Stone-Ideas.com 
Marmomac in Verona in 2025 (September 23–26) recorded rather normal fluctuations despite the current difficult situation on the world market. The reason may be that many citizens see natural stone as a financially stable investment and are counteracting economic uncertainty by investing in their real estate. We already had this impression after the Covid-19 crisis. We show the statistics at the bottom; in addition to the preliminary 2025 figures from Veronafiere, we also show the final, UFI-approved data for the years after Covid.
The Verona Stone Fair sees itself as THE source of inspiration for the stone sector worldwide. We presented the most important presentations in preliminary reports (“See also”) at the bottom of this page. Other topics included:
Internet
The appearance on the music platform Spotify was highly innovative, but outside the the fairground: “Suoni del Marmo – La Materia Prende Vita” (Sounds of Marble – Matter Comes to Life) was the title of the playlist.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/album/6CB5hFOj1rsatvGYfAbKvT
For the first time, the trade fair presented two influencers: one of them was Charlie Gee from Great Britain. He is a stonemason, “heritage influencer,” and bodybuilder. He demonstrated his skills with stone in Hall 10 and was honored as one of the Masters of Stone.
Masters of Stone
The other Masters of Stone were:
Giovanni Conterno (La Favorita), honored for blending tradition with innovation through entrepreneurial vision;
Tamara Plastić, Director of the Brač Stonemasonry School, a global leader in stonecraft education;
https://www.stone-ideas.com/68396/stonemasonry-school-croatia-brac/;
Burkhard Pohl (Göflaner Marmor), pioneer of the renowned Covelano White Marble;
Paolo Camaiora, architect from Carrara guardian of the bond between marble and architecture.
Best Communicator Award
The 17th edition of this award was presented for the first time in cooperation with the US business magazine Forbes. In the past two years, Veronafiere had tried out a cooperation with Hearst Verlag and its magazine Elle Decor for the presentation in Hall 1. The press materials state the following about the new partnership: “The partnership extends the Best Communicator Award not only to the best exhibitors at the fair but also to leading cultural figures – both Italian and international – who in 2025 have successfully communicated mar-ble and natural stone to a broad and diverse audience through their projects.”
Artist Maurizio Cattelan won one of the prizes for his work with CNC robots in sculpture. These are from the exhibition “Seasons” and document the ups and downs of human life and nature. As he was unable to attend in person, he sent his portrait bust made of white Carrara marble and a video showing how a robot creates the bust.
Hannes Peer was honored for his work “Crash” for the Margraf company. The jury said: He renewed the role of stone “from a purely decorative element to a dynamic narrative element that evokes fragility, impact, and transformation.” He himself: “They call me the apostle of marble. With this project I wanted to make stone dynamic. I trans-formed surfaces, turned them into wallpaper, experimenting with its three-dimensionality.”
Paolo Stella, influencer and creative director at @suonarestella, also received an award. In 2025, Stella launched the furniture lines COM|PLE|MEN|TARE and POR|TAN|TE. “By employing a wide variety of natural stones, he gave the material a daily yet elegant dimension, interpreting its versatility in an authentically personal way.”
Yuri Ancarani received a special prize for his film “Il Capo,” which documents quarry work.
The companies Verzu, DDChem, and I Conci were honored as exhibitors.
The IUSVE (Istituo Universitario Salesano Venezia) initiated a Special Mention as part of the Best Communicator Award: it went to Furrer company for the “ability to combine – with elegance and innovation – physical, tactile, interactive, and visual completeness within its display, creating a multisensory experience that narrated both product and brand identity.”
60 years of Consorzio Pietra Piasentina
The Consorzio Pietra Piasentina, which has been representing limestone from the Friuli region for 60 years, received a special award at the trade fair. The award emphasizes that the consortium “protects and promotes an entire region and its local economy, upholding the values of tradition and craftsmanship” (Italian).
https://consorziopietrapiasentina.it/
Antolini in the Gallerie Mercatali
The special exhibition by Antolini in the Gallerie Mercatali was not spectacular: although 50 exclusive types of stone from the company’s collections were presented, they were only displayed in bundles. In the announcement, the company’s marketing department had promised a presentation as an “enveloping, three-dimensional tale of the Antolini® stone world,” and we had been carried away by a detailed announcement.
Marmomac 2026, September 22 – 25
Photos: Veronafiere / Ennevie
