The international Network of Alvar Aalto Cities has gained a new member city, Grizzana Morandi in Italy, home to Riola Church and Parish Centre (1966–1980) designed by Aalto. The job of designing the Church was a major one for Aalto and, along with the Finnish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, one of only two buildings he designed for Italy. Italy and the Mediterranean countries had a special importance for Aalto – they were an endless source of inspiration for his creative architectural work.

Design of this modern church building began in 1965, when the Archbishop of Bologna, Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro asked Alvar Aalto to design a church for the mountain village, on the River Reno near Bologna. Following Alvar Aalto’s death, the Church and the adjacent Parish Centre were completed for the Catholic parish by his wife, architect Elissa Aalto and architect Vezio Nava, in 1980 and the campanile in 1994. The church’s defining feature is the free-form, load-bearing structures, the concrete arches, which have been left visible.

Grizzana Morandi’s membership of the Alvar Aalto Cities Network was confirmed at a signing ceremony in Riola on 14 October, in the presence of representatives from the municipality of Grizzana Morandi, Riola parish, and the Alvar Aalto Foundation.

“For us, joining the Alvar Aalto Cities Network means becoming part of a living community, one that transforms memory into knowledge, culture into dialogue, and places into shared experiences. It is a commitment to keeping alive Alvar Aalto’s legacy: his belief that architecture must serve people, respond to nature, and enrich everyday life,” says Franco Rubini, Mayor of Grizzana Morandi.

“Being part of the Network allows us to strengthen this connection through dialogue with cities and places across the world. Together, we can develop new tourist itineraries, promote cultural exchanges, and create educational opportunities for students, residents and visitors. We can invite people to discover how architecture, art and landscape can speak to one another, and how local identity can become a bridge to international cooperation,” Rubini adds.

“With Grizzana Morandi the Network of Aalto Cities is expanding internationally, giving us our first city in Southern Europe. In joining us it reinforces the Network’s European dimension, opening up new opportunities for cooperation on developing cultural-heritage management, architecture and design education, research, and sustainable tourism,” says Nina Lillberg, Programme Manager at the Alvar Aalto Foundation.

The Network of Alvar Aalto Cities now includes a total of 23 cities in Finland, Denmark, Germany and Italy: Aalborg, Alajärvi, Espoo, Eura, Grizzana Morandi, Hamina, Helsinki, Imatra, Jyväskylä, Järvenpää, Kotka, Kouvola, Lahti, Oulu, Paimio, Pori, Raseborg, Rovaniemi, Seinäjoki, Turku, Vantaa, Varkaus and Wolfsburg.

The Alvar Aalto Cities Network was established in February 2017 on the initiative of the Alvar Aalto Foundation and the City of Jyväskylä. The informal Network cooperates on matters such as built heritage, architecture and design education, and communications. The Network’s goal is to increase awareness of Aalto both in Finland and abroad. The Chair city, which changes annually, arranges a meeting of Mayors of Alvar Aalto Cities and also Alvar Aalto Week – an urban event open to all, focused on architecture, design and the built environment. This past year, the Network of Alvar Aalto Cities has been chaired by European Capital of Culture Oulu. Helsinki will chair the Network in 2027.

The Aalto Works series – thirteen Aalto sites – were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in summer 2026. This act of recognition has also increased the visibility of other Aalto sites, the resultant international attention boosting awareness of Aalto’s oeuvre. The Alvar Aalto Route, launched in 2018, links Aalto’s architectural sites into a cultural-tourism route, certified as a Council of Europe Cultural Route in 2021.

The Mayor of Grizzana Morandi, Franco Rubini and Nina Lillberg from Alvar Aalto Foundation in the foreground. Giorgio Mingardi, (TERRITORI Narrative Italian Landscape) and Aldo Barbieri (Studio Enarco) in the background. Photo Alessandra Coffetti.

Elissa Aalto, Don Luigi Borri and Federico Marconi at the consecration of the church in 1978. Photo Markku Lahti, Alvar Aalto Foundation.

Riola Church and Parish Centre on the river Reno, 1997. Photo Maija Holma, Alvar Aalto Foundation.

Read more about Riola Church and Parish Centre.

Learn more about the Alvar Aalto Cities Network.

Explore the Alvar Aalto Route.

Il Ponte di Aalto (The Aalto Bridge), a video produced by TERRITORI Narrative Italian Landscape, the Alvar Aalto Route, Due Fiumi Cultural Association, and the local communities of Riola and Venice, can be viewed here.

Further information:
Alvar Aalto Foundation
Programme Manager Nina Lillberg
+358 44 500 1257
nina.lillberg@alvaraalto.fi

Riola Church, interior in 2022. Photo Kuva Jussi Toivanen, Alvar Aalto Foundation.