The International Conference on Oriental Carpets (ICOC) will return to Italy in 2027, with the historic northern Italian city of Brescia confirmed as the venue for the XVI ICOC.
The decision follows an evaluation process in which earlier plans involving Milan were set aside. Alberto Boralevi, who is organising the conference, explained the reasoning: “I reconsidered the options we had and realised that all the estimates for Milan were too high and unmanageable. Brescia, on the other hand, seemed a much more realistic option, especially considering that we would have the full support of the Tassara Foundation and the MITA Museum.”
The conference will be held at the Centro Paolo VI, a conference centre, hotel and restaurant situated in the heart of the old city. The centre offers a fully equipped 200-seat conference room, a second 100-seat room that can be connected to the first via an internal television system, and a range of additional spaces suitable for the Dealer’s Fair, with capacity for 60–70 exhibitors and furthermore exhibitions of notable private collections. A large cloister surrounded by a portico on all four sides provides space for carpet displays as well as receptions and coffee breaks. The centre also has 110 hotel rooms and approximately 300 parking spaces — a rare amenity in an Italian city centre.
Central to the conference is the involvement of the Fondazione Tassara and the MITA Museum — the Museum of Antique Carpets in Brescia. The museum houses nearly 1,400 carpets of major historical importance, making it one of the most significant carpet collections in Europe. The close co-operation with the director of MITA, Flavio Pasotti (member of the ICOC International Committee) will guarantee the top-class level of this ICOC. The Fondazione Tassara has expressed its willingness to contribute both organisational and financial support to the event.
Brescia’s city centre location also allows delegates to walk to major cultural landmarks, including the Palazzo Salvadego, whose “Ladies’ Hall” features murals by Moretto da Brescia depicting Mamluk carpets, and the Teatro Grande, where the MITA Museum may stage an exhibition.
Peter Bichler, Chairman of the ICOC International Committee, announced the decision to members of the International Committee: “A recent visit to the Italian town of Brescia in Lombardy, with its UNESCO listed sites and Roman ruins, convinced Alberto and I that it would be the perfect setting for the XVI ICOC in 2027. The ICOC will therefore take place from May 27–30 2027, with conference venues located in the easily accessible cultural centre of the old town of Brescia.”
Wendel Swan, Chairman of the ICOC Executive Committee, noted that Milan had originally been under consideration: “We hoped to have an ICOC in Milano but it’s way too expensive. Instead we will have the conference in Brescia and some events in Milano.”
Milan may still feature in the programme through a post-conference extension, with visits to exhibitions, museums and private collections. Among the possibilities being considered is an exhibition of fragments of Safavid Kerman carpets, potentially organised by Moshe Tabibnia in collaboration with the Bruschettini Foundation.