Veronafiere greets the arrival in the city of the work ‘Beyond Barrier’ which celebrates Olympic values.

Verona shares an ancient bond with marble that has contributed to defining the cultural and economic identity of the city, home to Marmomac, the most important trade fair in the world for the stone sector. In this context lies Beyond Barrier, a stone work installed in the gardens of Piazza Bra, inspired by Olympic colors and ideals.

With this initiative, the Municipality of Verona pays tribute to the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics through a permanent sculptural tribute, created by the Veronese artist Federico Ferrarini with the collaboration of companies from the Veronese marble district.

The sculpture celebrates Olympic and Paralympic values with symbols and materials chosen to evoke inclusion, identity, and tradition. The five rings rise on two intentionally asymmetrical wings. The smaller wing recalls support, welcome, and solidarity, founding principles of the Paralympic spirit. The larger one represents aspiration, growth, and overcoming one’s limits, embodying the determination shared by every athlete.

The blue, yellow, black, green, and red rings reproduce the official colors of the Games with types of marble coming from different countries: from Azul Macaubas to Absolute Black Zimbabwe, by way of Red Cardinale, Giallo Reale, and Emerald Green Quartzite. In the base and the wings, however, Verona Red Marble and Lessinia Stone appear, the same used to build the Arena: a tribute to the millennial history of the Roman amphitheater.

“For Veronafiere, it is a source of pride that the city welcomes a work capable of so powerfully uniting sport, art, and local identity – comments the president of Veronafiere, Federico Bricolo –. Beyond Barrier is a symbol of inclusion and dialogue with the world, but also a tribute to the Veronese stone tradition, the same that we promote with Marmomac, our international exhibition dedicated to natural stone, which celebrates its 60th edition this very year.”

Located in the gardens of Piazza Bra, the sculpture dialogues with the Verona Arena and is designed to integrate into the urban space, becoming a new place of reflection and inspiration for citizens and visitors.