At Minucciano, the Local Bauhaus Festival: student projects awarded for a sustainable future in inner areas

Minucciano, June 14, 2025 – The Local Bauhaus Festival was held at the Garfagnana Innovazione center – in the hamlet of Gramolazzo – as part of the European project Bauhaus4MED (Interreg Euro-MED 2021–2027), inspired by the values of the New European Bauhaus: sustainability, beauty, and inclusion. The event offered an opportunity for dialogue between institutions, universities, and citizens, with the aim of imagining new scenarios for the sustainable development of inner areas.

The opening remarks were delivered by Albino Caporale, Director of the Directorate for Productive Activities of the Tuscany Region, who introduced the day by highlighting the value of co-design and dialogue among public administrations, institutions, citizens, and universities.

Institutional greetings were also given by Nicola Poli – Mayor of Minucciano, Councillor Mario Puppa representing the Tuscany Region, and Raffaella Marini – President of the Union of Municipalities of Garfagnana, in the presence of numerous citizens, professors and students from the Department of Architecture (DIDA) of the University of Florence, as well as representatives of the Region and local businesses.

The day included a series of in-depth contributions on the themes of the New European Bauhaus, with presentations by Professors Giuseppe De Luca and Marco Fioravanti (DIDA), and Besnik Mehmeti (ANCI Toscana – Designscapes project), followed by a presentation of the Bauhaus4MED project by the Tuscany Region. Focus then shifted to the Digital Stone Project (DSP), with contributions from Stefano Coiai – CEO of Garfagnana Innovazione, and Jon Isherwood – President of DSP.

The award ceremony for the student projects from the Design for Sustainability course (DIDA – UniFI) showcased innovative and concrete ideas, the result of extensive field research based on the needs of the Minucciano area.

Here are the six awarded projects:

1. SOHAM – A seating system made from marble waste and eco-resins for immersive meditation in nature. It promotes psychophysical well-being and enhances silence and landscape. It received the highest number of total votes and was the public’s favorite.

2. Le tracce del marmo – An illustrated workshop-book for children that tells, through words and drawings, the world of marble and local knowledge, promoting the transmission of intangible heritage.

3. ARDE – An outdoor lamp inspired by the Natalecci tradition. It uses sustainable materials and evokes collective memory with an evocative and functional design. It also received the highest number of votes from the evaluation committee.

4. materiaFondente – Explores the reuse of marble dust in ceramic glazes, transforming industrial waste into an aesthetic and technical resource for ceramic production. It also received the award from the evaluation committee for the most sustainable project.

5. S-TOOLS – Interactive installations that narrate, through sound and gesture, the craft of quarry workers and the history of marble. A project of sound memory and participatory design.

Special jury prize for the most beautiful and inclusive project: Minu.ti – A digital platform to tell the story of Minucciano through the voices of its inhabitants and offer authentic tourism and work experiences. A bridge between memory, slowness, and the future.

The afternoon concluded with a theatrical performance by the company “Il Canto del Maggio”, which brought to the stage songs and stories from the Tuscan tradition, followed by a convivial aperitif that brought together institutions, students, and the community.