Guendalina Salimei, curator of the Italian Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, promoted by the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture, has placed the theme of the sea at the center of the curatorial reflection. Her vision expands the Mediterranean to include the nearby oceans, treating it as a vital element of Italian culture that shapes its coasts and territory. The analysis is focused on the design of the boundary between land and water, understood as an integrated system of architecture, infrastructure, and landscape. This perspective is crucial in an era marked by the profound impacts of climate change, which are also affecting Italy’s coastlines.

The Mediterranean shapes the shores with hundreds of port cities and a territory that stretches far inland: the sea can be felt even from the heights of the Alps and the Apennines. Looking at Italy from the sea means changing one's point of view. Based on this premise, and thanks to a multidisciplinary team of outstanding designers, researchers, and artists, the Italian Pavilion is not just a physical space but a great laboratory of ideas and projects for the future. At the heart of this discussion is the public program The Sea of Intelligence. Dialogues, part of the broader project Terrae Aquae. Italy and the Intelligence of the Sea.

A calendar of events will accompany Terrae Aquae. Italy and the Intelligence of the Sea throughout the entire 2025 Architecture Biennale, from June to November. These initiatives will animate the Italian Pavilion and take place in other Italian cities as well, featuring lectures, presentations, and workshops with authoritative voices from international debates and design practices focused on the sea. The events are conceived and curated by the Italian Pavilion team led by Guendalina Salimei, or proposed by institutions and organizations such as cultural foundations, port authorities, municipalities, regions, local associations, universities, and research centers. The program also includes short thematic series curated by leading figures in architecture and specialized publishing.