Culture and Sport

Culture and sport, two worlds united by their quest for excellence

Passion and a commitment to continuous improvement are the fundamental principles we share with the world of art and sport.

Devotion to culture is a company creed that has its roots in the firm conviction of the company’s founder, Rodolfo Squinzi, that “Work can never be separated from art and passion”.

This is why we support cultural events and prominent cultural institutions and supply our know-how and solutions to renovate and develop our artistic-monumental heritage, such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the Petruzzelli Theatre in Bari, the San Carlo Theatre in Naples, the "Antonio Salinas" Museum of Archaeology in Palermo, and many other projects in Italy and around the world.

Sport means passion, commitment, perseverance. For us, above everything else is our passion for cycling, to which we owe Giorgio Squinzi’s motto “never stop pedalling” which inspires and encourages us to better ourselves in everything we do, whatever adversity we encounter along our journey.
Over the years we have also given our support to many other sports, such as football, basketball, athletics, golf, alpine skiing, motor sports, as well as to research in the world of sport: 1996 saw the foundation of Mapei Sport, a research centre of excellence operating in the sports sector, which carries out scientific research and provides assistance for athletes and helps them improve their overall performance.

Milan and La Scala Theatre

Our heart has a bond with the city of Milan and with the La Scala Opera House in particular. In 1984 we became a “Corporate Sponsor” for the first time. This bond with La Scala continued with our contribution in the renovation and restoration of the Theatre through the supply of Mapei technology and research. In 2008 we became a “Founder Member” and, in 2016, Giorgio Squinzi joined the Board of Directors.

Our relationship with the Theatre continues to this very day and has become even stronger through our sponsorship of various prestigious artistic projects.

National Academy of Santa Cecilia

We have been keen supporters of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia since 2009, one of the most ancient music institutions in the world, with an extremely rich historical heritage, a reflection of its multi-century history. A collaboration that has strengthened our bond with the world of great music.

Our decision to become Founding Member of the Academy was the crowning moment of our continuous collaboration over the years. Having such a close bond with the Academy has given us the opportunity to share the musical season with an ever increasing number of clients, offering them the chance to be a part of special musical evenings and to strengthen and deepen collaborative relationships.

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U.S. Sassuolo Calcio

Our most significant investment in the world of sport is the U.S. Sassuolo Calcio football club, both the men’s and women’s teams and in all categories.

Originally our intention was to underline our commitment to the ceramics district, which we have always had a close bond with, but this developed over the years into what is the U.S. Sassuolo Calcio of today, a project more alive than ever with which we share the same important values: effort, teamwork and, last but not least, determination when encountering new challenges.

Owned by Mapei since 2003, the men’s first team progressed with us from Serie C2 to Serie A and even played in the 2016 Europa League: an unprecedented success story, recognition of the enormous effort and tireless work built on skill, professionalism and enthusiasm.

Visit the official U.S. Sassuolo Website

Mapei Stadium

In 2013, to provide more concrete support for the club, we purchased the stadium in Reggio Emilia and renamed it Mapei Stadium Citta del Tricolore (Tricolor City). Thanks to the various works carried out on the stadium, such as the installation of a new pitch with a high drainage capacity and a new, natural-synthetic hybrid playing surface, it is now a real jewel in the football sector and is used to host national and international football matches, congresses and other sports events.

Apart from complying with the standards specified by the Serie A Football League and UEFA, thanks to the Barrierless Open Stadium project, Mapei Stadium has become a symbol for violence-free football and a fitting place for children and families.

Mapei Football Center

To provide further support for U.S. Sassuolo Calcio’s sporting activities, in June, 2019 we inaugurated the Mapei Football Center, one of the most modern sports centre in Europe, an area of 45,000 m² featuring 6 football pitches, one of which with its own covered spectator stand, dressing rooms, a swimming pool, a gymnasium and a medical and physiotherapy centre.
The Center, which is used by the First Team and the Youth Sector for training, is also available for bookings by amateur teams and for social events. The structure, designed by Onsitestudio and built using Mapei products and systems, has been awarded LEED v4 BD+C certification.

On 15th November 2020, the access road to the Mapei Football Center and the synthetic grass pitch were officially inaugurated in honour of Giorgio Squinzi and Adriana Spazzoli, respectively.

Cycling: an unshakable bond

From 1993 to 2002 we were sponsors of a professional cycling team that managed to reach the top of all the international rankings and then maintain this position for many years, running up a total of 654 victories, including 4 World Road Race Championships, 4 individual World Championships, a win in the Giro d'Italia and the Spanish Vuelta, and 5 team World Cups. In the following years, we continued to be closely involved with the world of cycling by sponsoring youth teams and other cycling events, including the Re Stelvio Mapei, an historic cycle meet organised by U.S. Bormiese. Since 2008 we have been Main Sponsor of the UCI-Union Cycliste Internationale World Road Championships, the main event on the international cycling calendar, which is broadcast by all the major TV stations around the world.

"Never stop pedalling": Mapei’s passion
for cycling in G. Squinzi’s words

Cycling is in Mapei’s DNA: shared values and a passion handed down from Rodolfo Squinzi, the founder of Mapei, to his son Giorgio Squinzi, the Group’s former CEO.
Listen to what the latter had to say about our history in cycling from the Mapei professional team to the UCI World Road Championships, for which Mapei has been the Main Sponsor since 2008, and relive some of the excitement of the 2017 UCI WRC in Bergen.