Rome Design Experience (RDE)

Rome Design Experience: design in dialogue with the city

Rome Design Experience (RDE) is the annual festival through which ISIA Rome Design opens its educational, project, and research paths to the public. Founded in 1973 by Giulio Carlo Argan and Aldo Calò, ISIA is the first public design institute established in Italy and remains a benchmark in industrial design culture. Each edition of RDE brings to Rome, within the Municipality of Rome and the Lazio Region, the results of months of collective work that weaves together communication, product, service, and meta-design.

A six-month journey

RDE is not just a one-day event, but a journey that begins in January with an intensive workshop week and develops until May through four phases: initial design immersion, an atelier dedicated to research and experimentation, the production of a research catalog, and finally the concluding festival open to the city. During this week of co-design, students from different courses, faculty from various disciplines, and organizations work together on real briefs proposed by public and private entities.

The 2026 edition at Villa Altieri

The eighth edition, RDE8, took place on May 28 and 29, 2026, at Villa Altieri, a historic residence in the Esquilino district. The chosen theme, 'Geographies of relations, space, time', defined the festival's field of inquiry: the complexity of the present and its transformations. The villa's spaces hosted an exhibition of projects developed during the January workshops, accompanied by dialogues, lectures, and live performances. Reading and rest areas were set up in the gardens, where visitors could freely browse the research catalog dedicated to processes and results.

A network of institutional partners

The event is supported by a wide network of partners, including the Department of Culture of Rome Capital, ENEA, Sony CSL Rome, ADR Aeroporti di Roma, the Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital Foundation, and Treccani Accademia. This collaboration makes RDE not just an academic showcase, but an opportunity for exchange between the worlds of education, research, business, and institutions.

Why you should attend

• A preview of the work of young Italian designers and contemporary design themes.
• A rich program of exhibitions, conferences, and performances in a historic setting in Esquilino.
• Free access to the research catalog and the villa's spaces.
• A bridge between design culture and the city of Rome.