Fondazione Lazzaretto Celebrates 10 Years of Art and Community in Milan

Founded in 2014 on the historic site of Milan's Lazzaretto plague hospital, Fondazione Lazzaretto marks its first decade in 2024. The foundation, born from the vision of Roberta Rocca and Alfred Drago with artistic director Linda Ronzoni, reimagines the concept of contamination positively. It operates as a modular space including the Grande Officina, Camera d’Aria, and Salotto, hosting exhibitions, workshops, performances, and the annual Festival della Peste. The 2024 edition focuses on the theme of 'mostruoso' (monstrous), curated by Cristina Pancini. Since 2018, the foundation has run the Premio Lydia award for emerging Italian artists, curated by Claudia D’Alonzo in collaboration with PAC Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea. For its tenth anniversary, it published 'I Racconti della Peste', a limited-edition artist book with 27 stories, and launched the Club dei Pestiferi membership program. The foundation emphasizes participatory, multidisciplinary programming, free activities, and a commitment to surprising audiences.