What is Italianity? How can it be explained? This is the challenge that Lavazza wanted to take on with the Lavazza Calendar 2026: capturing in 12 photographs the full essence of being Italian and — of course — coffee could only be at the center of this narrative.

Now in its 34th edition, the Lavazza Calendar is a recurring appointment and a project that each year manages to give us a glimpse of the world — or a part of it — through the eyes of exceptional creatives and photographers. In 2021 it was entrusted to Martin Schoeller, the following year the task fell on the shoulders of three-time Oscar winner Lubezki, up to last year with the Franco-Senegalese photographer Omar Victor Diop. This year, to interpret the theme of Italianity, which is part of the Pleasure Makes Us Human campaign, none other than Alex Webb was called.

Born in 1952, Alex Webb has been a Magnum Photos photographer since 1979. Webb began his career documenting life in small towns of South America through black-and-white photography. Only later, when he arrived in the Caribbean and Mexico, color became a central and recognizable element of his artistic research. The same color we find in the shots created for Lavazza.

The American photographer presents us with a kind of Italian Grand Tour, not only through the most characteristic places of our country but also across the moments that best define our everyday life: an appointment at the barber’s, lunch in a trattoria, coffee with friends, the first dip of the season or a local festivity.
Thus, we travel from Lake Como to Lake Maggiore, from the Ligurian coastline to the Sicilian hinterland — a journey that, for Italians, surely brings back memories and emotions, and for those who are not, will certainly spark the desire to experience the essence of Italianity.

Each image is an exercise in balancing chaos and control. Webb builds complexity as if it were natural: his greatness lies in doing all this without ever letting the viewer perceive the compositional effort — even when the layers are many, the eye moves fluidly.

For the first time, the official presentation of the Lavazza Calendar 2026 took place at Art Basel Miami Beach. A decision that highlights the strong relationship between Lavazza and the world of contemporary art, as well as the company’s commitment to supporting the work of artists and creatives.