Rome, 2 October 2026 · FAR – Festival dell’Architettura di Roma
Stone is dialogue.
On Friday, stone took centre stage at FAR – the Rome Architecture Festival – in a morning devoted to the relationship between architecture and material.
From the history of the quarries and marbles of Papal Rome, told by Rossana Mancini, to the conversation between designers Vincenzo Latina and Michela Ekström, the day explored stone as a material capable of shaping identity, space and culture.
PNA brought the network’s vision and expertise to FAR through four international projects: four different interpretations of stone in contemporary design.
Francesco Grassi presented the Leonildo Pieropan Winery in Verona, designed by Moreno Zurlo – A.c.M.e., where Pietra di Vicenza conceals the building within the landscape and ties it to the history of the territory.
With Nicoletta Caruso, the story moved to New York, inside KPF’s One Vanderbilt, where Caldia® Statuario brings the character of Italian stone to the heart of Manhattan, in one of its most imposing skyscrapers.
Giulio Marini presented the New Campus of Università Luigi Bocconi by Grafton Architects – Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell, a project in which Ceppo di Gré and Aggloceppo® contribute to the building’s strong material identity.
Finally, Bobby Johnston, who travelled from the United States for the occasion, presented the Taylorsville Utah Temple by FFKR Architects, showing how Botticino Classico was used to give unity and expressive strength to an architecture rooted in American history.
The morning closed with a remote greeting from Carlo Ratti and a talk by Gabriele Sacchi, senior architect at Carlo Ratti Associati, who explored the relationship between innovation, technology and natural materials, reflecting on the role material can play in the architecture of the future.
A conclusion that brought the different contributions together into a shared vision: stone as a contemporary material, able to renew itself through knowledge, research and dialogue across disciplines.
For PNA, the journey continues.
Stone is in motion.
