From July 8 to 14, 2025,Art Nouveau Week, the European event dedicated to the ArtNouveau style and artistic expressions of the early 20th century, returns. The initiative, promoted by Italia Liberty and curated by Andrea Speziali with the support of a scientific and honor committee, is now in its seventh edition. The common thread will be the Butterfly, a symbol of metamorphosis. The official image of the event is inspired by an illustration by Ver Sacrum, also recalling the advertising fan “Putnam Fadeless Dyes-Tints.” The logo, on the other hand, draws inspiration from the graphic works of Eugène Grasset.
Streaming lectures dedicated to architecture, decorative arts, fashion, illustration, cuisine and literature are scheduled throughout the week. Fourteen talks led by Andrea Speziali himself, with two daily appointments. Notable proposals include thematic trips such as “Eterno Liberty,” which crosses Italy with historical re-enactments aboard jets and Frecciarossa trains; “Puglia Modernista,” an itinerary between Bari and Lecce scheduled July 9-11; “Valencia Modernista,” which will take place between July 11 and 14; and “Freccia Liberty,” a train ride that touches ten Italian railway stations with an Art Nouveau style.
Sicily offers guided tours in Catania, Palermo and Mondello, a series of lectures on Modernism on the island from July 9 to 11, an exhibition at Villa Pottino entitled La Belle Époque a Palermo tra arte, moda e storia, and the extraordinary opening of places such as Villa Ardizzone and the Casa Museo Liberty in Chiaramonte Gulfi.
More than 120 guided tours per day are planned in seventy Italian cities, organized by Andrea Speziali in collaboration with licensed tour guides. These tours include access to villas and mansions usually closed to the public.
Ample space is also reserved for Art Nouveau funerary art, with itineraries inside Italy’s main monumental cemeteries, from Milan to Genoa, from Rome to Florence, to discover works signed by artists such as Bistolfi, Wildt, Orengo and Manzù.
With more than one hundred itineraries from north to south, the 2025 edition of Art Nouveau Week is a fascinating journey through Italy’s Art Nouveau heritage. From July 8 to 14, the program includes guided tours, thematic itineraries, extraordinary openings and stories that reveal the modernist soul of our country.
In Basilicata, Melfi will surprise visitors thanks to the hospitality of the owners of Palazzo Pastore, a rare example of Art Nouveau style in the region, who will also open their doors to the historic Carlucci Pharmacy and some of the town’s residences. Abruzzo will have its floral architecture and wrought iron and decorative concrete details rediscovered between Pescara, Sulmona, L’Aquila and Giulianova. Calabria will also participate, with ReggioCalabria revealing its palaces amid Deco and eclectic influences, in routes dedicated to the works of architect Gino Zani. Naples will offer itineraries through its hillside neighborhoods-from Vomero to Chiaia, to Petraio-among scenic stairways, panoramic views and period residences.
Emilia-Romagna will offer Belle Époque-inspired walks in Bologna, Faenza, Ferrara, Riccione and Gambettola. In Sogliano al Rubicone, an itinerary curated by private collector Roberto Parenti will further enrich the program. In Friuli Venezia Giulia, the discreet elegance of Trieste will emerge in an itinerary among Art Nouveau buildings hidden in the 19th-century fabric. Rome, on the other hand, will participate with exceptional openings of usually inaccessible spaces, such as the Villino Ximenes, the Boncompagni Ludovisi Museum and the Casina delle Civette at Villa Torlonia. Evening walks in the Prati, Ludovisi and Coppedè neighborhoods will offer an enchanted view of turn-of-the-century Rome. Liguria will offer a journey among the symbolic places of coastal Art Nouveau, from Genoa to Imperia, via La Spezia, Savona and Chiavari, among villas, art glass and museums such as Villa Rosa and the MACI in Villa Faravelli. In Lombardy, ten cities are joining with events ranging from Sommaruga’s works in Milan and Varese, to villas in Monza, Brescia and Lodi, to the workers’ village of Crespi d’Adda. In Cernobbio, Villa Bernasconi welcomes the public with a DJ set inspired by the flight of butterflies.
In the Marche region, Pesaro will be told through its villas and Molaroni ceramics. Molise will contribute with Campobasso, which will illustrate its evolution in the 20th century with accounts of the Tucci workshop and the architect Guerriero. Piedmont, second only to Lombardy in terms of style diffusion, will offer a major event in Stresa with exhibitions, performances and free tours. In Turin, iconic neighborhoods such as Cit Turin, Crocetta and San Donato will be highlighted. In Puglia, Bari will stand out with itineraries between Art Nouveau and Déco styles, including rarely accessible frescoes attributed to Duilio Cambellotti. Sardinia will celebrate the role of women and early 20th century architecture with events in Cagliari, Arborea and Sassari. Sicily stands out for the variety of its proposals: in Catania with Villa Ardizzone and Via XX Settembre, in Mondello with an Art Nouveau breakfast, and in Palermo with the architecture of Basile and the House Museum of Chiaramonte Gulfi.
Tuscany, on the other hand, will participate with itineraries in Lucca, Florence, Livorno and Viareggio, which dedicates tributes to Galileo Chini and Belluomini through waterfront visits in the afternoon and evening hours. Finally, Umbria will recount its bourgeois and modernist soul with stops in Foligno and Perugia. Veneto will join with the cities of Vicenza, Verona, Thiene and the Venice Lido, among frescoed villas and hidden gardens.
Even beyond national borders, special itineraries will be planned. In Barcelona, the public will be able to explore Catalan Modernism by visiting symbolic sites such as the Manzana de la Discordia, Casa Vicens and Palau Güell. In Switzerland, free workshops dedicated to goldsmithing will be held in Ascona, while Palma de Mallorca and Valencia will show the public the wonders of Spanish Modernism.
The official catalog of Art Nouveau Week 2025 features never-before-seen discoveries, recent restorations and an update of the worldwide census of Art Nouveau buildings, which now numbers more than 15,000 structures. It is the result of years of research led by Andrea Speziali with the collaboration of an international network of scholars and enthusiasts.
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| Art Nouveau Week, the European initiative dedicated to the Art Nouveau style, is back. Theme of this edition: the butterfly |
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