The pavilion is developed as a monolith, a volume made of just one material, articulated by slopes and curves that bring out the variations of the interior exhibition space. Its shape is projected on the northern wall that features two sections of arch, one rounded, the other pointed, from which the trees on the roof emerge as though from a crack in the rock.

The pavilion’s outer walls already invite to meditation with two inscriptions ‒ two fundamental phrases from the Bible selected as the pavilion’s specific title: “Not by bread alone” and “Give us this day our daily bread”. They hint at the two-fold value of bread: its material, physical, solid dimension, with all its social implications, and the more symbolic value that relates to the complexity of human beings and their need of food for the soul.

With its surfaces that support the message adopted by the Catholic Church as its central theme for the Expo, the pavilion's white and compact volume conveys the essential quality of a boulder. Writing becomes a poetic image, an evocation of words that rain down from above like manna from heaven. 

Hanging from supporting walls, the threadlike clear metal inscriptions seem to float in air with their projected shadow that spells their message in thirteen different languages. The entrance towards the Decumano, is a vertical slit in the boulder shielded by a full-height yellow sail that evokes the Vatican flag.

The space between the inclined wall and the yellow sail mediates the strong natural light and prepares to meditation.

The visitors find themselves in a contemplative place developed around photographic documents, major works of art and videos that convey the multiple meanings of food. Inside the pavilion two half vaults become architectural fragments that evoke archetypal spaces of Christendom. They capture natural light from above and converge into the focal point at the base, the long wood Interactive Table – conceived and produced by MammaFotogramma – around which the exhibition revolves.