Summer closure in Lombardy

If you are planning a trip to Lombardy in September, don't miss these two events: The ‘Landscape Festival – I Maestri del Paesaggio’ in Bergamo explores the future of the symbiosis between city and nature. Sponsored by the Arketipos association and the local community, the redesign of cities as resilient, balanced and networked ecosystems will be discussed under the title ‘New Urban Ecosystem’. The realisation of the ‘Green Square’ project in Piazza Vecchia will be led this year by renowned British garden designer Sarah Price. She draws inspiration for her design from the bright colours and lush folds in Lorenzo Lotto's paintings to create poetic landscapes.

Italian furniture manufacturer Pedrali is partnering with the event for the eleventh time, offering guests from all over the world the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent setting of Piazza Vecchia in Bergamo's historic old town during a short break and take a seat on the elegant outdoor collections. Like the ‘Philía’ chair by Odo Fioravanti or the ‘Nolita’ lounge chair by CMP Design, which are accompanied by the ‘Anemos’ tables by Pio & Tito Toso and ‘Elliot’ by Patrick Jouin, among others. The ‘Filicudi’ battery-powered table lamp by Andrea Pedrali provides atmospheric lighting in the evening hours. The creative trio Greta Bianchi, Marco Togni and Michele Pezzoni will also be presenting an installation in the ‘green design path,’ which leads to the Antico Lavatoio, a historic wash house dating back to the Middle Ages.

The studio of designers Michele Cazzaniga, Simone Mandelli and Antonio Pagliarulo from CMP Design in Como is not far away: the largest city on Lake Como is only a two-hour train ride from Bergamo. The municipality will be celebrating the Lake Como Design Festival from 14 to 21 September 2025. The event, which was once initiated by the non-profit association Wonderlake Como, will take place for the seventh time in the picturesque setting of the southern Alps. The exhibits will address the theme of fragmentation and explore its many facets – conflicts and disasters, memory, transformation and rediscovery. Once again, the historic 17th-century Villa del Grumello and its spacious park will be the centre of the Lake Como Design Festival. Part of the programme is the ‘Studio Visit’, for which many creative and cultural institutions are opening their doors, so it is worth planning at least a whole day for your stay in Como. The displays include ‘Fragments of Memory’ at the Villa del Grumello, where each work offers a link between the past and the present, such as the re-edition of the convertible furniture by Vico Magistretti and Claudio Campeggi as the ‘Vico’ collection.

Meanwhile, the exhibition ‘Aldo Rossi. Architecture by Fragments’ by Chiara Spangaro and the Aldo Rossi Foundation explores the theme of fragments in the work of architect Aldo Rossi, a pioneer of postmodernism, in the former church of San Peitro in Atrio. As part of this, the film ‘Aldo Rossi’ by Francesca Molteni and Mattia Colombo will be shown at the Camera di Commercio di Como-Lecco on 14 September at 7.30 p.m. Admission is free. (am)