MARMOMAC 2026: AT ITS 60TH EDITION, THE STONE TECHNOLOGY SUPPLY CHAIN OPENS UP TO THE FUTURE BETWEEN ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN AND URBAN SPACE

 

Sixty editions, the same vocation as ever: to place natural stone at the centre of the dialogue between supply chain, design and contemporaneity. From 22 to 25 September 2026, Marmomac returns to Veronafiere with an anniversary edition that renews its cultural identity through new curatorial perspectives – including those of Joseph Grima and Davide Fabio Colaci – urban installations, awards and the lecture by Carlo Ratti.

 

Verona, 27 May 2026. Marmomac is preparing to open its 60th edition, scheduled at Veronafiere from 22 to 25 September 2026, reaffirming its position as an international benchmark for the natural stone supply chain. A milestone spanning sixty editions during which the event has accompanied the sector’s evolution, transforming from a local trade fair into a global platform capable of connecting businesses, technologies, design and research.

 

Founded in 1940 in Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella as the “Marble and Machinery Exhibition”, Marmomac has its roots in the Verona stone district, one of the most important and oldest in Europe. From its earliest editions, the event has captured the growth of a rapidly expanding sector, supporting its opening towards international markets. The relocation to Veronafiere in the early 1990s marked a further step in the event’s history, which, alongside its industrial and commercial vocation, progressively broadened its focus towards contemporary experimentation. With 1,400 exhibitors from more than 54 countries and a global community of over 50,000 operators and professionals from 140 nations (2025 data), the event offers visitors the most comprehensive overview of the entire sector supply chain: materials, technologies and finishing products.

 

The anniversary edition looks at this journey as a living heritage that continues to question the present and future of natural stone. For this reason, Marmomac is focusing on the new identity of its cultural space in Hall 10 under the name THE BEDROCK – Leading the Future of Natural Stone. A reference to the origin and foundation of stone as an element capable of spanning architecture, technology and sustainability, developed through a journey – curated by four guest curators – in which stone opens up to different perspectives and interpretations.

Highlighting the need for forward-thinking reflection on the sector will be the new curatorial contributions by Davide Fabio Colaci and Joseph Grima, who are today among the leading figures of the new wave of contemporary design and architecture. Alongside them will also be the insights of Raffaello Galiotto and Giuseppe Fallacara, long-standing figures of the event.

The dialogue between stone and urban application also becomes a cultural driver for Marmomac & The City, the widespread programme developed in collaboration with White Carrara. The initiative will bring the event into the historic centre of Verona through a series of installations by internationally renowned designers and architects, including Ross Lovegrove, Antonio Aricò and Claudio Nardi, exploring the relationship between stone and urban space.

 

Alongside its cultural and design content, Marmomac acts as a privileged observer of the supply chain’s evolution, identifying the figures and languages that express its transformations in communication, technology and industrial research. The 18th edition of the Best Communicator Award continues this journey by recognising companies and individuals who have interpreted the world of natural stone through design, architecture, art and contemporary visions. In addition to categories dedicated to exhibitors, the award also continues to broaden its scope to include figures who have helped reshape the international perception of stone. In addition, a new feature of the 60th edition is the International “Sustainable Excellence” Award, organised under the patronage of and in collaboration with the University of Verona. The project aims to highlight the most advanced solutions for sustainable innovation in the stone industry, rewarding machinery, plants, tools, materials, and projects capable of generating a tangible impact on production efficiency, reduced consumption, and responsible use of resources.

 

Among the elements that have accompanied the event’s evolution over the years is Marmomac Academy, which has been active since 1998 as an international platform dedicated to training and professional development in the world of natural stone. Through talks, case studies, and meetings with designers, researchers, and companies, the Academy creates a multidisciplinary forum on design, processing techniques, sustainability, and innovation applied to stone-based projects each year. The 2026 programme will alternate training sessions with a series of meetings dedicated to the relationship between marble and contemporaneity, further strengthening Marmomac’s vocation as a place of research and dialogue.

 

It is precisely this open outlook on the transformations of design that will accompany the opening of the 60th edition, entrusted to the lecture by Carlo Ratti, architect and curator, one of the most authoritative figures in the international debate on the relationship between technology, cities and architecture. An opening that symbolically marks an edition looking towards the future of natural stone as an element capable of interpreting the major transitions of the present.

 

Sixty editions since its inception, Marmomac continues to evolve, confirming its nature as an international platform: a space where natural stone is both a productive material and a tool for interpreting the transformations of architecture, design and contemporary construction.

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