On the occasion of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan co-produces from February 13 to April 13, 2026, the exhibition of the Ampezzo photographer Stefano Zardini "A Visionary at Altitude - N vijionar sö alalt." The initiative, promoted by the Province of Bolzano, is sponsored by the Municipality of Cortina d'Ampezzo. The exhibition is curated by Margherita Palli, Thina Adams, Valentina Vidali.

The project - which had a first exhibition in Cortina at Ikonos Art Gallery and a second at the Lumen-Museum of Mountain Photography (both open until April 13) - is an immersive experience in the world of contemporary photography and art serving the mountains. The three locations host some very different collections of the photographer in terms of atmosphere and visual approach, with the only common thread being the deep and visionary thinking of Stefano Zardini, guiding visitors through a journey of places, sounds and silences, but above all of mountain men and women, creating an ideal bridge between the city and the Dolomite peaks that fueled the photographer's imagination since childhood.

In the large spaces of Fabbrica del Vapore, the complete trilogy is exhibited, including: The Pioneers’ Passion, Snowland, and Tracce – Letting the eye tear the landscape apart.

Tied to the Olympic celebrations, the collection The Pioneers’ Passion – La pasciun di pioniers, is a project born from the monumental family archive of vintage photos, transformed by the author into a contemporary narrative through chromatic and graphic interventions in a pop key, giving new life to the historical images of the early mountain pioneers. The early 20th-century shots – the first skiers, bobsled descents, the elegance of skating, and adventures on the peaks – become contemporary icons full of energy and future. Today, in the midst of a new Olympic season, the exhibition is an invitation to rediscover the pioneering spirit of those who knew how to transform the mountain into a laboratory of modernity, paving the way for the Cortina 1956 Olympics.