Florence, April 25, 2026. A strong start for MIDA90, the 90th edition of the International Handicrafts Exhibition, with visitors lining up from the early opening hours in the square in front of the Fortezza and crowding the pavilions, exhibitions, and workshops set up at the fair.

At the opening ceremony, alongside the president of Firenze Fiera, Lorenzo Becattini, were the Mayor of Florence, Sara Funaro; the President of the Tuscany Region, Eugenio Giani; the President of the Florence Chamber of Commerce, Massimo Manetti; Andrea Cavani, representative of the “Case del Made in Italy” of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT) in Florence and Tuscany; the National President of CNA, Dario Costantini; the National Vice President of Confartigianato, Tommaso Grassi Nesi; and Elisa Guidi, coordinator of Artex and art director of MIDA90.

“2026 will be a year that will go down in the history books of Italian craftsmanship,” said Dario Costantini, National President of CNA. “It will be the year in which, after 41 years, we will implement the amendments to the framework law for craftsmanship. It is the year in which craftsmanship has been formally recognized, and it will also be the year in which we will bring the new Artigiancassa initiative into full operation. But 2026 is also an important year for the 90th anniversary of MIDA, which is by far the largest representation of Italian craftsmanship—its greatest showcase.”

“The stoicism of craftsmanship is its strength: the ability to endure, adapt, and regenerate over time. The year 2026 is highly symbolic—the 90th anniversary of MIDA, the 200th anniversary of the birth of Carlo Lorenzini, and the 60th anniversary of the Florence Flood of 1966—milestones that remind us how fundamental the work of artisans, and especially restorers, has been and continues to be for the preservation and revival of our heritage,” commented Tommaso Grassi Nesi, National Vice President of Confartigianato.