The ninth edition of Varese Design Week returns from September 25 to 28, 2025, featuring a rich program of exhibitions and installations centered in the historic heart of Varese and beyond. This year’s main theme is the Cage (GABBIA): a design and creative challenge that also resonates with the metaphorical meaning of freedom, inviting discussions, exhibitions, and convivial moments crafted to engage both enthusiasts and curious newcomers alike.
Varese Design Week continues to grow as an international platform, now in its ninth year, hosted annually in the city of Varese. The festival is organized by the Wareseable Association and promotes design, culture, and the local territory. It began in 2016 thanks to the dedication of its founders, Nicoletta Romano and Silvana Barbato, and has since become a focal point for designers, companies, and audiences who value beauty, taste, and the revitalization of the city’s most meaningful spaces. Designers and companies take center stage, presenting their creations in a major showcase within a vibrant circuit tied deeply to creativity, design, and the manufacture of industrial objects.
This edition foregrounds the Gabbia theme not only as a design and creativity challenge but also through its profound metaphor of freedom—intellectual and personal. The program blends public talks, exhibitions, and performances into a dense, multi-site experience that anchors its core in Varese’s historic center. Installations will punctuate Piazza San Vittore, Piazza Monte Grappa, and Piazza Garibaldino, with additional sites at Villa Panza and the nearby municipality of Morazzone, enriching the city’s cultural tapestry.
Aldo Cingolani, an esteemed architect and designer and current President & CEO of Bertone Design Group, serves as the honorary guest for 2025. Cingolani brings a wealth of experience advising universities and design programs worldwide. On the evening of September 25, he will lead an open-to-the-public talk at Villa Panza, joined by art historian and curator Gabriella Belli, continuing the strong collaboration with this iconic city venue.
Cingolani’s career spans architecture, design, and cultural leadership. He co-founded Bertone Design in 2013 and, through New Crazy Colors and other partnerships, contributes to academic programs and interior design projects for major institutions, including Lugano’s LAC theater and the Poli. Design ecosystem in Milan. He is a consultant for interiors for the new LAC theater in Lugano and collaborates with multiple design and academic entities.
“Participating in this prestigious event is a true privilege,” Cingolani remarks. “The作品 selected for Varese Design Week promise to deliver an immersive, reflective encounter that resonates with both the city and its people, elevating everyday spaces into moments of beauty and thoughtful dialogue.”
Notable installations and experiences to look out for include:
- “àtrebiL” by Architect-Designer Carlo Rampazzi in Villa Panza’s Italianate garden, reflecting his MAXIMINIMALISMOBILI approach.
- In Piazza San Vittore, “Grattacieli del futuro,” curated by Alberto Talarico and Bertone Design, an art-therapy project inviting public participation.
- “La condizione umana” in Piazza Monte Grappa, a site-specific sculpture by Marco Benedetti—an artist exploring myth and symbol through painting, sculpture, and architecture.
- “Freedom,” curated by Novellocase and Fogliani Illuminazione Spa, with Time to Breed and Silvana Barbato as artistic director, in Piazza del Podestà, inspired by nature and the butterfly as a symbol of liberty.
- “LOUD – LivingOUtdoorDesign,” in the Courtyard of Honor at Estense Gardens, a cross-disciplinary concept led by Riva Simone Architect, in collaboration with Cagis Srl, Greendesign Sc, and La Terra Cruda—an exploration of the boundary between indoor and outdoor design.
- “Polisemia della Gabbia,” curated by Stage VDW25 European School, in Cortile Perabò, offering a multidisciplinary lens on the central theme
Gandini Kitchen Store will host a collaborative exhibition with Love Spot Galleries Varese, showcasing “Mr. Savethewall e la Gabbia dei social network” by street artist Mr. Savethewall, opening on September 25 at 6 p.m.
The festival also features a program of dialogue and exchange, including a September 25 talk at 3:30 p.m. with Enzo Laforgia, the City of Varese’s Culture Councillor, who will discuss the cage theme from a civic and cultural perspective.
On September 26 at 11 a.m., at the Miogni Penitentiary Institute, there will be an encounter with inmates and Luca Spada, who works on their social reintegration after release, followed by a performance by singer-songwriter Luca Re. Later that day, at 6 p.m., Leonardo De Franceschi—an emerging interior designer—will present his book Dentro le Stanze e fuori nelle Strade in a discussion exploring urban culture across design, art, fashion, music, and AI, in conversation with Architect Simone Riva and VDW’s leadership. The evening continues with a concert at 9:30 p.m.
On September 27, the program begins at 11 a.m. at Fondazione Morandini with the talk “Architecture and Complexity, the New Paradigms” by architect Riccardo Blumer. A 3:30 p.m. round table, Outdoor Design Trends 2026, will probe sustainability, functionality, materiality, and biophilia, featuring Architect Simone Riva, Architect Claudio Multari, with participants including Architect Teresa Casarola, Vaprio Zanoni, and Architect Monica Bispo. At 5:30 p.m., the event moves to Morazzone’s Cascina La Lepre for THE BEAT CUBE, an immersive experience blending nature, design, and art, with exhibitions by Henrique Rivera and Dora Iren Bus.
The festival’s finale on Sunday, September 28, opens at 10 a.m. at Cinema Nuovo with the traditional petit déjeuner du cinéma, featuring the screening of the unreleased Amerikatsi by Armenian director Mikael A. Goorjian. The closing moments unfold at Fondazione Marcello Morandini with the installation Gabbia Vegetale by Fabiola Rizzuti, followed by a finissage-inspired event titled Evading, drawing from Alice in Wonderland. The Morandini Foundation will also host a tea-time in its garden, with proceeds supporting the IL PEZZETTINO association, and new exclusive teacups produced for the occasion.
As ever, the European School and its students will assist as guides throughout the event, lending their knowledge and energy to ensure visitors experience the full breadth of Varese Design Week.
Photo credits: Varese Design Week. Ph. Daniele Mari.
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