“Creativity in the Snow. Pirelli in Sports, Design, and Innovation” for the 24th Business Culture Week
The 24th Business Culture Week, a series of events promoted by Confindustria and Museimpresa, will take place from 14 to 28 November 2025. This year’s theme is “Illustrating the importance of entrepreneurship in helping open and interconnected businesses grow”. This inspires a rich programme designed to promote a corporate culture that is closely attuned to individuals and their communities.
In view of the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, of which Pirelli is an Olympic and Paralympic Partner, the Pirelli Foundation will take part in the week with guided visits to its exhibition, which has been reimagined with a spotlight on snow and ice sports. The exhibition will illustrate Pirelli’s entrepreneurial verve in the world of sport, tracing its long-standing ties with sporting competitions, with its energy, speed, and triumphs, as well as its inventive spirit channelled into product development: from Vibram soles to hot-water bottles, from rubber items devised to “support skiers in their arduous lives” – jackets, boots, ski sticks, and accessories – to the roof racks and ski carriers for cars created by the engineer Carlo Barassi and the architect Roberto Menghi. A carefully curated selection of documents will recount the evolution of tyres for snowy and icy terrain: the celebrated 1951 Inverno with its herringbone tread, the 1959 BS tyre with a detachable tread, and the Cinturato MS35 Rally, the road version of which paved the way for today’s extensive and highly specialised Pirelli Winter range.
A tale of passion and technology also unfolds through the pages of Pirelli magazine, guiding visitors through the visual culture of sport: from 1950s and 1960s articles on remarkable mountain exploits and winter disciplines, to Olympic reports and the imagery that has shaped their legacy. Featured too are advertising campaigns conceived by designers and graphic artists who portrayed the winter season with artistry and wit. Among them are Bob Noorda – drawing inspiration from the geometry of snowflakes – Riccardo Manzi, Alessandro Mendini, Ilio Negri, Giulio Confalonieri, and Ezio Bonini, who cast the skier Zeno Colò as a charismatic star. This visual journey is complete with photographs by Ugo Mulas and Ermanno Scopinich: Mulas with a photoshoot in Zermatt for Pirelli Confezioni, capturing the expressive power of the mountains; Scopinich with pictures of skaters at the ice stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, commissioned for the launch of the BS tyre.
Finally, entrepreneurship as a culture of design and vision is explored through Pirelli’s relationship with the Compasso d’Oro design award: from the first prize for Zizì the monkey in 1954 to the latest recognition for the P Zero™ E tyre, a fusion of innovation and sustainability.
The event will be held on Saturday 22 November, with four guided tours (10 and 11 a.m., and 12 and 3 p.m.), each lasting approximately 60 minutes.
Admission is free. Booking required, while places last, via the registration form.
The 24th Business Culture Week, a series of events promoted by Confindustria and Museimpresa, will take place from 14 to 28 November 2025. This year’s theme is “Illustrating the importance of entrepreneurship in helping open and interconnected businesses grow”. This inspires a rich programme designed to promote a corporate culture that is closely attuned to individuals and their communities.
In view of the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, of which Pirelli is an Olympic and Paralympic Partner, the Pirelli Foundation will take part in the week with guided visits to its exhibition, which has been reimagined with a spotlight on snow and ice sports. The exhibition will illustrate Pirelli’s entrepreneurial verve in the world of sport, tracing its long-standing ties with sporting competitions, with its energy, speed, and triumphs, as well as its inventive spirit channelled into product development: from Vibram soles to hot-water bottles, from rubber items devised to “support skiers in their arduous lives” – jackets, boots, ski sticks, and accessories – to the roof racks and ski carriers for cars created by the engineer Carlo Barassi and the architect Roberto Menghi. A carefully curated selection of documents will recount the evolution of tyres for snowy and icy terrain: the celebrated 1951 Inverno with its herringbone tread, the 1959 BS tyre with a detachable tread, and the Cinturato MS35 Rally, the road version of which paved the way for today’s extensive and highly specialised Pirelli Winter range.
A tale of passion and technology also unfolds through the pages of Pirelli magazine, guiding visitors through the visual culture of sport: from 1950s and 1960s articles on remarkable mountain exploits and winter disciplines, to Olympic reports and the imagery that has shaped their legacy. Featured too are advertising campaigns conceived by designers and graphic artists who portrayed the winter season with artistry and wit. Among them are Bob Noorda – drawing inspiration from the geometry of snowflakes – Riccardo Manzi, Alessandro Mendini, Ilio Negri, Giulio Confalonieri, and Ezio Bonini, who cast the skier Zeno Colò as a charismatic star. This visual journey is complete with photographs by Ugo Mulas and Ermanno Scopinich: Mulas with a photoshoot in Zermatt for Pirelli Confezioni, capturing the expressive power of the mountains; Scopinich with pictures of skaters at the ice stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, commissioned for the launch of the BS tyre.
Finally, entrepreneurship as a culture of design and vision is explored through Pirelli’s relationship with the Compasso d’Oro design award: from the first prize for Zizì the monkey in 1954 to the latest recognition for the P Zero™ E tyre, a fusion of innovation and sustainability.
The event will be held on Saturday 22 November, with four guided tours (10 and 11 a.m., and 12 and 3 p.m.), each lasting approximately 60 minutes.
Admission is free. Booking required, while places last, via the registration form.