On 27 March 2026, Brescia Prison hosted the opening of the "Porte della Speranza". The project was organised by the Pontifical Foundation Gravissimum Educationis of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, in collaboration with the Department of Prison Administration, and developed by the Jubilee Committee for Culture and Education under the artistic direction of Rampello & Partners.
At the core of the project was the “Nerio Fischione” prison, alongside Piazzale Arnaldo in Brescia, where a second "Porta della Speranza" was installed. The work was designed by architect Stefano Boeri.
The installation
As with the Milan edition, the project in Brescia is also spread across two distinct yet complementary venues – a structure through which architect Boeri sought to express his personal vision that «in prison, the word “hope” is called “work”». Thus, a first door, situated in the octagon from which the cell corridors branch out, is open and features a door panel transformed into a digital noticeboard, providing constant updates on opportunities offered by local companies and cooperatives, both within and outside the institution; a mirror image in Piazzale Arnaldo, on the other hand, features a screen-like door, designed to display information on prison life as well as presenting opportunities for inmates.
The artwork, consisting of two physically separate doors, was intended to serve as a bridge connecting the prison and the city of Brescia: in this way, a continuous dialogue is established which, on the one hand, enriches the Canton Mombello prison and, on the other, contributes to raising awareness amongst Brescia’s civil society, fostering a new social consciousness and actively involving the local community in this process.