Florence, 8^th November 2024. The new main entrance of Firenze Fiera, giving access to the Florence congress and exhibition centre in Piazza Adua, was inaugurated this morning.

This event saw the participation of Lorenzo Becattini, President of Firenze Fiera, joined by Sara Funaro, Mayor of Florence, Eugenio Giani, President of the Region of Tuscany, and Massimo Manetti, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Florence. The ceremony also saw the presence of numerous other personalities from the economic world and the local congress and exhibition sector.

Thanks to team work between the Municipality of Florence, the Region of Tuscany, the Superintendence for Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscapes of Florence, and Firenze Fiera, the construction project led to install a new large porch clad in steel in front of the access doors of Palazzo degli Affari, perfectly complementing the 20^th-century architectural lines of the palace designed by architect Pierluigi Spadolini. The building was entirely renovated and reopened on 11^th July 2022, and it is the spearhead of the Florence congress offer for associative and corporate events.

Used to protect accesses to the palace from the weather and as a resting place for visitors and congress attendees accessing the congress and exhibition centre, this new structure adds prestige and decor to the entrance of one of the most important congress and exhibition centres in Italy, redeveloping an area that was previously penalized by improper use during the day and the night, considering also its proximity to the Santa Maria Novella railway station. The structure was complemented by a sliding door for vehicular and pedestrian access, while a large pane of glass overlooking the garden was added towards via Valfonda. The latter can be used to further support promotional and communication spaces dedicated to events.

Designed and built by Architects Elio di Franco and Giuseppe Cacozza from Politecnica, the new Piazza Adua access is just the latest in a succession of projects carried out by Firenze Fiera in these last months, including the architectural concrete walkway to facilitate access to the three venues overlooking the garden (Palazzo degli Affari, Limonaia, and Palazzo dei Congressi), and to the new sanitary facilities in the Passi Perduti area, at Villa Vittoria.

“The new entrance in Piazza Adua combines prestige, decor, and safety within our congress and exhibition centre – said Lorenzo Becattini, President of Firenze Fiera – and it is only the latest step, in chronological order, in a long series of construction projects and investment carried out by the company in these last months and amounting to 650,000 Euros, to which we must add 1,150,000 Euros invested into renovations at the Fortezza in 2024, for a total amount of nearly 2 million Euros”. “I take this opportunity to thank our partners – Becattini concluded – as Firenze Fiera is about to close 2024 with a budget higher than in 2023 in terms of production value and final results. Thanks to this deep and close collaboration, we will continue to co-operate and discuss the company’s extraordinary items that need attention and constant support by its owners”.

“This new entrance – stated Sara Funaro, Mayor of Florence -is crucial to redevelop the main congress and exhibition centre of our city. This work was carried on by the Board of Directors, the President and all the whole technical department, and falls within all the redevelopment projects that we are carrying out inside the Fortezza. There is an agreement on schedule worth 68 million Euros, with important work already in progress. These projects will allow to enlarge spaces and to make this place increasingly central as an attractive congress and exhibition centre for important events”.

“I have always believed in Firenze Fiera – said Giani, President of the Region of Tuscany during his speech – as well as in the calling of Florence as a congress and exhibition destination. That is why, today I am delighted to participate in the opening of the new entrance in Piazza Adua. This project makes the congress and exhibition area even more beautiful, safer, and functional”. “In these last years, Firenze Fiera has essentially doubled its profits. After the Covid experience, during which some people even feared an inexorable decline, today we see a company closing its budget with a profit and making Florence the ideal showcase for any type of congresses and exhibitions. Some time ago, the Fortezza was only used to host Pitti and the Crafts Fair, while today we see an intense growth of new events, so much that the Region has prepared a recapitalization of 6 million Euros”.

“Battling decay and securing the safety of this “hotspot area” of the city is probably the best business card for the entrance to Firenze Fiera’s venues, and I think it is an important sign of what has been done and of how much the city cares for its congress and exhibition centre”, added Massimo Manetti, President of the Florence Chamber of Commerce.