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TERRÆ AQUÆ. Italy and the Intelligence of the Sea is the theme of the Italian Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, curated by architect Guendalina Salimei. The project will be presented during the 2025 Architecture Biennale, curated by Carlo Ratti, and will be open from May 10 to November 23, 2025, at the Tese delle Vergini in the Arsenale.
The official presentation of the project took place on Friday, March 14, 2025, in the Spadolini Hall of the Ministry of Culture in Rome.
The Italian Pavilion project reflects on the fundamental relationship between land and sea, focusing on the sustainability of Italy's coasts and those of neighboring countries. With its central position in the Mediterranean, Italy exemplifies how water and land, nature and human intervention intertwine, influencing environmental, cultural, and economic identity and balance. The project explores the need to rethink coastal and port infrastructures to address global challenges, such as climate change, through innovative and sustainable solutions.
The Pavilion's curator, Guendalina Salimei, proposes using architecture to develop collaborative strategies aimed at safeguarding Italy’s coastal areas. The exhibition will engage designers, artists, researchers, and young talents in an interdisciplinary dialogue, exploring redevelopment projects and innovative solutions to enhance the interaction between ecosystems, culture, and landscape.
At the heart of this reflection are urgent topics such as the sustainable management of coastal areas, urban regeneration of port zones, and the protection of natural and archaeological heritage.
Italy’s coastal landscape, with over 8,300 km of coastline, is an invaluable natural and cultural heritage. However, its exploitation has led to fragmented and often irresponsible urbanization. Today, the sea, once a symbol of discovery and community, is threatened by unsustainable environmental management. Viewing Italy from the sea suggests the need to rethink the boundary between land and water as an integrated space, where architecture and planning can respond to contemporary environmental, social, and economic challenges.
In this context, the exhibition includes a call for projects, inviting architects, students, scholars, and professionals from various disciplines to propose new ideas that combine progress with the preservation of historical and environmental memory. The goal of the call is to stimulate the creation of solutions that promote a rethinking of coastal and port infrastructures while also exploring alternative and unconventional approaches in architecture, highlighting the connection between ecology, landscape, and culture.
The exhibition will be designed as a continuously evolving machine, capable of stimulating creativity through drawings, technologies, and immersive installations. A journey between past and future, inviting visitors to explore our connection with the sea from multiple perspectives.
Throughout the duration of the exhibition, the Italian Pavilion will feature a public program titled The Sea of Intelligence: Dialogues, including seminars, conferences, and workshops aimed at fostering collective intelligence to renew the relationship between humans and the sea.
>>> Learn more about the 2025 Architecture Biennale
