The second Gate of Hope, designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti, has been presented at the Nerio Fischione Prison in Brescia, as part of the international project promoted by the Gravissimum Educationis Foundation, under the patronage of the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See, in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Justice – Department of Penitentiary Administration (DAP). The project is implemented by the Jubilee Committee for Culture and Education and Rampello & Partners, with the support of Fondazione Cariplo.
Speeches were delivered by H.E. Archbishop Carlo Maria Polvani, Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education; Dr. Massimo Parisi, Deputy Head of the Department of Penitentiary Administration; Prof. Davide Rampello, curator of the international Gates of Hope project; three inmates who took part in the initiative; Architect Stefano Boeri, who conceived—together with Stefano Boeri Architetti—the Brescia Gate of Hope, titled Gate of Work; and Dr. Pierangelo Milesi, Valore Italia – National Vice President of ACLI.
“A door, not a wall, not a barrier, but a passage, a threshold, an invitation,” emphasized H.E. Archbishop Carlo Maria Polvani, Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education. “To open a door, even where no wall exists, means recognizing that no life is without a future. Two thresholds facing each other: a communicative bridge between the prison and the city that places work at its center—that is, the desire to be an active part of the community. Reintegration is not an act of charity but a civic pact. This project is grounded in a conviction: hope is not an ornament but a shared responsibility, one that Brescia has already begun to exercise with a commitment that deserves public recognition.”
The intervention by Stefano Boeri Architetti—comprising two installations, one inside the prison and one in Piazzale Arnaldo—is conceived as a threshold rather than a barrier. Inside the prison, the first gate is installed in the panopticon, where it becomes a permanent interface dedicated to opportunities for work, education, and vocational training.
One of its panels has been transformed into a large digital display, continuously updated with information on job opportunities, training programmes, internships, and collaborations promoted by local businesses and social cooperatives.
In dialogue with this internal installation, an identical gate has been placed in Piazzale Arnaldo, one of the city’s most vibrant public spaces. Here, the threshold symbolically opens toward the community, sharing not only job opportunities but also information about prison life: conditions of detention, the issue of overcrowding, and the daily work of prison staff, healthcare professionals, volunteers, and inmates engaged in cultural and artistic activities.
Although physically separate, the two gates form a single architectural and civic system. Made up of two wooden panels, each three meters high and one and a half meters wide, they activate a dual movement—from the city to the prison and from the prison to the city—encouraging the circulation of information, opportunities, and projects beyond institutional boundaries. In compliance with the rules of the penitentiary system, the project thus introduces a concrete and symbolic infrastructure of hope, transforming architecture into a tool for awareness and social inclusion.
As Stefano Boeri stated: “I believe I am not mistaken in saying that, in prison, the word ‘hope’ is called ‘work’. A serious prospect of (re)integration into the labor market and vocational training represents, for an inmate, one of the most convincing reasons to envision life beyond incarceration; the only ones truly capable of offering the hope of returning to a social life that is not merely an interval between two periods of detention, but a genuine perspective of life, study, education, and professional activity. The ‘Gate of Hope’ in Brescia will bring a digital noticeboard into the heart of the prison, representing—alongside information on job opportunities—the pulse of the city’s social generosity. At the same time, the same gate will open in Piazzale Arnaldo, in the living heart of the city, from which opportunities for a return to social life arise. There are two gates, but the Gate of Hope is one.”
Dr. Massimo Parisi, Deputy Head of the Department of Penitentiary Administration, stated: “The choice of Brescia is a thoughtful one: it is a prison open to its surrounding territory, and the territory itself shows sensitivity toward the prison. The Gate becomes the symbol of this relationship: two connected panels representing the bond between inside and outside, drawing attention to a very concrete aspect—work.
In Italy, there are over 20,000 inmates serving short sentences of two or three years who nevertheless struggle to be released. For this reason, it is essential to create services that support their reintegration once they leave prison.
This Gate opening outward is a forward-looking decision: it helps build a culture of the prison system and, above all, raises awareness among ordinary citizens. Through this Gate, citizens become aware of the prison’s presence and of its potential to be a resource for the territory. It is a gradual experiment, with both symbolic and practical value. It makes no sense to think of a prison as separate from its context; this gate, instead, allows it to become part of a broader network.”
The Meaning of the Initiative: A Proposal of Hope for Inmates and Society
The project unfolds along two complementary directions—inside and outside the prison—with the aim of transforming hope into concrete action. Within penitentiary institutions, it promotes educational, workshop-based, and pastoral activities, developed in collaboration with educators, chaplains, and volunteer associations. A central role is assigned to vocational training, carried out in partnership with leading institutions such as the Brera Academy of Fine Arts and ALMA – The International School of Italian Cuisine, in order to provide skills that support reintegration.
Outside the prison, the Gates of Hope become instruments of public awareness, fostering a more open understanding of the penitentiary system, overcoming stereotypes and invisibility, and recognizing its educational and social value. Within this dialogue, art assumes a decisive role as a space of encounter between the prison and the city.
“I immediately shared the brilliance of Architect Boeri’s idea to split the Gate into two: one panel inside the prison and the other in the city’s main square,” stated curator Prof. Davide Rampello. “Two panels of the same Gate, ideally united by what matters most for inmates: the search for reintegration once they are free, which can truly be achieved only through work.”
The project is rooted in a broad and structured network of collaborations among institutions, businesses, and local organizations, including the Province of Brescia, Confindustria Brescia, the Criminal Bar Association of Eastern Lombardy (Brescia section), Stefano Boeri Architetti, IAL Lombardia Srl Impresa Sociale, Vincenzo Foppa Social Cooperative ONLUS, the Bessimo Social Cooperative, SOLCO Consortium of Social Cooperatives S.C.S., and G-ENERA Srl.
“Working within the Brescia prison means bringing knowledge, education, and attention to the quality of spaces even where such resources are less accessible. We believe that care for places and the symbolic value of cultural intervention can deeply impact the human dimension of those involved. The connection with the Brescia area represents a foundational element of Valore Italia’s identity, deeply rooted in the history and experience of the Botticino Restoration School: it is precisely from this relationship that the desire arises to actively contribute to initiatives capable of generating cultural and social value in the territory,” stated Martino Troncatti, President of Valore Italia.
At the core of the initiative is the activation of concrete inclusion pathways: work grants, professional training programmes, and post-release guidance tools, supported by a matching system between skills and opportunities offered by local enterprises, with the aim of reducing recidivism. At the same time, the project enhances existing initiatives in the area—such as courses, educational activities, events, and workshops—and promotes new ones, including six-month restoration programmes launched by the Botticino Restoration School.
Creative workshops also help restore a human dimension to the process, through works, reflections, and testimonies by inmates. In this sense, the Gate of Hope emerges as both a symbolic and operational device: it provides tangible tools to build a possible future while making visible the paths and skills developed, fostering a shared culture of inclusion and responsibility.
A Widespread Artisan Workshop
The Gates of Hope project is conceived and developed in the spirit of a great Renaissance workshop: a place where artists, designers, artisans, and institutions work together, intertwining skills and visions within a shared creative process grounded in the exchange of knowledge, excellence in craftsmanship, and collective cultural responsibility. Each work takes shape through a living laboratory, where artistic inspiration engages in dialogue with technical precision and the expertise of skilled makers, returning to the community a collective gesture in which creativity is translated into tangible transformation.
