European Researchers’ Night 2026: three days of science, experiments and performances in Como

The activities of the European Researchers’ Night return in September, in collaboration with Co.Science 2.0, a project recognised by the European Commission as associated with the MSCA and Citizens initiative of the European Union – HORIZON-MSCA-2025-CITIZENS-01, continuing the work of the Co.Science project (April 2024 – March 2026), coordinated by the National Research Council (CNR). 

In Como, the 2026 edition of European Researchers’ Night is dedicated to Alessandro Volta, ahead of the celebrations marking the bicentenary of his death in 2027. The programme, organised in collaboration with the Teatro Sociale di Como, will run from 22 to 26 September, with talks, experimental activities, workshops and performances for schools and the general public, focusing on science, innovation and the future. 

Waiting for the Night

The programme will open on Tuesday 22 September, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with “OFIS 2026 – Examples from the History of Physics”, hosted in the Main Lecture Hall of the University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, Como. The event is aimed at upper secondary school students and can also be attended remotely via Teams.

Advance booking is required by emailing the coordinator Maria Bondani at maria.bondani@uninsubria.it. 

The morning will offer a journey through significant moments and topics in the history of physics. Leonardo Gariboldi from the University of Milan will speak on “Do scientists use the scientific method? Some historical and philosophical considerations in the history of physics”, while Alessandro Amabile from the University of Naples Federico II will discuss “Hellenistic science and the mystery of the Antikythera Mechanism”.

They will be followed by Luisa Lovisetti from the University of Milan with “The two transits of Venus in 1761 and 1769: the history of the first international scientific collaboration”; Franco Bagnoli from the University of Florence with “The concept of irreversibility and the arrow of time: reconciling thermodynamics with classical – and later quantum – physics”; and Marco Giliberti from the University of Milan with “The structure of the atom: what the history of atomic models can still teach us today”. 

Friday 25 September: “Let there be Night!”

The main day of the event will take place on Friday 25 September, with numerous activities spread between Via Castelnuovo 7 and Piazza Verdi in Como, aimed at students of different ages and, in the evening, at the general public. 

Camera with a view

At Via Castelnuovo 7, from 9:00 to 10:45 a.m. and from 11:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., “Camera with a view” will be offered to lower secondary school students and students in the first two years of upper secondary school, with a maximum of 30 participants per group.

Advance booking is required by emailing the coordinators Alessia Allevi, alessia.allevi@uninsubria.it, and Luca Nardo, luca.nardo@uninsubria.it.

How do humans and animals see? How is an image formed? Through an interactive and experimental lesson, participants will explore the principles of vision and image formation. Using pinhole cameras, they will be able to observe the surrounding landscape from an unusual perspective and directly experience the process through which an image is formed. 

Museum detectives

In Piazza Verdi, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., “Museum detectives” will take place. The 45-minute activity, for a maximum of 25 participants per group, is aimed at primary school pupils.

Advance booking is required by emailing the coordinator Laura Rampazzi at laura.rampazzi@uninsubria.it.

Children will become art detectives for a day and discover which chemical elements are hidden in museum artworks. The activity will show, for example, how iron can be found in pigments used by painters and how certain pigments can change colour over time. With the help of a magnifying glass and a microscope, participants will be invited to discover what a painting may conceal. 

The invisible risk: biological agents in the workplace

Also in Piazza Verdi, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., “The invisible risk: biological agents in the workplace” will be held. The 60-minute activity is aimed at primary school pupils.

To take part, advance booking is required by emailing Francesca Borghi, francesca.borghi@uninsubria.it, Andrea Cattaneo, andrea.cattaneo@uninsubria.it, and Andrea Spinazzè, andrea.spinazze@uninsubria.it.

The RAHH research group will offer an interactive educational activity introducing children to research, prevention and health protection in the workplace. Through practical experiences, educational games and discussion, participants will learn about the role of the occupational hygienist, a professional responsible for identifying, assessing and preventing workplace risks. Particular attention will be given to biological agents, how they spread, the kinds of work in which they may pose a risk, and the measures that can be adopted to protect workers. 

Let there be light

From 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., in Piazza Verdi, there will also be “Let there be light”, a 60-minute activity for a maximum of 30 participants per group, aimed at primary and lower secondary school students.

Advance booking is required by emailing Michela Prest at michela.prest@uninsubria.it.

How is lightning generated? What is a cloud made of? Is it possible to “see” sound or observe the colour of light? Can we float on water and milk? Participants will experiment with these phenomena and will also be able to observe sunspots through a telescope, experiencing first-hand how scientists work. 

Maths in the square

“Maths in the square” will take place in Piazza Verdi from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with 60-minute activities and a maximum of 30 participants per group. It is aimed at primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school students.

Advance booking is required by emailing Giovanni Bazzoni at giovanni.bazzoni@uninsubria.it.

The activity will show how mathematics can be found in many unexpected aspects of everyday life: from card games to protecting messages exchanged via WhatsApp or the Internet, and even in the shapes found in cabbages. It is a hands-on way of discovering the many places where mathematics is hidden. 

The Physics Clown

From 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., again in Piazza Verdi, “The Physics Clown” will be presented. The 60-minute activity is aimed at upper secondary school students, with a maximum of 21 participants per group.

Advance booking is required by emailing Maria Bondani, maria.bondani@uninsubria.it and Matteo Oñate Orozco, monateorozco@uninsubria.it.

This is a theatrical lecture-performance on the physics of metals, created under the scientific supervision of Maria Bondani, directed by Maurizio Accattato, clown and director of the Milano Clown Festival, and performed by Matteo Oñate Orozco, a PhD student in Physics at the University of Insubria.

The performance combines rigorous scientific content with the universal languages of clowning, mime, juggling, Commedia dell’Arte and music. The Physics Clown takes the audience on a journey of discovery through experimental demonstrations and artistic storytelling, with the aim of stimulating curiosity and creating empathy. 

Eyes to the sky

The programme on 25 September will continue from 8:00 p.m. in Piazza Verdi with “Eyes to the sky”, an event open to everyone, with no advance booking required. For information, contact michela.prest@uninsubria.it.

The invitation is to look up at the sky and rediscover its wonder. During European Researchers’ Night, participants will be able to observe Saturn and the Moon, ideally reliving the excitement experienced by Galileo.

Visitors will also be able to have fun weighing themselves on “space scales”, discover how satellites are made, use spectroscopes to observe the colours of the lights around us, and learn what lightning is made of and how scientists were able to determine the composition of stars. A journey designed to explore together why science is a source of wonder.

In the event of rain, the activity will be cancelled. 

The grand finale: Saturday 26 September

The programme will conclude on Saturday 26 September, once again in Piazza Verdi, with two events aimed respectively at children and the general public. 

The Scientist’s Game of the Goose

From 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., “The Scientist’s Game of the Goose” will be held for children up to the age of 11. The activity lasts up to 60 minutes and is limited to 20 participants per group.

Advance booking is required by emailing Michela Prest at michela.prest@uninsubria.it.

The game features 37 squares, four teams and a giant die, with sports challenges, experiments, riddles and head-to-head contests between teams. To make it to the finish line, participants will need to be quick, clever, athletic and, of course, scientific. All participants will receive a prize at the end of the activity.

In the event of rain, the activity will take place at Via Valleggio 11 in Como. 

The Physics Clown

The event will conclude with another performance of “The Physics Clown”, this time aimed at the general public, in Piazza Verdi from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Advance booking is required by emailing Maria Bondani, maria.bondani@uninsubria.it and Matteo Oñate Orozco, monateorozco@uninsubria.it.

The performance-lecture on the physics of metals, created under the scientific supervision of Maria Bondani, is directed by Maurizio Accattato, clown and director of the Milano Clown Festival, and performed by Matteo Oñate Orozco, a PhD student in Physics at the University of Insubria.

Once again, scientific rigour meets clowning, mime, juggling, Commedia dell’Arte and music: the Physics Clown will guide the audience on a journey through experiments and artistic storytelling designed to stimulate curiosity and empathy.