Milan, March 9, 2026 – The exhibition ‘Made in Italy: Female Enterprise’, a tribute from the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT) to the excellence and creativity of Italian women entrepreneurs, has officially opened its doors in Milan. The exhibition will be accessible to the public free of charge until March 25 at Palazzo Lombardia.
Celebrating Italian Female Entrepreneurship
Organized by MIMIT in collaboration with the Federation of Knights of Labour and the Marisa Bellisario Foundation, the exhibition is embarking on a tour across four Italian cities: Milan, Turin, Campobasso, and Naples. From March 10 to March 25, thanks to the collaboration with Regione Lombardia, Milanese residents and visitors will have the opportunity to explore an exhibition that honours over 100 Italian women entrepreneurs who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields, contributing significantly to Italy’s economic, social, and civil growth.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Elena Lucchini, Councillor for Family, Social Solidarity, Disability, and Equal Opportunities of the Lombardy Region; Valentina Coen, head of the Casa del Made in Italy in Milan; Roberta Pierantoni, representative of the Marisa Bellisario Foundation; Valentina Picca Bianchi, president of the MIMIT Women’s Enterprise Committee; and numerous women entrepreneurs featured in the exhibition.
A Journey Through Inspiring Stories
The exhibition, previously showcased in Rome for the National Made in Italy Day, presents the experiences of prominent women entrepreneurs from the past alongside contemporary businesswomen and start-up founders, creating a rich and diverse narrative. Through photographs, videos, and iconic objects, the individual stories unfold, spanning all Italian production sectors. From fashion to electronics, cinematography to catering, prestigious wineries to IT, pharmaceuticals to aerospace, craftsmanship to cosmetics, shipping to steel, music to publishing, and tourism to food and wine, the exhibition highlights the courage and determination of women who have played a vital role in making Italy great. Some of the featured entrepreneurs have been awarded the honour of Knight of Labour and have also received the ‘Marisa Bellisario Award’.
“We are proud to host the ‘Made in Italy: Female Enterprise’ exhibition at Palazzo Lombardia. This initiative, which I strongly supported, celebrates the talent, determination, and innovative capacity of women who have contributed to the economic and social growth of our country, and particularly Lombardy,” stated Councillor Elena Lucchini during the inauguration ceremony. She emphasized that “Lombard female ingenuity represents an extraordinary heritage and a continuous inspiration: entrepreneurs, professionals, and artisans who every day transform ideas into businesses, generate employment, and build value for communities.”
Lucchini further highlighted, “Celebrating ‘Made in Italy’ in a female context means recognizing the concrete contribution of women to the competitiveness of our production system and reaffirming the commitment of institutions to support policies that promote genuine equal opportunities.”
“This exhibition makes visible the contribution of women to the construction of Made in Italy,” declared Valentina Picca Bianchi, president of the Women’s Enterprise Committee at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. “Today in Italy, female-led businesses number around 1.3 million and represent a structural component of our production system. Bringing the exhibition outside the Ministry and initiating a tour in Italian cities means circulating these stories in the territories, engaging diverse contexts, and stimulating new generations towards female and youth entrepreneurship. The narration of enterprise has a generative value: the stories of entrepreneurs become examples that inspire other stories and new businesses. Because business stories, when told, do not remain just memories: they become the future,” she added.
The exhibition is realized with the technical support of Invitalia, which manages the Female Entrepreneurship program, part of the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) and funded by Next Generation EU (NGEU) resources.
Visiting Information
The exhibition will be open to the public free of charge from Monday to Friday, from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and on Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Palazzo Lombardia – Piazza Città di Lombardia, entrance N3 in Milan.
