Marmomac, which closed on September 25 in Verona, is the world's leading international trade fair for the entire natural stone supply chain, from quarries to blocks and slabs of marble and granite, to the machinery, systems, and tools used to cut and process them, and their applications in architecture and design. It was inaugurated in 1940 in Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella as the "Marble and Machinery Exhibition", in the heart of the Verona district, which, like Carrara, is one of Europe's oldest and most important. In Italy, the sector employs 3,200 businesses and 34,000 people. In 2025, it generated $5 billion in revenue (+4.6%), of which 70% was exported, resulting in a $2.9 billion trade surplus. According to figures given in Verona, growth will continue in 2026: in the first half of the year, exports of materials and technologies increased 5.5% to $1.69 billion, driven mostly by natural stone. However, the technology sector was weaker: exports of machinery, equipment, and tools fell to $459.2 million (-0.9%). This was hampered by a downturn in global stone trade, geopolitical tensions, and the associated caution in investments, particularly in North America and the Middle East. However, the United States continues to be Italy's key market for technology.