About

Volumnia was born from a place and a vision.
The place is the Church of Sant’Agostino in Piacenza, which for centuries has stood silent, suspended, waiting.
The vision belongs to Enrica De Micheli, a gallery owner with over thirty years of experience in the world of antiques and design, who recognizes in this space a deep connection to the memory and identity of the place.

In 2018, the deconsecrated church was brought back to life. The restoration revealed the Renaissance structure of the basilica, its proportions, colonnades, stuccoes and original light. The courtyard and the former monastery’s carpentry workshop were also restored, giving rise to the Ristorante Sant’Agostino, conceived as a natural extension of the gallery and a place for gathering.

It is within this context that Volumnia takes shape: not only as an exhibition space, but as a place where art, design and social life come together.

Volumnia’s research focuses on 20th-century Italian design, with particular attention to figures who have combined rigorous design thinking with artistic sensitivity. This is not simply a historical reinterpretation, but a process of selection and study that brings together works, materials and languages, creating continuity between past and present.

Each exhibition project stems from this research, moving between the rediscovery of lesser-known designers and productions and the celebration of key figures in Italian design. In this context, the exhibition dedicated to Gabriella Crespi during Milan Design Week 2019 marked an important moment of international recognition. In the following years, this reflection expanded with projects devoted to central figures such as Franco Albini, on which occasion the editorial project I Libri di Volumnia was launched, conceived as a natural extension of the curatorial work, and Michele De Lucchi, who was the focus of the 2024 exhibition Con le mani e con la mente. Forty years of experimentation between art, design and architecture.

At the same time, Volumnia takes part in international fairs and platforms dedicated to collectible design, such as Nomad and Der Pavilion, fostering dialogue within a broader context, while also developing collaborations with institutions, expanding its scope of research and activity.

Today, Volumnia is a space in continuous transformation, where design research becomes narrative, experience and shared practice. A place that preserves the memory of the past and transforms it into a starting point for imagining new paths.