Salerno Design Week 2026: The Alchemy of Design Transforms the City

From 16 to 20 September, Salerno Design Week returns with a programme spanning very different places and fields across the city. Seventy Italian and international designers will take part, alongside six exhibitions, nine talks, three educational workshops, fifteen AperiDesign events, thirty shops and two urban installations. The programme revolves around design, art, innovation and design culture, as well as the relationship between designers, businesses and the local area. Alchimie del Design (The Alchemy of Design) is the theme chosen for the second edition. Here, alchemy comes from bringing together different skills and worlds: manufacturing and creativity, innovation and cultural heritage, businesses and designers. The programme reflects this approach, bringing together furniture, ceramics, yachting, hospitality, food and public art, as well as urban regeneration.



Among the main events is Pottergeist, an exhibition project by HoperAperta curated by Patrizia Catalano, Maurizio Barberis and Martina Barberis Casagrande. Hosted at the Pinacoteca Provinciale and open until 30 November, the exhibition brings international designers into dialogue with Salerno-based manufacturing companies. At the Museo Archeologico, designed by Ezio De Felice, Design for Food and Nutrition, curated by ADI Campania together with Michele Cuomo, explores the relationship between design and food. A major focus of this year’s edition is Giorgetto Giugiaro, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. At the Museo Diocesano, the exhibition Il segno che diventa leggenda (The Mark that Becomes Legend), curated by Studio Opera LTB, revisits some of his most iconic projects through a selection of works and prototypes.



The event also extends into Salerno’s commercial fabric and public spaces. In Vetrina, with an exhibition design by architect Fabrizio Maranca, involves thirty shops across the city, while Parco Pinocchio will host the bench that won the 2025 Young Factory Design Contest, produced and donated by the Metalworking Group of Confindustria Salerno. At Marina d’Arechi Port Village, meanwhile, a public artwork curated by Fondazione Filiberto e Bianca Menna will be installed.
The programme moves between exhibitions, talks, workshops and more informal events such as AperiDesign. The Young Factory Design contest also returns, promoted in collaboration with ADI - Associazione per il Disegno Industriale, while Lost & Roll, a documentary by Gianluca Vassallo, will have its Southern Italian premiere during the event. Among the names announced are Elena Fiammengo, Senior Designer at Gensler Miami; Paolo Zilli, Director at ZHA Architects; Marco Gilardi, Director of Operations at Minor Hotels Europe & Americas; Federico Spagnulo, founder of Spagnulo & Partners; and designer Lorenzo Damiani.