Founded in 1926 as the Higher School of Architecture of Venice, Iuav University of Venice is now a university with a strong experimental vocation, one of the first Italian universities to introduce design laboratories and open new research and training pathways.

It pioneered studies on sustainability, climate change, and ecological transition, and today, it is positioned as a center for innovative and anticipatory design and research, in a city like Venice, which is a laboratory for culture and a new model of urban sustainability.

Iuav University of Venice is a point of reference for Italian and international architectural and urbanistic culture, thanks to its history, which has seen the presence of great designers (Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Carlo Scarpa, Carlo Aymonino, Vittorio Gregotti, Aldo Rossi, Tadao Ando, among others).

Our goal has been to host the first INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON AUTHENTIC NATURAL STONE at such a prestigious and recognized venue as Iuav University of Venice, immediately granting relevance and authority to the event and PNA on both a national and international level.

The Tolentini building complex, located near Piazzale Roma, is the historic seat of Iuav University of Venice and houses the university’s administrative structures, the library, and the Aula Magna (the venue for all major internal and external institutional events).

It includes the convent of the eponymous church and some adjacent areas, such as the entrance, the former Palma house (purchased in 1968 and restored in 1977 by the technical office of Iuav University of Venice), and a pavilion built in 1962 by the civil engineering department.

The entrance portal, designed by Carlo Scarpa, is the symbol of Iuav University of Venice. 

Logistically, our congress venue is located just 7-8 minutes on foot from the railway station and the parking areas at Piazzale Roma.