Cersaie, an international trade show with an equally global cultural programme

(September 2026) – For one week, professionals from across the global ceramic and bathroom furnishings supply chains are gathering in Bologna to experience Cersaie firsthand. For the past 42 years, Cersaie has served as an international meeting place for the industry, a role it once again confirms in 2026 with 234 international exhibitors – 39% of the total – representing 23 countries. It offers visitors a unique opportunity to discover product innovation and new typologies, explore the latest aesthetic trends and applications, and engage with the emerging professions and sectors that are increasingly represented at Cersaie, spanning real estate, furniture and interior design, and outdoor and wellness spaces.

Cersaie’s cultural programme is every bit as international and high-profile. Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena will become the 14th Pritzker Prize laureate to appear at Cersaie when he delivers a Lectio Magistralis on the morning of Thursday 24 September. Ten years after receiving the award widely regarded as architecture’s Nobel Prize – and having since become Chair of the Pritzker Prize Jury – Aravena will discuss his approach to architectural space and its relationship with nature.
Also on Thursday, New York-based architect Annabelle Selldorf will explain what she means by a humanistic approach to design: the ability to shape spaces around the people who will actually live, work and spend time in them. Understanding people’s real needs, she argues, is essential to ensuring the highest possible quality of life and living environments.

Turin’s Metro Line 2 may be located in Italy, but it meets international standards in transport infrastructure, as befits a city with a truly global outlook. It is precisely this “glocal” character – at once local and global – that will provide the starting point for a discussion on Wednesday 23 September in Cersaie’s The Square Auditorium, bringing together the interdisciplinary group of companies behind the project.

The same international spirit runs through the work of the 13 young Italian architecture practices invited to present the projects and ideas they are currently developing. Their work reflects a broader global vision in which younger generations are encouraged to draw on the best ideas and approaches from around the world, reinterpret them and apply them within an Italian context. Francesco Faccin’s Lesson in Reverse – scheduled for Friday 25 September – will explore this very theme through an intergenerational dialogue designed to challenge established perspectives and help younger professionals look towards the future.

Visit the Cersaie online ticket office to download your free admission ticket.