the interior space, producing an optical cone that symbolises a metaphorical divine light that creates everything. A nest of birds inhabits the interior void and their chirping inspires feelings of gentle, poetic intimacy.

The project A Beat of Water by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group for Roca Connect emphasises the preciousness of water and the need to consume it responsibly. The intelligent technology of Roca Connect revolutionises water management in public and private environments with the help of instant information. The installation, created using 300 metres of galvanised steel pipes and 56 valves, reveals the workings of water networks, which are usually hidden underground. A thousand litres of water are recirculated in a closed circuit every 20 minutes, simulating the waste-free flow of water. The work is spread over two separate areas, where visitors can come into contact with the system, understanding the importance of the conscious use of water resources. Benches, stools and tables enrich the space, encouraging moments to meet and reflect on sustainability and technological innovation.

Simone Micheli presents a virtual experience as part of his project Be Up – where architecture meets infinity – Luxury mountain resort in Valbona, Albania, which covers an area of 12 hectares. The monolithic, curved volume in the work acts as a portal to a sensory journey, where a dialogue between different cultures is translated into a three-dimensional architectural expression. Be Up reflects Micheli’s design philosophy of simplicity, expressive uniqueness and consistency, stimulating the perception of space and its infinite possibilities for transformation.

One Works for Atlas Concorde and Mapei considers the continuous evolution of nature and the need for humans to adapt to change. MAGMA. Alle origini della creatività is inspired by plate tectonics and the flow of magma, concepts that are translated into immersive spatial experimentation. The vertical walls, decorated with a vivid red paint by Mapei and clad with Atlas Concorde ceramic surfaces, emerge from the ground like tectonic fissures, creating a fragmented pathway symbolising the precariousness and strength of nature. Here, we are invited to reflect on our role in the cycle of creation and change.

Oasis of Happiness by Pangea for Fidenza Village, part of The Bicester Collection, is conceived as a place of transition between physical and emotional reality, fostering a positive projection, ‘a dream place’. Visitors pass through symbolic fabric doors separating different spaces, while the fabric dancing in the wind and the embroidered and painted decorations create a magical atmosphere. Three modular totems composed of stackable elements can be reassembled as seats, allowing the public to recreate the space as they wish. Patchwork, embroidery and painting reinforce the handcrafted nature of the work, turning it into an ode to creativity and the joy of sharing.

The Golden Age once evoked prosperity and beauty. Today, the future is built with sustainable materials that can change and endure over time. This is the concept behind BEYOND THE GOLDEN AGE?, the installation created by Studio Marco Piva for Saint-Gobain. The structure invites visitors to explore the possibilities of innovative materials. Dynamic surfaces made of steel, plaster and Corten evoke memory and transformation, while the bright environment is silenced by sound-absorbing solutions, ready to be filled with meaning. A mirror, LED wall and beams of light merge in a pulsating surface, symbolising the continuous cycle of architectural construction and dissolution. In fact, the entire structure was designed to be disassembled and reassembled several times, even remodelling the spaces with the support of technology.

Echoes, by Francesco Librizzi for Dàmeda, evokes the connection between architecture and nature, reviving the ancestral concept of the garden pavilion. Inspired by Emilio Ambasz’s spiritual poetics, the secret of Francesco Venezia’s gardens, Sottass’ metaphorical power and Henri Rousseau’s symbolism, the 12-metre-high installation replicates the geometry of the portico of the Cortile d’Onore, creating a light, ethereal work where metal arches and illuminated lines amplify the interaction between architecture and the landscape. In the heart of the garden, the pavilion holds a sofa designed by Francesco Librizzi and Arian Brajkovic for Dàmeda, whose sinuous shapes represent the awakening of the senses in nature’s embrace.

For Empire, Wu Bin of W.DESIGN creates a minimalist work entitled Drifting Yǎo, designed to encourage interaction between light, shadow and sound in a two-part structure: a dark wooden tunnel, with light filtering in through openings in the ceiling and prisms; and a semi-circular seating area dedicated to meditation. The space aims to reconnect people with the delicate beauty of nature and encourage them to reflect on their relationship with the world.

Aevum, from the Latin word for ‘eternity’, explores the link between matter, time and innovation through Zaha Hadid Architects’ celebration of the timeless beauty of marble and stonework integrated with new technologies. The installation interacts visually with the historic colonnade of the University of Milan, reinterpreting the three arches of different heights in a futuristic key, for a dynamic and fluid effect. The lower arch is sculpted in Bianco Merano Gold marble from the Alps, produced by A.A.T.C. and Co., while the other two are 3D printed using an innovative cement mixture developed by Sika and Vertico. The lighting, designed by Griven, enhances the sculptural forms of the work, creating a play of light and shadow that amplifies the sense of movement and depth. The project was developed with the support of the engineering firm Eckersley O’Callaghan, reinforcing the concept of Aevum as architecture that transcends time, projecting it into a future where innovation and tradition coexist in harmony.

Cashew Rain and Tetras are located, respectively, in the West and East Loggias of the University of Milan. The first, Cashew Rain, curated by Bruno Simoes for ApexBrasil, revolves around the Brazilian natural phenomenon of ‘chuva do caju’, when low rainfall during the dry season precedes the blossoming of cashew trees, indicating a good harvest to come. The meaning of transformation and hope proposed by the exhibition is reflected in design as a spirited attitude towards the challenges of the present, ready to solve and be enchanting. Once again this year, a Brazilian flair from the north to the south of the country is presented with an exhibition of products and prototypes to enhance memory and knowledge as an unexpected splash of inspiration. In the East Loggia, on the other hand, the installation by SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) and Artemide entitled Tetras is imagined as a constellation of lights that could continue beyond the university. A refined luminaire in a simple cross shape presents light as an architectural element, the ideal module for providing the optimal light in a variety of environments. It perfectly synthesises the contemporary approach to sustainable engineering and an industrial character.

At the entrance to the Aula Magna, Annabel Karim Kassar Architects for Annaka presents Portico. The fragmented, multidimensional installation consisting of wooden panels is animated by dancing figures painted by the French-Lebanese artist herself. The work reinterprets the concept of the threshold in a contemporary key, as an architectural element that acts as a boundary and as connection and protection, while reflecting on the symbolic power of the door as a transition between worlds. Located in the western gallery of the Cortile d’Onore, the work reinterprets the entrance to the Aula Magna with a new, monumental, faceted portico. Crossing Portico, one moves out of the world of action, metaphorically entering creation.

For the release of the new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, DISNEY+ brings You’re My Person to the INTERNI exhibition-event. Antonio Mastrorilli, founder of Gibillero Design, transforms a bench — a recurring symbolic element in the series — into an ethereal, emotional sculpture nearly suspended in space. Enhanced by a sign that lights up when two people sit on it, the project aims to explore the theme of interpersonal relationships.

Installations investigating the relationship between the natural and artificial worlds include the work Extraceleste, a robot-Angelus carrying a message of love, designed by Marco Nereo Rotelli with Elital and Riccardo Valentini for Ever In Art^®. Through a collaboration with Luca Andrea Marazzini, the robotic sculpture gives away AI-generated poetry: symbolic glass ‘poetic flowers’, created by Gala Rotelli.

Claudio Larcher and Astroterra Collective for NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti with ASU – The Design School at Arizona State University have developed Design for the Moon. In an evocative dialogue between speculative objects and future sustainable habitats for the Moon, visitors are invited to reflect on the adaptability of design in extraterrestrial settings by exploring the boundary between reality and imagination.

The Sottoportico of the Cortile d’Onore houses works that rely onn symbolic architecture to explore and redefine the relationship between humans and the environment, between the natural and artificial worlds, between past and future. In this context, mirrors again appear as the main tool of expression and experimentation for the artists and architects, who use them to transform the exhibition space and generate new perceptual dimensions. Riflessi Sul Mare by Christian Grande for Besenzoni consists of mirrored platforms emerging from a symbolic sea. Each of these represents an iconic element of the Besenzoni universe. The play of light and reflections recalls the movement of waves. The project fuses art and industry, reaffirming the company’s philosophy of promoting marine-friendly innovation.

In the People lounges by Dainelli Studio, produced by BI.CI. Progetti e Arredamento, mirrors become the ideal medium for exploring the relationship between architecture, art and philosophy. Mirroring each other on either side of the Cortile d’Onore, two large volumes are reflected in infinite versions and visions — with each other, with people and with the surrounding space. The aim of the project is to merge the multiple individual realities into a collective whole.

The idea of reflection is also expressed in the INTERNI Press Room, designed by Dainelli Studio (Leonardo and Marzia Dainelli) and realised through the contribution of Status Contract and Gruppo Bonomi Pattini. Arranged in the two rooms overlooking the Cortile d’Onore, Ri-Flettere develops around three key elements: colour, steel and doorways, stimulating us to question our perception of space and ourselves. The same elements, combined in different ways, can generate new visions of space and the human presence within.

The exhibition continues with the work Layers by Silvio De Ponte for Espositiva Srl, Idealverde Srl, Living Surfaces – Claudio Ubertini. In this suspended natural landscape flipped 180°, design and architecture harness the senses to construct an intimate, suspended environment through the manipulation of light, matter, perception and emotion.

Re-Flections, curated by Italian fashion designer Ludovica Diligu for Labo.Art, dissolves the boundaries between fashion, design, art and perception, inviting deep reflection on our relationship with our image, self-awareness and the evolution of our own style.

Genesi is the work presented for this edition by the Three-Year Course in Interior Design and Architecture at IUAD Academy. With the support of architect Salvatore Colasanto and the company Ceramica Solimene, the installation narrates a journey between past and future, questioning the role of craftsmanship in responding to ecological challenges and the ability of beauty to generate sustainability.

LaFranca, developed by Simona Ottieri for Fondazione per l’Infanzia Ronald for McDonald’s Italia, consists of an upholstered armchair made by Dàmeda. It is designed as a locus amoenus to take refuge from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and free oneself from emotional stress.

Another nearby seat, created by Marco Merendi and Diego Vencato for Gypsum, metaphorically welcomes all the travellers of our time. La poltrona del viaggiatore is the story of an Italian manufacturing company that opens up to the world and is enriched by interaction with other cultures.

Shards of Infinity, created by Danilo Ramazzotti for NovaBell, responds to the exhibition theme with an idea inspired by the poetics of territory. Three multifaceted monoliths echo 2001: A Space Odyssey as they emerge from the ground. This journey through materials and lands combines the creative, stylistic and design potential of craftsmanship with industrial production.

Viruta Lab for Tile of Spain presents The Light In The Darkness. The work represents rebirth after the recent environmental catastrophe in Valencia, metaphorically translated into light that illuminates the darkness.

I Feel Cool, designed by Pablo Dorigo, Genny Canton Studio and ABS Group for MCZ Group, is a sensory experience that redefines the concept of climate comfort, playing on the contrast between hot and cold, light and matter, technology and nature. The load-bearing part of the installation is made using the beMatrix^® system, and the structure is made of recycled/recyclable aluminium, which can be dismantled and rearranged. It represents an invitation for the future in rethinking the concept of home and well-being, between innovation, aesthetics and sustainability.

The work Horizon Awakening by Beko Design Studio (Beko Europe) for Whirlpool also reflects this vision, revealing how the most advanced household appliances can offer concrete solutions for an increasingly sustainable lifestyle. It is a promise for a future where aesthetics and sustainability coexist in complete harmony, as well as an invitation to the community to move towards a more responsible future.

The Plume Zero-G table, stemming from a collaboration between Quarella and Bizzotto Italia and produced by Danese Milano, interprets an abstract, symbolic idea of design: the absence of gravity. The concept of Zero-G, like what is experienced by astronauts in space, becomes a metaphor for the balance between lightness and strength, matter and visual suspension. The work, designed by KKAA – Kengo Kuma and Associates, consists of small interlocking elements made of Quarella marble and quartz agglomerate recovered from stone industry waste.

Il grande pesce bianco, created by Dario Ghibaudo for Galleria De Ambrogi, forms part of a larger project, Museo di Storia Innaturale, which the artist has been working on since 1990. The marine-focused sculpture made of recycled plastic uses irony to analyse society, its contradictions and discomforts.

A red ball of pulsating light crossed by two intersecting knitting needles symbolises work, and therefore creation. WORK, by Federica Marangoni, an internationally renowned Venetian artist and designer (represented by the C|E Contemporary gallery in Milan), combines tensions in the human condition and actions to improve it using a powerful metaphor. Light, which is always free, triggers thoughts and asks what tools men and women still have today to improve their condition in the world. The answer is work: a creative, intelligent, conscious tool. Neon gives strength to the red threads, making them powerful and contemporary. Work and creation merge, turning into creativity through art.

Diseño Argentino, on the other hand, is an audiovisual platform that represents the design ecosystem in Argentine, emphasising the importance of design within the national culture. Created through a partnership between private and government institutions, the work brings together designers participating in the Salone Satellite and FuoriSalone: Bilu, I Wish, Konqrit, Mínimo Iluminación, Magdalena Jenik, FIUMINE, Cindy Lilen Studio, BLAU, Aldana Lorenzo and DArA perception by architect Julio Oropel. Framing the screen is the site-specific installation by IOUS Studio, founded by Sol Sanchez Cimarelli and Agustín Ros. Realised through a technical collaboration with Nagami, it investigates the relationship between territory, perception and transformation. The project is inspired by dichotomies in the Argentine landscape and based on a series of reflections in which reality and illusion converge in a dynamic sequence.

On display at the north entrance to the University of Milan is In-Between Worlds by David Lopez Quincoces and Francesco Meda for HD Surface. By interweaving material and colour, the artists create a dialogue with the existing architecture, transforming the site into a symbolic gateway leading to a sensory experience in the making. Climbing the steps, the passage evolves in a chromatic experience, with the gradient changing according to the light. The absolute star of the installation is the Argille collection by HD Surface, an all-natural coating capable of shaping a delicate and immersive colour transition in which the surface comes to life.

Eataly Milano Smeraldo and De Castillia 23 by Urban Up | Unipol

For the third year running, Eataly Milano Smeraldo (Piazza XXV Aprile, 10) and De Castillia 23 by Urban Up | Unipol (Via De Castillia, 23) are joining the INTERNI exhibition-event circuit.

Eataly Smeraldo welcomes the work entitled Garden of Wonders, designed by Elena Salmistraro. The artist interprets the exhibition theme through the metaphor of creativity as an authentic, irregular process, full of stimuli, deviations and suggestions. The experience enwraps visitors, projecting them into a vibrant universe of colours, nature and lively energy. This symbolic journey takes shape in a fantastic avenue winding through Eataly. The path of colour is marked by the presence of plants and natural elements and runs from the entrance to the first floor, culminating in an explosion of shapes and colours. From here, the journey continues to the second floor, where the experience ends in the refreshment area, a metaphor for materialisation, before returning to the exit, and thus taking visitors back to reality. Suggesting and extending this narrative is the large drawing on the façade, a veritable invitation to embark on the path of creativity. This symbolic threshold leads to the heart of the project, where imagination expands, melds and transforms. The work, which will remain on view until 3 May, is a journey into creativity, an exploration that crosses the boundary between thought and reality, between dream and construction, making the invisible tangible.

At Urban Up | Unipol, Felice Limosani produces The Earth is Life, Our Future is Hope. The installation transforms the façade of the building at Via De Castilla 23 into a symbolic experience that goes beyond urban decoration, where language and light merge. The work is based on a linguistic game. Words light up rhythmically, breaking down the message and recomposing it into the words ‘The Earth is our future’ and ‘Hope is life’. This performance invites spectators to explore the multiple possible readings, stimulating intellectual and emotional connections. The expression, devised by Limosani, becomes the manifesto for a global situation poised between the climate crisis and renewed ecological awareness.

The INTERNI System

INTERNI’s integrated communication system reaffirms its role as the main source of information for the design world. Two print publications (INTERNI and the FuoriSalone Guide), a major event (INTERNI CRE-ACTION), two digital events (INTERNI King Size and the FuoriSalone Guide) and INTERNI online (website and social media), with in-depth features and films that will be conveyed through a newsletter system, all provide the tools to keep up to date in real time on design trends, news and previews.

Now in its 35^th edition, the FuoriSalone Guide is a required handbook for everyone who wants to familiarise and orient themselves amid the increasingly rich panorama of Milan Design Week. The guide presents a rational reading of 350 events involving the companies, designers and architects taking part in FuoriSalone, organised both by day and in alphabetical order. The guide, which is distributed free of charge with the April issue of INTERNI — on newsstands in Milan and at all the showrooms, institutions, museums and general locations taking part in FuoriSalone 2025 (as well as the fair itself) — will also be available online (access also on tablets and smartphones) with an interactive map.

The strength of the brand is also clearly visible on the ground. A major street advertising campaign is planned for CRE-ACTION, including the customisation of 10 Hudson points of sale at Malpensa Airport (t1) and 4 at Linate Airport, as well as a point of sale in Milan Central Station. The campaign covers roughly 150 digital screens in newsstands across the city, 50 of which have been selected and customised to guarantee visibility in the city centre and major transit areas: window dressing at the Mondadori Multicenter in Piazza Duomo with the related LED wall; 20 FSU Digital installations (in the Clear Channel circuit) in the centre of Milan; 20 digital canopies and 15 street banners in the centre of Milan; 10 Maxiretro media shuttles/buses; 57 digital screens in the central station; 1 LED wall on Via Larga/Largo Augusto; 81 screens in the subway vision circuit present on the M1, M2, M3, M5 lines between Duomo, Garibaldi, Isola, Loreto, San Babila, Zara; 16 stations in the Digimupi M4 circuit; and DOOH in Gae Aulenti Domination between Vele, Capelli, Castiglioni A/B, Viganò and Avar Aalto.

In addition, INTERNI presents another novelty at the Salone del Mobile and FuoriSalone 2025: Design Experience, a new pair of training courses stemming from a collaboration with Poli.design and dedicated to design professionals as well as all design enthusiasts. They connect academic knowledge and practical applications through meetings and interviews with internationally renowned architects and designers, including Marco Piva and Michele De Lucchi. During the courses, participants will be guided in discovering the key elements of interior and furniture design in order to recognise the most significant design choices to meet their needs and desires, with the added value of the Italian approach to design (www.mondadoriacademy.it).

For information: www.internimagazine.it