HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAKE COME DESIGN FESTIVAL 2025

DESIGN

The city of Como once again hosted the seventh edition of the Lake Como Design Festival, under the theme Fragments. The festival invited visitors to reflect on fragmentation not as a sign of rupture, but as a catalyst for creative rebirth, for the preservation of memory, and for a regenerative approach to design.

The program unfolded across villas, gardens, and urban landmarks, offering a journey through both physical and narrative landscapes. At its center was the Chilometro della Conoscenza, a 15-hectare park connecting historic villas and green spaces, where contemporary installations curated by Giovanna Massoni explored the theme through the lenses of fragility, regeneration, and memory.

Among the highlights was the exhibition Fragments of Memory at Villa del Grumello, where archival pieces were brought together to form a dialogue between history and design. At the former church of San Pietro in Atrio, Aldo Rossi: Architecture for Fragments revisited the architect’s work through drawings, documents, and multimedia interpretations, underscoring his ability to distill collective memory into architectural form. The Ico Parisi Design Archive opened its doors with Crolli edificanti – Tavole di provocazione, presenting rarely seen large-format paintings from the late 1970s and 1980s alongside archival documents and design works that shed light on Parisi’s enduring vision.

Beyond exhibitions, the festival has become a cultural ecosystem. Studio visits allowed direct encounters with designers, archives, and galleries, while guided tours through the city’s Rationalist architecture traced the connections between place, history, and contemporary practice. Together, these elements created a layered experience that embraced both reflection and discovery, uniting Como’s extraordinary cultural heritage with new voices and perspectives.

Ark Journal has been media partner of the Lake Como Design Festival 2025.

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Canottieri Lario, Como, photo Lorenzo Butti

HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAKE COMO DESIGN FESTIVAL 2025

DESIGN

The city of Como once again hosted the seventh edition of the Lake Como Design Festival, under the theme Fragments. The festival invited visitors to reflect on fragmentation not as a sign of rupture, but as a catalyst for creative rebirth, for the preservation of memory, and for a regenerative approach to design.

The program unfolded across villas, gardens, and urban landmarks, offering a journey through both physical and narrative landscapes. At its center was the Chilometro della Conoscenza, a 15-hectare park connecting historic villas and green spaces, where contemporary installations curated by Giovanna Massoni explored the theme through the lenses of fragility, regeneration, and memory.

Among the highlights was the exhibition Fragments of Memory at Villa del Grumello, where archival pieces were brought together to form a dialogue between history and design. At the former church of San Pietro in Atrio, Aldo Rossi: Architecture for Fragments revisited the architect’s work through drawings, documents, and multimedia interpretations, underscoring his ability to distill collective memory into architectural form. The Ico Parisi Design Archive opened its doors with Crolli edificanti – Tavole di provocazione, presenting rarely seen large-format paintings from the late 1970s and 1980s alongside archival documents and design works that shed light on Parisi’s enduring vision.

Beyond exhibitions, the festival has become a cultural ecosystem. Studio visits allowed direct encounters with designers, archives, and galleries, while guided tours through the city’s Rationalist architecture traced the connections between place, history, and contemporary practice. Together, these elements created a layered experience that embraced both reflection and discovery, uniting Como’s extraordinary cultural heritage with new voices and perspectives.

Ark Journal has been media partner of the Lake Como Design Festival 2025.

Casa Del Fascio, Como, photo Lorenzo Butti

Dayanita Singh’s Como Boxes, part of Fragments of Memory at Villa del Grumello, photo Alessandro Saletta

Fragments of Memory at Villa del Grumello, photo Alessandro Saletta

Contemporary Design Selection at Chilometro della Conoscenza, photo Nicolò Panzeri

Contemporary Design Selection at Chilometro della Conoscenza

Row 1: Abreham Brioschi, Collezione Burgui, Scultura Scarification, photo Artoè Francesca / Atelier Thomas Serruys, Rollmaster

Row 2: Ben Kicic, Hand in Glove, photo Nicolas Polli / Sierra Kanistanaux, Relic white / Agglomerati, Sho Ota, Surfaced Bench, photo Mattia Parodi

Row 3: Yunju Jung / Vacuum Atelier / FlatFlat

Still from film “Aldo Rossi Design” © Muse Factory of Projects

Exhibition of Aldo Rossi “Architecture in fragments” at San Pietro in Atrio

Ico Parisi, “Apocalisse Gentile – Crolli edificanti”, Palazzo dei Diamanti, Ferrara, 1981

Asilo Sant’Elia by Giuseppe Terragni, photo Alessandro Saletta

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