For the first time, the Foundation opened its doors to the public.

The summer visit focused on a selection of Luigi Ghirri's editorial projects, exploring the importance of the photobook in his artistic practice and poetic vision.

This project stems from Luigi Ghirri's reflection on the need to reconnect, through the act of looking, with the world around us and the places we inhabit. In 1973, Ghirri wrote that the journeys which fascinated and surprised him most had little to do with exotic destinations or distant places. Instead, they were what he called "Sunday day trips": explorations undertaken within just a few kilometres of home.

Inspired by this idea, the initiative invites participants to cycle along routes shaped by Ghirri's gaze, travelling through landscapes connected to his biography and artistic imagination. The aim is to continue exploring and interpreting these places while encouraging a slow, shared way of observing the world.

The first itinerary, Luigino: The Places of Childhood, took place on 24 May—Bob Dylan's birthday, Luigi's favourite musician. Participants explored Scandiano, Fellegara and the surrounding area in search of Luigi Ghirri's birthplace and other locations he photographed throughout his life.

On the occasion of Giovane Fotografia Italiana | Premio Luigi Ghirri, the Foundation commissioned the design of the award from Alessandro Cupello, founder and designer of AOpunto, with the intention of fostering a dialogue between the different disciplines and practices pursued by emerging creatives.

We drew inspiration from the cover of Kodachrome, created by Paola Borgonzoni in 1978. The reason is simple: Luigi was in that moment a young photographer who, through his own publishing house, Punto e Virgola, self-published one of his projects for the first time. The photographs featured in Kodachrome represented something truly experimental and groundbreaking at the time in several respects, beginning with Luigi's pioneering use of colour and the type of film he chose.

The award therefore embodies what Giovane Fotografia Italiana is—and should continue to be: an encouragement for young photographers to pursue a personal, independent, and courageous photographic language.

Congratulations to Federica Torrenti, winner of the 2026 Luigi Ghirri Award with the project La Fortezza.

The making of the new award was documented in a short film by VERACE, a young creative agency based in Reggio Emilia dedicated to promoting local stories, initiatives, and cultural projects.

A day dedicated to exploring the work of the artist and illustrator Katsumi Komagata. His daughter, Ai Komagata, an illustrator and designer, led two workshops at the Fondazione Ghirri, open to children and adults. Participants were invited to explore the potential of paper as a tool for telling stories and creating images. Visual storytelling, the world of fairy tales and childhood provided a shared ground between the artistic vision of Luigi Ghirri and that of Katsumi Komagata.

Book launch

With Adele Ghirri, Francesco Zanot and Alessandro Calabrese.