PIETRA&Co. 2026: Contemporary Art Celebrates Natural Intelligence in Sirmione

Starting May 21, Sirmione launches Pietra&Co. 2026 – Intelligenza Naturale, a dispersed public art festival organized by the Brescia Marble Consortia in collaboration with the Municipality of Sirmione, the Regional Directorate of National Museums Lombardy, and Sirmione Servizi. The open-air program spans from Punta Grò to the Grotte di Catullo, featuring 36 artists (21 women) and about 50 sculptures and installations placed in beaches, parks, promenades, gardens, and hotel locations across the area.

The theme “Intelligenza Naturale” is inspired by a marble quarry image—a flourishing plant emerging from a deep crack—emphasizing nature’s flexibility and the passage of time. The event invites visitors to slow down and engage directly with space and living material, presenting a range of voices and media across sacred and everyday spaces, from the lakefront to historic sites such as Castello Scaligero and the Catullo caves, including works by MOLOM, Cromlech, In Fondo, and more. The program also features an historic insertion: two works by Brescia-based sculptor Domenico Lusetti shown at the Town Hall ahead of year-end exhibitions.

The inauguration program on May 21 includes a 6 p.m. reading at the Catullo caves, a 7 p.m. theater performance in Piazza Carducci, and a 7:30 p.m. institutional reception on the Muse Beach with a musical aperitif by the F.a.s.t. trio; in case of bad weather, the institutional moment moves to Palazzo Callas. The festival remains freely accessible along Sirmione’s streets and parks through October.
Italian Version