The Burgo Calendar 2026
features six illustrations inspired by Eugenio Montale's verses
The Burgo Calendar 2026 stands out for an unprecedented choice: for the first time, the twelve months are illustrated by six different artists—three women and three men—among the most respected Italian illustrators, appreciated both nationally and internationally: Thomas Cian, Grazia La Padula, La Tram, Martoz, Antonio Pronostico and Elisa Talentino.
The illustrators
Thomas Cian, born in Milan and a graduate of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, has made drawing the core of his career. Alongside personal projects, he collaborates with communication agencies and creative studios in Italy and abroad, producing illustrations for publishing, advertising, and multimedia projects.
Grazia La Padula, based in Rome, works as a comic artist and illustrator in both France and Italy. She has worked with publishers such as Tunué, BeccoGiallo, Feltrinelli, and Oblomov, and contributed illustrations to many magazines, including Linus and Jacobin Italia.
La Tram, pen name of Margherita Tramutoli, is an illustrator and comic artist known for works with strong civic engagement. She has collaborated with newspapers Corriere della Sera and Il Manifesto, and published books with Feltrinelli Comics and DeAgostini.
Martoz is a comic artist, illustrator, and street artist. Coconino Press, Feltrinelli, Canicola, and others have published his comics. He has also collaborated with Internazionale, Linus, Il Sole 24 Ore, La Stampa, and Il Foglio. In 2019, he received the Gran Guinigi Award at Lucca Comics as Best Illustrator.
Antonio Pronostico lives and works in Rome. After studying visual communication in Florence, he developed a distinctive style marked by the use of pencil and wax crayon, giving his works a vivid, metaphysical quality. He has collaborated with major Italian publishers and magazines, creating graphic novels and illustrations that combine emotion and visual experimentation.
Elisa Talentino, born in Turin, is an illustrator, painter, and printmaker. Her work, featuring enigmatic figures and experimental screen-printing techniques, has been featured in important magazines such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
"Come lumache sul muretto" (Like Snails on the Wall)
The illustrations featured in the Burgo Calendar 2026 also appear in the limited-edition leporello distributed during the Cartaceo#07 event held at the Piccolo Teatro Grassi in Milan.
During the event—part of the BookCity Milano 2025 programme—Andrea Pennacchi performed Come lumache sul muretto (Like Snails on the Wall), a text written especially for the occasion. A live painting by the six illustrators accompanied his performance.
On Friday, 14 November 2025, the renowned Milanese theatre hosted the seventh edition of Cartaceo.
"Meriggiare pallido e assorto" (To Laze at Noon, Pale And Thoughtful)
Pennacchi’s text is freely inspired by Meriggiare pallido e assorto (To Laze at Noon, Pale And Thoughtful), the renowned 1925 poem by Eugenio Montale from the collection Ossi di Seppia (Cuttlefish Bones, 1925). The six illustrations in the Burgo Calendar 2026 share the same noble inspiration.
The underlying theme of the plates, as in Montale’s work, is the relationship with nature, fascinating and harsh, where paper, a natural element shaped by human hands, becomes a place of exploration, reflection and discovery, enabling us to rewrite our story whenever we feel the need.
Naturally, on Burgo paper
For the 2026 illustrated Calendar, Burgo Group selected two sustainable papers known for their exceptional chromatic quality. The cover is printed on Burgo SUN BRIGHT 2SC 350 g/m², also ideal for special editorial applications.
Burgo Group introduces SUN BRIGHT, the new range of pure cellulose SBS cardboards.
The illustrated plates are printed on Burgo REBORN 250 g/m², a coated recycled paper made from post-consumer fibres, with sourcing entirely traceable.
The beauty of sustainability is to discover that value adds to value. When sustainability increases quality, it's a true win-win for everyone: the grand champion is Reborn, the new recycled coated paper by Burgo, obtained not just from recycled fibres, but exclusively post-consumer recycled fibres. A system that adds value to the entire life cycle of paper.
