Focus

Milan lights up with curiosity and science with Focus Live, the ninth edition of the Focus festival taking place from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026 at the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci. This year’s theme is Intelligences, in the plural: an invitation to explore the many ways in which the mind, behavior, technology, and nature produce solutions, learn, communicate, and adapt.

For three days, from morning to evening, Focus Live will bring over 100 events to the stage featuring scientists, researchers, science communicators, sports champions, figures from the world of entertainment, and journalism, with meetings designed to tell science in an accessible and engaging way. The public can follow the appointments on the Main Stage, the Speakers’ Corner, and the Minds’ Corner, as well as enjoy direct experiences in areas dedicated to interactive activities, demonstrations, and workshops. Among the big names taking part in this edition of Focus Live are: Luca Parmitano and Umberto Guidoni, astronauts; Federico Basso, actor; Roberto Battiston, physicist; Paolo Benanti, theologian; Paolo Borzacchiello, author and language expert; Giulia Calogero, marine biologist; Jacopo Cardillo, aka Jago, sculptor; Davide Damiani, creator and radio host; Guido Damini, history communicator; Carola Divu, science communicator; Faso, musician; Mattia Garutti, oncologist; Tommaso Ghidini, ESA executive; Beatrice Marini, cosmetic chemist and trichologist technician; Mike Maric, former freediving world record holder and researcher; Enrico Melozzi, orchestra conductor; Giorgio Metta, scientific director of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia; Silvestro Micera, bioengineer; Pietro Mortini, neurosurgeon; Laura Pepe, historian; Enrica Maria Porcari, first Chief Information Officer at CERN in Geneva; Maria Rescigno, immunologist; Pippo Ricci, basketball player; Ruggero Rollini, science communicator; Massimo Tarenghi, astrophysicist; Massimo Temporelli, physicist and science communicator; Filippo Tortu, sprinter; Pablo Trincia, journalist and podcaster. The full program, with links to book free admission (while spots last), is available at live.focus.it/palinsesto.

“With this ninth edition, Focus Live confirms itself as a great open construction site on knowledge” states the Director of Focus, Gian Mattia Bazzoli. “This year we wanted an even richer and capillary schedule: meetings that intertwine science, technology, and psychology, immersive virtual reality experiences, and interactive workshops designed for all ages. The objective remains the one that has always guided our editorial team: to convey the complexity of the changing world with our usual rigor, but in an accessible and engaging language, capable of inspiring wonder in anyone who comes to visit us.”

Focus Live is created in close collaboration with the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, cultural partner and co-producer of the program, which offers its historical setting to explore the many ways in which human beings, animals, plants, and technologies think, learn, and find solutions through talks, experiences, workshops, and shows.

All information at: https://live.focus.it.

Instagram: @focus_ita

Facebook: @focus

THE PROGRAM

FOCUS LIVE SPECIAL EVENTS

On the evenings of Friday, October 23, and Saturday, October 24, the Focus Live schedule is enriched with two special events starting at 8:30 PM. On Friday 23, a leap two thousand years back in time will take place together with journalist and podcaster Pablo Trincia, who signs an exceptional event in collaboration with Focus Storia: Caligola e la triade oscura. A captivating investigation into the personality of one of ancient Rome’s most enigmatic emperors, analyzed through traits of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Starting from the accounts of great historians such as Tacitus and Suetonius, the reflection broadens to build a bridge with contemporary power figures.

On the evening of Saturday 24, the room transforms into an interactive arena with the game show Sfida ai… cervelli!. The audience will become an active part of the show, organized into three exceptional teams led by Federico Basso, Davide Damiani, and basketball player Pippo Ricci. With smartphones in hand and brain teasers to solve, the competition will test logic, promptness, emotional intelligence, AI deceptions, and cunningness.

THE MAIN STAGE

Focus Live opens on Friday, October 23 at 10:00 AM, following institutional greetings, with European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Luca Parmitano (via video connection) and astronaut and astrophysicist Umberto Guidoni, in the panel Come si pensa in orbita? to explore the perspectives of two different generations of astronauts and stories from their space travels. Space then turns to music and technology with Il violino magico, a multi-voice session bringing musicians, singers, directors, and researchers from the Wearable Robotics Lab at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa onto the stage to demonstrate how a pair of wearable exoskeletons can guide artistic gestures and make two bodies “think together” through live experiments with the audience.

On the main stage, Friday afternoon continues under the sign of creativity with Salvo Di Paola and Nicolò Cuccì, who will reveal the chemistry of animation and secrets of comedy behind the scenes of the animated series Il Baracchino (Prime Video), before giving way to a reflection on health with physician and researcher Silvio Garattini, ready to outline fundamental rules for a long and healthy life in the name of prevention. Next, attention shifts to tomorrow’s technologies: first with the talk L’auto che pensa (in collaboration with BYD), where Alessandro Grosso (Country Manager Italy & Regional Director Italy and Poland at BYD and DENZA) and Professor Sergio Savaresi from Politecnico di Milano will analyze the real boundaries of autonomous driving, followed by neuroscientist Michela Matteoli from Humanitas University, starring in Cervelli in fiore, an overview on taking care of the mind through nutrition, physical activity, and cultural stimulation. Closing the main stage will be Giorgio Metta, scientific director of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, with a fascinating journey exploring the impact of robots in our daily present and their projections toward 2100.

The schedule for Saturday, October 24 opens at 10:00 AM looking into space with Tommaso Ghidini (ESA) and astrophysicist Massimo Tarenghi (Intelligenze aliene?), moving on to the potential of conscious breathing with freediving champion Mike Maric (Respira, poi pensa). Professor Laura Pepe will guide the audience through metis, the classical cunning of Odysseus compared with AI in the talk titled L’intelligenza classica, while Father Luca Peyron and Friar Marcello Longhi close the morning with a reflection on the social impact of technology. The afternoon starts with a chat with Olympic champion Filippo Tortu in La scienza dello sprint, recounting the intersection between mind and speed, followed by a focus on cancer prevention and microbiota with Mattia Garutti, Maria Rescigno, and Ruggero Rollini (Parliamone di pancia, in collaboration with AIRC). Music and neurosciences meet in the lecture-performance Dalle note ai neuroni, featuring maestro Enrico Melozzi, Faso (Elio e le Storie Tese), and neuroscientist Alice Mado Proverbio. Closing the day will be physicist Roberto Battiston with a realistic analysis of future space projects, physicist and communicator Massimo Temporelli with L’universo in tasca, and writer/pilot Laura Mancuso alongside Marco Iezzi from Museo Scienza e Tecnologia di Milano.

Sunday, October 25 opens with linguistic intelligence expert Paolo Borzacchiello in Usa (bene) il cervello, explaining how hormones, words, and cognitive biases affect our daily decisions. The morning continues with artist and sculptor Jago in a journey inside the art of subtracting material to free form from marble, followed by Fabrizio Maiello’s story of rebirth alongside journalist Marco Cattaneo and philosopher Corrado Sinigaglia, examining how soccer athleticism can reprogram the mind and save a life. Closing the morning on the main stage will be journalist and communicator Paolo Attivissimo with Luna: che ci torniamo a fare?, providing an overview of upcoming crewed missions and technologies for future lunar bases.

The afternoon opens with a focus on neurosurgical frontiers alongside professors Silvestro Micera and Pietro Mortini, followed by a fun pop segment featuring a Star Wars science quiz with Dario Polli and cosplayers from the legendary saga. Space is then given to historical and evolutionary reflections with communicator Massimo Polidoro in Non ha vinto il più intelligente, tracing the origins of Homo sapiens through imagination, luck, and cognitive traps like fake news. The main stage finale is entrusted to La scienza della voce, an event-show curated by renowned phoniatrician Franco Fussi together with vocal experimenter Albert Hera, singer Karima, and tenor Vittorio Grigolo, ready to explore and perform live the extraordinary potential of the vocal instrument.

THE SPEAKERS’ CORNER

The Speakers’ Corner opens on Friday morning, October 23, with botanist Marco Stefano Caccianiga, ready to delve into carnivorous plants in Che genio, quella pianta carnivora!, followed by Corriere della Sera deputy director and 7 director Venanzio Postiglione, presenting an analysis on the weight and meaning of key civilizational words in the panel E tu che parole usi?. In the afternoon, ocean depths take center stage with biologist Roberto Danovaro in C’è vita laggiù?, followed by mental health insights with neurologist Simone Salemme in the panel Il brain training funziona?, clarifying real capabilities of cognitive games for the brain. In the evening, the area opens to major physics themes: first via a special connection from Brussels with Gabriele Veneziano, father of string theory, explaining what came before the Big Bang, followed by computer scientist Paolo Ciancarini, who analyzes the boundary between calculation and actual comprehension through the chessboard metaphor in Scacco matto all’AI .

Saturday’s Speakers’ Corner opens with Tecnologia, cuore e coraggio, where Enrica Porcari, Chief Information Officer at CERN, shares insights on knowledge and data management at the planet’s largest scientific infrastructure. Geneticist Silvia Ghirotto presents a journey discovering early Europeans’ appearances in Come eravamo. The dialogue between technology and biology continues with professors Alex Costa and Andrea Bassi (Piante che si illuminano), illustrating plant-environment communications, followed by computer scientist Paolo Ferragina, who narrates the transition from search engines to generative AI in Dalle biblioteche agli agenti. The afternoon features space weather explained by INAF researcher Paolo Romano, 3D printing applied to personalized medicine presented by Paolo Oliva (Humanitas University), quantum computing exploration with Professor Claudio Giannetti, and an analysis on the future of mountains amidst disappearing snow led by nivologist Claudio Artoni.

Sunday’s Speakers’ Corner schedule opens with Quei cervelloni degli animali, exploring cognitive abilities in the animal kingdom with Professor Monica Battini. Next comes an interactive experiment by European Commission researchers Alberto Guidi and Lorenzo Pirelli (Percezione o realtà?), designed to measure gaps between perception and real statistical data. In the afternoon, bioengineer Maria Chiara Carrozza addresses nature-inspired biorobotics and harmony between humans and machines in Intelligenze in equilibrio, leading into practical guidance by Professor Rodolfo Zunino in Occhio alle truffe on psychological triggers used in social engineering. The final deep-dive features biologist Giulia Calogero and physicist Carlo Guidi in Il cervello dei capodogli, analyzing sea giants’ complex cognitive, social, and emotional capacities.

THE MINDS’ CORNER

The Minds’ Corner program kicks off Friday morning, October 23, with the interactive quiz Intelligenza bestiale, led by Focus journalist Giovanna Camardo and Professor Monica Battini, testing the audience on surprising animal cognitive skills. In the afternoon, physics professor Erik Viotti leads La montagna intelligente, traveling through adaptation mechanisms of nature and alpine flora to challenge and redefine our concept of intelligence.

Saturday opens looking toward the future with Davide Fanciulli (Programme Officer at the UN in Geneva – Beyond Lab), Richard Maydell (Policy Officer at the EU Commission Joint Research Centre), and Nicola Spano (Policy Officer at the EU Commission JRC): in Decidere oggi con gli occhi di domani, the three speakers demonstrate how current choices impact future generations using a decision-analysis prototype. In the afternoon, cosmetic chemist Beatrice Marini tackles consumer awareness in Siamo diventati tutti cosmetologi?, clarifying boundaries between available ingredient data and informed choices.

Sunday at the Minds’ Corner starts with Missione frigorifero, an interactive team challenge curated by food technologist Cristian Panarelli to discover proper food preservation rules and prevent food waste/poisoning through trivia. Next, philosophy professor Nicola Donti presents an ironic comparison between philosophy and tech in Socrate VS ChatGPT, exploring AI’s impact on learning. In the afternoon, political philosopher Marco Solinas examines psychological dynamics behind fake news in L’intelligenza cieca delle teorie cospirative, while science communicator Carola Divù highlights mistake values in scientific discovery during Errori geniali.

KIDS AREA AND FOCUS JUNIOR SHOW

Generous space is dedicated to the Focus Junior Kids Area, expanding across two rooms of the Cavallerizze building. Here, hands-on workshops, robotics, math, nature activities, sponsor-backed science labs, and a large “Games without Wi-Fi” zone featuring brain teasers, mega puzzles, sudoku, and chess matches await children and teens.

Designed for ages 4–13, three days of activities cover manga, writing, natural sciences, and creative entertainment. Stage guests include author Davide Morosinotto, Geronimo Stilton, Marmò, and psychologist Roberta Tessaro.

Friday morning features journalist Vito Tartamella showcasing famous science pranks in Che burloni questi scienziati. Leo Scienza and AIRC then host Piatto ricco (di scienza) mi ci ficco (con coscienza), a theatrical lab on nutrition. Morning activities conclude with Davide Morosinotto’s creative challenge Chi è più intelligente? and Novi Education’s Moonshot project presentation supported by Banca Ifis. In the afternoon, Camilla Buso and Paolo Giancola guide Missione memoria to boost mind capabilities through imagery storytelling.

Saturday opens with a Chinese character workshop by Zhang Yingying (Confucius Institute), followed by a Crea un manga drawing workshop by Ivana Murianni and Federico Freschi. In the afternoon, Faso explores La scienza del baseball, followed by Alice Forte’s animated storytelling, Carlo Resca’s investigative workshop Storie che la sanno lunga, and Marmò & Giulia Mattarella’s musical show Dolcetto scherzetto.

Sunday begins with Leo Scienza’s show Galileo e la scienza delle domande, dog/cat cognition insights by dog trainer Sooad Diab, and a Jay Junior comic workshop with Valentina Venegoni and Sara Vincenzi. Afternoon sessions cover Scratch video game coding with Leone Perfetti, a family smartphone awareness debate with Roberta Tessaro, Geronimo Stilton’s ecology guide in Missione acqua!, and the grand interactive show finale Tutti pazzi per la scienza by Leo Scienza.

THE PLANETARIUM

Curated and hosted by science communicator and planetarist Nino Ragusi, Planetarium sessions begin Friday morning, October 23, with Le orse con la coda (night sky navigation guide), followed by Pianeti, lune e comete. Afternoon proections feature L’astronomia nell’arte, Nato sotto il segno dell’Ofiuco (astronomy vs. astrology distinctions), and the animated short La regata spaziale.

Saturday morning repeats constellation navigation and solar system explorations. Afternoon projections feature Persi in mezzo al mare (celestial navigation techniques), Nebulose, galassie e ammassi (stellar life cycles), and a return of Nato sotto il segno dell’Ofiuco.

Sunday opens with Le orse con la coda and Nato sotto il segno dell’Ofiuco. Afternoon screenings showcase L’astronomia nell’arte, Nebulose, galassie e ammassi, and conclude with Persi in mezzo al mare.

THE CAVALLERIZZE

Science leaves the stage and lands directly on interactive tables. Through headsets, microscopes, simulators, and small robots, research centers transform spaces into hands-on laboratories. Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna showcases AI-analyzed chess and an inclusive VR rowing simulator, while Gruppo Astrofili di Cinisello welcomes visitors into a 6-meter inflatable planetarium. The European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) hosts daily relays covering non-animal testing, tire impacts, behavioral biometrics, dual-use tech, and nuclear safety. Electronic recycling labs by SmontoLab, practical geology by Università degli Studi di Milano, ecosystem AI sounds by Bicocca, satellite cyberattack stress tests by Politecnico di Torino, DNA biological investigations by Human Technopole/AIRC, medical simulations by Humanitas University, edible batteries by IIT, Da Vinci AI dialogs by Università Cattolica, and BYD robotic displays round out the experiential journey.

OUTDOOR AREA

Three outdoor experiences feature automotive, simulation, and space innovation. BYD showcases the Dolphin G DM-i model. Orbitix & Moon VR Experience offer an immersive virtual reality moon landing simulation. The Italian Air Force welcomes guests with a mobile flight simulator inside a real cockpit.

GUIDED TOURS AND WORKSHOPS BY MUSEO NAZIONALE SCIENZA E TECNOLOGIA LEONARDO DA VINCI

On Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, the Museum enriches the Focus Live 2026 lineup with guided tours and practical activities. Visitors can explore the Leonardo da Vinci Galleries (ages 9+), the Space Area (ages 8+), sustainability systems in ILAB Sustainability (Everything is connected, ages 9+), digital art in ILAB Digital Steam (Interactive images, ages 9+), early-childhood nature labs in PLAYLAB (Explore Playlab, ages 3–6), and VR tactical missions on Mars in the Virtual Zone (THE TOUCH, ages 16+).

FOCUS LIVE PARTNERS

Main Partner: BYD, Eni

Partner: Alice Ceramica, Banca Ifis, Barilla, Humanitas University, Jordan Oral Care, Pedrali

Content Partner: AIRC, Federchimica, Fondazione Fair, ILIAD, Mondadori Education, Opera San Francesco

Technical Partner: La Lucerna Educational

Cultural Partner: Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia

From October 23 to 25, 2026, the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan will host the ninth edition of Focus Live, the festival organized by Focus magazine dedicated to science, curiosity, and the big questions of the present. This year’s chosen theme is “Intelligences”, in the plural: an invitation to explore the many ways in which the mind, behavior, technology, and nature generate solutions, learn, communicate, and adapt.

For three days, Focus Live will bring scientists, researchers, communicators, and champions to the stage for events designed to present science in an accessible and engaging way. Attendees can follow the sessions on the Main Stage, at the Speakers’ Corner, and at the Creators’ Corner, as well as enjoy hands-on experiences in areas dedicated to interactive activities, live demonstrations, and workshops.

Among the first confirmed guests are sprinter Filippo Tortu, who will talk about the intelligence behind athletic movement; Barbara Mazzolai, a leading expert in plant-inspired robotics; pharmacologist Silvio Garattini; bioengineer and physicist Maria Chiara Carrozza; freediver Mike Maric; linguist Irene Lo Faro; and Charlie Smart Robot. Additional guests will be announced in the coming weeks, with the program continuously updated at https://live.focus.it.

Focus Live is more than just a lineup of talks. In the Experience Area, 1,600 square meters will be dedicated to interactive installations and live demonstrations, while the Open Air Lab will bring experiments directly into the Museum’s outdoor spaces. Highlights of the 2026 edition include the Podcast Studio Live, a glass box where guests will share their stories during live-recorded podcasts, which will later be available on YouTube and audio platforms.

Enhancing the experience further, the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology will open some of its most beloved exhibition routes to the public during the festival. Guided tours of the Leonardo Galleries and the Space area, activities in the iLabs dedicated to sustainability and digital technologies, sessions for younger visitors in the Playlab, and the virtual reality escape game The Touch will guide participants through the Museum’s heritage and educational vision. This offering complements the festival schedule, reaffirming the Museum as a key point of reference for dialogue between science, technology, and society.

A large space will also be dedicated to the Kids Area, curated by Focus Junior. For this edition, it expands to cover two whole areas of the Cavallerizze: here, alongside activities designed to introduce children and young people to science through robotics, mathematics, and nature, workshops organized with scientific partners and sponsors will be offered alongside a large play area featuring brain teasers, mega puzzles, sudoku, and chess games.

Focus Live is created in close collaboration with the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology, serving as a cultural partner and co-producer of the program. For the 2026 edition, the festival also partners with: Aeronautica Militare, Associazione Smontolab, Business&Roads, Human Technopole, IIT, Inaf, JRC (Joint Research Centre), Planetario di Muggiò, Politecnico di Torino, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Think about Science, and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

The journey toward Focus Live will kick off as early as October 1 with “Waiting for Focus Live”, a preview hosted by the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan. Science communicator and journalist Massimo Polidoro will lead the audience into the mind of Leonardo da Vinci, starting from the original sheets of the Codex Atlanticus preserved in the Federiciana Hall.

This year, the “Waiting for Focus Live” program also includes a special event for younger audiences: on October 11, at the Centrale dell’Acqua in Milan, young readers of Focus Junior will get to meet Geronimo Stilton, who will be ready to present his exciting “Mission Water” (“Missione Acqua”).

• Main Partners: BYD, Eni
• Partners: Humanitas University, Jordan Oral Care
• Content Partners: AIRC, Mondadori Education, Opera San Francesco
• Technical Partner: La Lucerna Educational
• Cultural Partner: Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci

All information available at: https://live.focus.it

Instagram: @focus_ita

Facebook: @focus

Press Office

Goigest / goigest@goigest.com

Focus

Focus, the monthly magazine published by Mondadori Media S.p.A., is the leading brand—across its various extensions—in popular science communication in Italy. It boasts a total unique print + digital audience of over 5.3 million (source: Audicom – March 2026) and a monthly circulation of over 104,000 copies (source: ADS, January/April 2026).

Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci

The Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology is today the most important technical-scientific museum in Italy and one of the most prominent in Europe. Located in an Olivetan monastery built in the early 16th century in the heart of Milan, the Museum was founded in 1953 by engineer Guido Ucelli. Its objective is to tell the story of the “becoming of the world” starting from a unified view of culture represented by Leonardo da Vinci, to whom the Leonardo Galleries—representing its historic core identity—are dedicated. The Museum’s mission is to foster scientific citizenship: the set of knowledge and skills essential for understanding and discussing the impacts and interactions of science and technology in everyday life and with other fields of knowledge and society. Today, it is a private law Foundation supported by public institutions, with Milan’s main universities serving on its scientific council. https://www.museoscienza.org

Focus Live, Focus magazine’s festival of knowledge, set a new record this year, attracting over 20,000 visitors across the three days of the event. This was the eighth consecutive edition, held in collaboration with the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan.

Demonstrating the success of the formula and the brand’s strength in the digital and social space, over 10 million users were reached – a significant increase compared to the 2024 edition – through posts, stories, and videos shared across the web, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. All content will remain available and will continue to be enriched with new material for both young and adult enthusiasts.

From Friday 7 to Sunday 9 November, Focus Live – Passione  featured 120 guest, including astronauts, scientists, Olympic champions, researchers, and science communicators, as well as comedians, singers, and chefs, who animated the Main Stage, Speakers’ Corner, Creators’ Corner, and the Kids Area curated by Focus Junior.

“Focus Live is proof that a passion for knowledge brings people together and breaks down all boundaries,” said Gian Mattia Bazzoli, Director of Focus. “It’s not just a festival; it’s a celebration of curiosity and a demonstration that science, when shared with passion, becomes a powerful driver of community. The real magic of this event is its ability to transform science communication, often experienced through a page or screen, into a tangible, shared, and often highly entertaining experience.”

All 100+ events sold out, making the eighth edition of the festival truly special. Talks, workshops, and shows across various scientific disciplines – linked by this year’s theme of passion – prompted participants to reflect on the fundamental role of science in shaping our future.

Contributing to the outstanding success of Focus Live were the leading figures from the worlds of science and beyond, who allowed attendees to experience the future firsthand, engage with the present of research, and rediscover the passion that drives science. Highlights included: ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who opened the festival sharing her space passions and daily challenges; CERN physicist Guido Tonelli, discussing the concept of the void; journalist Beatrice Mautino; science communicator Massimo Temporelli; Luciano Pinotti and Enzo Spisni; Pierdomenico Perata from the Sant’Anna School of Pisa; scientist-criminologist Gian Maria Campedelli; Olympic gold medallist Mara Navarria in the team épée at Paris 2024; astrophysicist Amedeo Balbi; communicator Federico Taddia; neurosurgeon Christian Brogna; journalist and writer Matteo Bordone, who engaged in a playful challenge with ethologist Monica Battini; Elio e le Storie Tese; biotechnologist Marco Martinelli; and master chocolatier Ernst Knam. The lineup also included representatives from the Milano-Cortina 2026 Foundation and the Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin.

At Focus Live, science is not just watched or listened to: it’s experienced and done firsthand. The true heart of the Festival lies in the installations and workshops of the Experience Area, a multiverse of discovery where every corner promises a new adventure. This year too, Focus Live gave countless visitors the chance to travel into the past or dive into the future through virtual reality, escape rooms, and much more, experiencing firsthand how science and technology are shaping the world around us. The experiences in the Experience Area were made possible thanks to installations curated by exceptional partners such as ENI, Humanitas University, Scuola Sant’Anna, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Fondazione AIRC, Università Cattolica di Milano, and Politecnico di Torino.

For children and teenagers, the Kids Area curated by Focus Junior offered an even richer program: from workshops organized by Mondadori Education and Jordan Oral Care to drawing workshops, STEM activities, VR experiences from the Frasassi Caves, and a new “offline” play area to test skills with Kapla building blocks, chess, and origami, rediscovering the joy of analog play.

“We shared three wonderful days with the children at Focus Live, witnessing their natural curiosity and eagerness to experiment,” said Sarah Pozzoli, Director of Focus Junior. “The Focus Junior Kids Area team carefully selected the STEAM activities to offer. We are delighted to see that when the program is of high quality, the audience responds with great enthusiasm.”

On Friday and Saturday evenings, two thrilling shows entertained the audience: La scienza vista dal Basso, a quiz hosted by the irresistible Federico Basso that turned curious questions and scientific knowledge into a hilarious game blending education and laughter; and Murder at the Museum, where Massimo Polidoro guided the audience through the scene of a crime that took place among the halls of the Leonardo da Vinci Museum.” A captivating crime night showing how science, psychology, and the scientific method help investigators solve even the most complex cases. Two evenings, two different ways to experience science communication. Engaging, entertaining, and full of wonder.

The festival will close on Sunday at 6:30 pm with Luca Perri and Giacomo Moro Mauretto in La passione è un motore o un freno a mano?

Partners and sponsors

Focus Live is a Mondadori Media event, organised in collaboration with the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci and numerous partners.

MAIN PARTNERS: Eni, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security
PARTNERS: Bayer, Grotte di Frasassi, Humanitas University, Jordan Oral Care, Subito, Toyota Motor Italia
CONTENT PARTNER: AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research, Mondadori Education
OFFICIAL RADIO: R101
In collaboration with the Cultural Olympiad of Milan Cortina 2026
KIDS’ AREA powered by Focus Junior
With the patronage of the City of Milan

The advertising for Focus Live is managed by Piemme S.p.A., the exclusive sales agency for Focus and other Mondadori Media brands.

This edition of Focus Live is made possible through the collaboration and support of numerous institutions, research centres, and universities, including: ADMaiora, ASI, Business&Roads, European Gravitational Observatory (EGO), ESA, FBK, Human Technopole, IIT, INAF, Istituto Superiore Sant’Anna, JRC – Joint Research Centre, Kosmos, PLANit – Associazione dei Planetari Italiani, Politecnico di Torino, Smonting, Think About Science, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Università degli Studi di Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, and Università degli Studi di Trieste.

The communication campaign and creative design of the event have been developed by Zampe Diverse, with production and organisational management by Left & Right.

Space passions, revolutionary gene therapies, artificial intelligence, gravitational waves, black holes and 3D-printed organs you can actually touch. But also the chemistry of chocolate, the atlas of emotions, the 90th anniversary of Schrödinger’s cat and prehistoric reptiles brought back to life. Focus Live 2025, taking place from 7 to 9 November at the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci in Milan (via Olona 4), will be an extraordinary journey across the many disciplines of science, where passion – this year’s theme – will be the common thread linking science, history, sport, art and music.
Over the course of three days, the festival organised by Focus magazine, under the patronage of the City of Milan, will offer visitors a chance to touch the future, experience the present of research and rediscover the passion that drives science. More than 120 guests, including astronauts, scientists, Olympic champions, artists and communicators, will meet the public in talks, workshops and live events.

Focus Live was created for those who aren’t satisfied with easy answers, for those who see the world with the eyes of an eternal explorer,” says Gian Mattia Bazzoli, Editor-in-Chief of Focus. “It’s a place where curiosity meets the experts shaping our tomorrow and where every question – even the most challenging – has its place. Here, a neurosurgeon can speak with a student, an astronaut answers children’s questions, and anyone can take part in experiments that usually happen only in labs. It’s our way of showing that science isn’t distant: we make it tangible, open to questions, even open to challenge. For three days, we transform the museum into a living laboratory for hands-on discovery and dialogue. For us at Focus, it’s the most genuine moment of the year – when we step out of pages and screens to connect directly with our readers and share our hunger for knowledge.”

The goal of this Festival of Knowledge by the Mondadori Group magazine is to explore the crucial role of science in shaping our future, presenting the achievements of human knowledge in an accessible and engaging way. It does so through authoritative voices, innovative formats and a mix of styles and disciplines – blending arts, music, nature, theatre and biology, sport and technology – revealing unexpected connections between them.

Focus Live – Passione, open to the public and completely free (with registration), will feature a rich programme of talks, workshops and performances hosted in the Cavallerizze area of the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, Italy’s largest science and technology museum, which for over 70 years has served as a bridge between the past and future of scientific culture.

To open this extraordinary edition, at 9:30 a.m. on Friday 7 November, Gian Mattia Bazzoli, Editor-in-Chief of Focus, will be joined by Fiorenzo Marco Galli, Director General of the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, and Carlo Mandelli, Chief Executive Officer of Mondadori Media.

The official opening will be led by Samantha Cristoforetti, ESA astronaut, who will share her “space passions”, the challenges of life in orbit, and how space research contributes to progress on Earth, helping us understand our planet and paving the way towards a more conscious and sustainable future. The festival will close on Sunday afternoon with astrophysicist Luca Perri, following a day featuring CERN physicist Guido Tonelli on the science of the void, journalist Beatrice Mautino on fighting misinformation, and science communicator Massimo Temporelli with his notebook of formulas explaining the Universe.

Between these moments, an extraordinary line-up will animate the Main Stage, Speakers’ Corner, Creators’ Corner, and the Kids Area curated by Focus Junior, offering activities and discussions designed to inspire curiosity and reflection.

The topics will be wide-ranging. Medicine will explore the promise of gene therapy with Luigi Naldini, Director of the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, who will explain how cutting-edge tools are used to fight rare diseases and cancers. The future of food will be explored by Luciano Pinotti and Enzo Spisni as they discuss novel foods and the challenges on our plates. Pierdomenico Perata, from the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, will talk about the RNA revolution, while Patrick Gerlich from Bayer Crop Science Italia will present innovations in agriculture. On the tech front, Gian Maria Campedelli, scientist and criminologist, will show how AI can be used to fight organised crime, Tommaso Andreussi will explain how satellites might one day “breathe” Earth’s atmosphere, and researchers from the Italian Institute of Technology will introduce visitors to a real cyborg.

Olympic fencing champion Mara Navarria, gold medallist in Paris 2024, will talk with journalist Giorgio Terruzzi about what it takes to deliver a winning strike. Astrophysicist Amedeo Balbi will explore our cultural obsession with the apocalypse, while communicator Federico Taddia will “enter Einstein’s mind” with the help of a live illustrator. Neurosurgeon Christian Brogna will describe the marvels of awake brain surgery, joined on stage by one of his patients, who played the saxophone during the operation. Journalist Matteo Bordone and ethologist Monica Battini will challenge myths about cats, while Elio e le Storie Tese will deliver a humorous yet serious lesson on musical passion. Biotechnologist Marco Martinelli and the Subito team will engage the audience in a quiz about second-hand treasures.

Special moments will punctuate the festival: on Friday, representatives of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 will showcase the most iconic Olympic and Paralympic symbols, including torches, medals and mascots Tina and Milo. On Saturday afternoon, physicist Marcello Fanti will explore the Star Wars universe from a scientific perspective, joined by official Star Wars cosplayers from the Disney Lucasfilm-recognised 501st Italica Garrison (the “villains”), Rebel Legion Italian Base (the “heroes”) and the pink droid R2-KT. That same day, a group of Templar reenactors will demonstrate daily life and rituals from the medieval order. Finally, on Sunday, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Italy’s Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, will discuss energy transition. There will also be AI masterclasses, showing how to use artificial intelligence in everyday life, and the sweetest event of all: maître chocolatier Ernst Knam will take to the Main Stage to make chocolate live, revealing its fascinating chemistry and physics.

Experience Area

At Focus Live, science is not just something to watch or listen to — it is something to touch and do. The true heart of the Festival lies in the installations and workshops of the Experience Area, a multiverse of discovery where every corner promises a new adventure. The journey begins at the very dawn of time aboard the Big Bang Machine, a mobile installation (an enormous lorry) that takes visitors on a virtual odyssey back to the origins of the universe. Inside this space-time capsule, stars fuse, matter takes shape, and visitors learn how listening to cosmic signals is deeply connected to understanding our own planet. The exploration continues under the dome of an inflatable planetarium, where immersive films and live lectures unveil the secrets of the night sky. From there, a virtual leap transports visitors among the telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory to chase the flashes of light emitted by black holes. Moving from the vast to the minute, the adventure shifts to the building blocks of life: visitors can extract DNA in a hands-on lab or imagine the future of medicine at the Humanitas University stand. The journey then heads south to Antarctica, where visitors can step inside a real polar field tent used by researchers from the University of Milano-Bicocca to drill ice cores — a rare chance to see the tools of extreme-environment research up close. Nearby, the micro-robots of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies await, along with Supercalcolo, super passione, an interactive installation designed and produced by Amigdala.ch in collaboration with Eni.It explores the hidden world of supercomputing — the silent power driving science, industry, and everyday life. Here, every visitor can create a unique text and voice narrative in real time, co-authored with artificial intelligence. To discover how everyday habits affect our health, the AIRC Foundation will present its Prevention Labs, where playful games and quizzes reveal the risks of alcohol consumption, debunk myths, and show how smoking harms not only smokers and those around them but also the environment. The robot artist of the Università Cattolica will weave kilometres of thread to create striking portraits and images, while in the Outdoor Area (Open Air Lab) visitors can test themselves on an artificial climbing wall (powered by Grotte di Frasassi), an exciting challenge with both physical and mental benefits.

Immersion in the world of science and technology will also be ensured for Focus Live visitors thanks to the Museum’s rich resources. Each day, festival participants can book guided tours of the Leonardo Galleries and the Space Area, step into the shoes of a real astronaut at Base Marte, or try The Touch, the innovative sensory escape game that blends reality and virtuality in a Mars-themed adventure. The brand-new i.lab Sostenibilità will also be open, inviting visitors — through games, experiments and immersive installations — to explore what makes a product or an action truly sustainable, taking into account every element within its wider, interconnected system.

These are just some of the many experiences awaiting visitors at Focus Live, thanks to installations created by outstanding partners including Humanitas University, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, the Italian Institute of Technology, the AIRC Foundation, the Catholic University of Milan, and the Polytechnic University of Turin.

Kids’ area

For children and young people aged 2 to 13, the Kids Area — curated as always by Focus Junior — will be even richer this year, filled with STEM workshops, a dedicated stage for talks, and activities designed to help kids discover the wonders of science in a creative and surprising way.

From the science and math labs run by Mondadori Education to drawing workshops with Carioca products and Pokémon, every experience will be an adventure to live firsthand. In collaboration with the Kosmos Museum of Pavia, kids can take a dive into the past with the Oceani Perduti station and, guided by palaeontologists, handle original fossils and casts of ammonites, trilobites, and ancient marine reptiles, uncovering the stories hidden in the rocks. Grotte di Frasassi will amaze visitors with a VR Experience, while Jordan Oral Care will teach young explorers about the dentition of animals and the evolution of human teeth from prehistory to today. In the new “no Wi-Fi” play area, kids can take on challenges with Kapla wooden constructions, rediscovering the joy of analog play.

For the youngest visitors, children up to age 7, Focus Pico will offer workshops to draw, colour, and have fun. There will also be plenty of shows: on Friday, November 7, the day kicks off with a super quiz on sustainability and environmental awareness by Grotte di Frasassi. At 11:00 am, Fondazione AIRC will present its new science show Ricerca(ta) speciale, a journey through experiments, quizzes, and theatrical scenes. Saturday, November 8 at 12:00 pm, the acrobatic family Mr David & the Family will astonish audiences with their performances. On Sunday, November 9 at 4:00 pm, Geronimo and Tea Stilton will meet fans for a show about inventions. Throughout the weekend, artist Raffaele Salvoldi will guide children and adults in building fascinating Kapla structures, transforming imagination into real wooden architecture. Among the special guests, on Saturday at 3:00 pm, science communicator Gianumberto Accinelli will give a talk on the animal world. It’s a perfect chance to experience science as play, learn while having fun, and discover that knowledge can be the most thrilling adventure of all.

The Creators

As in the past three editions, Focus Live 2025 will host the Creators’ Corner, a stage where digital communicators bring science and culture to life on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

This year, audiences will discover that the elements of the periodic table hide stories far more curious, and amusing, than one might think. Is it true, for instance, that drinking gold keeps you young forever? To answer that, there’s Eva Munter (@chimica_in_pillole). For those who’ve always dreaded math class, Professor Rocco Dedda (@unquartodoraconilprof) will share anecdotes that might just spark a passion for numbers. Giulia Ciccarelli (@medicina_in_cucina) and Giulia Biondi (@bilanciamo) will explain how to build a balanced menu, showing that eating is not just a necessity but a mix of culture, health, and well-being. Sara Figura (@laboratologia) will reveal the curiosities behind scientific research, while Silvia Casabianca (@madamstories) tackles a thought-provoking question: who really writes history? And that’s not all. Visitors will also meet the new faces of science communication, the top three finalists of FameLab Italia, the country’s first science communication talent competition, recently held in Perugia.

Special events

To enrich the schedule, as per tradition, on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 November at 8:30 pm, there will be two evening shows, free like all Focus Live events, combining entertainment, mystery, and, of course, science. Kicking off the 2025 special events, La scienza vista dal Basso will feature the hilarious Federico Basso hosting a live quiz that turns scientific curiosity and knowledge into an engaging game full of laughs and learning. On Saturday, the atmosphere turns thrilling with Delitto al museo, where Massimo Polidoro leads the audience through a crime scene set within the Leonardo da Vinci Museum. A captivating crime night showing how science, psychology, and the scientific method help investigators solve even the most complex cases. Two evenings, two different ways to experience science communication. Engaging, entertaining, and full of wonder.

The festival will close on Sunday at 6:30 pm with Luca Perri and Giacomo Moro Mauretto in La passione è un motore o un freno a mano?

Bookings

Event bookings can be made at www.focuslive.it There are two timeslots available: morning (10 am–2 pm) and afternoon (2 pm–8 pm). Those who wish to stay for the whole day can, of course, book tickets for both sessions.

Partners and sponsors

This edition of Focus Live is made possible through the collaboration and support of numerous institutions, research centres, and universities, including: ADMaiora, ASI, Business&Roads, European Gravitational Observatory (EGO), ESA, FBK, Human Technopole, IIT, INAF, Istituto Superiore Sant’Anna, JRC – Joint Research Centre, Kosmos, PLANit – Associazione dei Planetari Italiani, Politecnico di Torino, Smonting, Think About Science, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Università degli Studi di Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, and Università degli Studi di Trieste.

Focus Live is a Mondadori Media event, organised in collaboration with the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci and numerous partners.

MAIN PARTNERS: Eni, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security
PARTNERS: Bayer, Grotte di Frasassi, Humanitas University, Jordan Oral Care, Subito, Toyota Motor Italia
CONTENT PARTNER: AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research, Mondadori Education
OFFICIAL RADIO: R101
In collaboration with the Cultural Olympiad of Milan Cortina 2026
AREA KIDS powered by Focus Junior
With the patronage of the City of Milan

The advertising for Focus Live is managed by Piemme S.p.A., the exclusive sales agency for Focus and other Mondadori Media brands.

The communication campaign and creative design of the event have been developed by Zampe Diverse, with production and organisational management by Left & Right.

The full Focus Live 2025 programme: Schedule: Focus Live 2025

A journey into the heart of research, from space exploration to genetics, from the Big Bang to music. A place to meet astronauts, scientists, athletes, artists and science communicators, to experience science first-hand in every dimension, to explore discoveries and innovations, to learn through curiosity and fun, and to offer everyone the chance to understand and explore our universe in an interactive, engaging way. All this and more is Passion, the theme chosen for the new edition of Focus Live 2025, taking place at the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci in Milan from 7^th to 9^th November, with three days of talks, workshops and immersive experiences.

The Festival of Knowledge, created and organised by Focus –  Italy’s most widely read magazine among enthusiasts of technology, science, sustainability and innovation, directed by Gian Mattia Bazzoli  – reaches its eighth edition this  year, confirming the success of a format that in 2024 attracted and engaged more than 18.000 visitors.

“As every year, Focus Live returns in November. In this new edition, everything is connected by a single thread: passion. This theme truly represents us: it drives the Focus editorial team, and we know it belongs to our readers too, who have always been passionate about science and discovery. But it’s also what we’ve seen in the countless scientists, astronauts, communicators, athletes and explorers who’ve joined us over the years. We’ve seen them up close, met them, and watched them in action. Beyond their undeniable expertise – and sometimes genius – there’s always something they share: an inexhaustible energy. We’ve realised that this passion is what drives a researcher not to give up and an explorer to look beyond the horizon. And it’s exactly this energy we’ll be celebrating from 7^th to 9^th November at the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci in Milan,” said Gian Mattia Bazzoli, Editor-in-Chief of Focus.

Open to the public and completely free of charge (booking required), Focus Live has, for eight years, invited people to reflect on the crucial role of science in shaping our future, and to explore the achievements of human knowledge in an accessible, engaging way: from physics to medicine, biology to genetics, environmental protection to technology and digital communication. Throughout the festival, visitors will be guided on an experiential and exploratory journey to discover how, even in science – where method and rationality reign supreme – passion, together with curiosity, is the essential force that drives researchers to persevere and redefine our future.

Focus Live 2025 will open on Friday 7^th November at 10 a.m. with a very special guest: ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who will share her “space passions”, between personal experiences and reflections on the future of space exploration and research.

The programme will feature over 100 events, with innovative formats, a mix of genres and disciplines – music and nature, theatre and biology, sport and technology, cooking – and a wide range of authoritative voices animating the Main Stage, Speakers’ Corner, Creators’ Corner and Kids Area.

The festival will come to life across its stages, each opening a window on curiosity. On Main Stage, leading figures from science and culture will explore some of today’s most fascinating and topical themes. Among them: how our body might react if it had superpowers; the new frontiers of genetic research with Luigi Naldini, Director of the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy; the Olympic championMara Navarria on science, sacrifice and the joy of achieving a dream; journalist Matteo Bordoneanalysing the age-old bond between humans and cats; physicist Guido Tonelli exploring the “wonder of the quantum void”; and Massimo Temporelli, who will literally draw physics live on stage. Visitors will also discover the chemistry of chocolate with Ernst Knam, learn how neuroscience reveals the unconscious mechanisms behind our purchasing choices with Vincenzo Russo, hear the extraordinary story of a musician who underwent brain surgery while awake with neurosurgeon Christian Brogna, and learn how to avoid the traps of pseudoscience with Beatrice Mautino. The Main Stage will also host key institutional voices, including Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Italy’s Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, who will address the topic of the energy transition.

For those seeking a more focused and personal deep dive, the Speakers’ Corner will offer direct contact with experts. This space will host in-depth dialogues, where visitors can, for example, watch the 3D printing of organs with the University of Milan, explore how artificial intelligence can help prevent crime, discover how organoids work with Simona Lodato  from Humanitas University, and debunk fake news about neurodivergence withAntonella Costantino. They will also be able to look at the future of agriculture with Patrick Gerlich, and go in search of lost civilisations with Carolina Orsini from Mudec in Milan. Next door, the Creators’ Corner will give a platform to digital science communicators who bring science to life on social media every day. For younger visitors (aged 2 to 13), the Kids Area, curated by Focus Junior, will feature a 300-square-metre laboratory where children can discover the joy of STEM subjects by getting hands-on with science. Throughout the festival, attendees can book guided tours of the Leonardo Galleries and the Spazio Area, step into the shoes of a real astronaut at Base Marte, or try The Touch, an innovative sensory escape game blending reality and virtuality in a Mars-based adventure. The new i.lab Sostenibilità will also be open, inviting visitors—through games, experiments, and immersive installations—to understand what makes a product or an action sustainable, taking into account every element within its wider system.

Among the confirmed guests are researcher Nicole Soranzo, who studies the DNA of Europeans; Elio e le Storie Tese, who will deliver a “very serious” lesson on their unique vision of musical passion; astrophysicists  Amedeo Balbi and Luca Perri, and science communicator Federico Taddia with a surprising take on Albert Einstein.

Rounding out the programme will be two evening shows: on Friday 7^th November at 8.30 pm, Federico Basso will host La scienza vista dal Basso, a light-hearted quiz show that makes learning about science fun; while on Saturday 8^th November at 8.30 pm, Massimo Polidoro will present Delitto al museo, an immersive crime night that will take participants inside the minds of investigators and the labs of forensic scientists to solve a mysterious case set in the museum itself.

The festival will close on Sunday at 6.30 pm with Luca Perri and Giacomo Moro Mauretto in La passione è un motore o un freno a mano?

What’s new

Many new features for this year’s edition of the festival. The first big news is that Focus Live 2025 will take place in the Cavallerizze area of the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci. Located next to the Enrico Toti submarine, between the Monumental Building and the Aeronaval Pavilion, the Cavallerizze are today the result of an important architectural restoration and urban redevelopment project. Originally built in the 19^th century, when the Olivetan monastery was converted into barracks, the spaces feature vast interiors, exposed brick walls and large windows.

Inside, visitors will find a large 5-metre-diameter inflatable planetarium, created in collaboration with PLANit. This won’t just be a place to gaze at the night sky, but a truly immersive, hands-on experience.

There will also be another stage — the most immersive of all — located in the Outdoor Area. After all, passion is not just something to listen to, but something to live. The Experience Areas will be richer than ever: visitors can step inside a tent used by researchers from the University of Milano-Bicocca for ice core drilling in glaciers and Antarctica, travel back in time to the Big Bang aboard a massive EGO Observatory truck, explore new worlds through virtual reality headsets, or play with the geometric tessellations of Università Cattolica. They can also test their skills on simulators, challenge artificial intelligence systems, or try rock climbing on an artificial wall — an exciting activity with wide-ranging physical and mental benefits.

Eni will also be part of Focus Live, presenting Supercalcolo, Super passione, an installation designed by Amigdala.ch (a Swiss studio specialising in new technology applications). The project explores the power of supercomputing — the silent force behind research, industry and everyday life — and builds unique stories in real time. Each visitor, through their own choices, will have the chance to create a personalised narrative with AI, both in text and voice form.

Event booking opens today on www.focuslive.it Two time slots are available: morning (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) and afternoon (2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m). Those wishing to stay all day can, of course, book both sessions.

Waiting for Focus Live 2025

Once again, Focus Live extends beyond its three festival days with a series of preparatory events, offering audiences a chance to experience science and culture in advance. For the first time, Aspettando Focus Live has expanded beyond Milan — visiting Naples in May and soon Turin, where on 25^th October at 3:15 p.m. at the Infini.to Planetarium, the event Sotto le stelle di Torino a caccia di nuovi mondi will take place — an immersive journey through exoplanets with astrophysicists. Davide Gandolfi and Gloria Guilluy, experts in exoplanetary research and climate.

Partners and sponsors

This year’s edition of Focus Live is made possible through the collaboration and support of a wide range of institutions, research centres and universities, including: ADMaiora, ASI, Business&Roads, European Gravitational Observatory (EGO), ESA, FBK, Human Technopole, IIT, INAF, Istituto Superiore Sant’Anna, JRC – Joint Research Centre, Kosmos, PLANit – Associazione dei Planetari Italiani, Politecnico di Torino, Smonting, Think About Science, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Università degli Studi di Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Università degli Studi di Trieste.

Focus Live is a Mondadori Media event, organised in collaboration with the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci and numerous partners.

MAIN PARTNERS: Eni, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security

PARTNERS: Bayer, Grotte di Frasassi, Humanitas University, Jordan Oral Care, Subito, Toyota Motor Italia

CONTENT PARTNERS: AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research, Mondadori Education

OFFICIAL RADIO: R101

In collaboration with the Cultural Olympiad of Milan Cortina 2026

AREA KIDS powered by Focus Junior

Advertising sales for Focus Live are managed by Piemme S.p.A., the brand’s exclusive advertising agency.

The communication campaign and creative concept for the event set-up were developed by Zampe Diverse, with production and organisational management by Left & Right.

Focus, the benchmark brand in science popularisation and entertainment, launches “Prisma, il perché delle cose“, a new podcast that responds to the thirst for knowledge of readers and users passionate about the whys of the world.

Every morning, from Monday to Friday, Prisma shares with its listeners a wealth of trivia: from science to politics, technology to current affairs to the basics of human behaviour.

The Focus Podcast is a valuable compass to better understand the world and answer questions such as: Why is the death of a Pope not verified by a doctor? What happens when a blackout occurs? How are we extending the lives of our immortal pets? How does the sequence plan of “Adolescence” work? What does an algorithm really think of you?
In the episodes of  ‘Prisma, il perché delle cose‘, every answer is provided with the scientific rigour, clarity and simplicity that distinguish the Mondadori Media brand.

The podcast is hosted by Giada Giorgi, a science journalist from Focus, who combines the more technical and academic aspects of the story with the curiosity and impact of the topics discussed in everyday life; Giada is joined by experts, technicians, scientists and colleagues.

Prisma makes itself available to its listeners, who can write to the Focus editorial team asking any questions they would like a podcast episode on.

On Focus’s website you can see the schedule with the episodes being released day by day on the main streaming platforms.

Advertising sales for “Prisma, il perché delle cose” are entrusted to the media platform Piemme, which, as the exclusive concessionaire of the Focus and Focus Junior system, will take care of the launch and development of communication projects linked to the new podcast.

To celebrate the centenary of the public opening of the first planetarium, which took place on May 7 1925 at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Focus, the Mondadori Group’s flagship popular science and entertainment brand, is organising a special event in collaboration with the Italian Association of Planetaria (PLANit) and Città della Scienza in Naples, which will be held at the Città della Scienza planetarium in Campania’s capital on Wednesday 7 May starting at 6.30 pm.

The event, which is part of a series of initiatives organised by planetariums around the world, will involve Roberto Ragazzoni, President of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), who, following institutional greetings from the President of Città della Scienza, Riccardo Villari, will give a talk entitled “Immense skies and infinite skies”, focusing on the immense skies of planetariums and the infinite skies that astronomers observe from the tops of the most remote mountains on Earth and from space. This will be followed by a speech by Dario Tiveron, President of PLANit, who will emphasise the importance of planetariums for education and outreach.

“The collaboration with PLANit to celebrate the centenary of planetariums was an extraordinary opportunity for Focus, which we enthusiastically embraced,” continues Gian Mattia Bazzoli, director of Focus. “Planetariums perform a fundamental work of popularising science in a widespread, in-depth and often hidden way that enriches our cultural fabric, stimulates scientific curiosity from a young age and democratises access to astronomical knowledge through unique immersive experiences, all of which deserves our support. This is the reason why we consider it a privilege to have been able to contribute to the production of the Italian version of the 100 Years of Eternity video. Being hosted for the first time in the Città della Scienza planetarium and in the beautiful city of Naples, where we had never organised any initiatives until now, makes this occasion even more special and significant.”

“For 100 years, planetariums have been a bridge between science, culture, art and imagination, places where the wonders of the universe meet audiences of all ages,” explains Dario Tiveron, president of PLANit. “This event is a celebration of their fundamental role in our society, further underlined by the recent acceptance by the Treccani Institute of the term ‘planetarista’ (planetarist), which finally recognises the identity of those who work in planetarium domes, combining extensive and cross-cutting skills.”

The evening will also include a screening of the film 100 Years of Eternity, a 35-minute production created by Tobias Wiethoff and the Bochum planetarium on behalf of GdP (Society of German-speaking Planetariums) specifically for the planetariums’ centenary.

The Naples event is part of a broader collaboration set up between Focus and PLANit to mark the centenary, which includes, in addition to Focus’s contribution to acquiring the licence and creating the Italian version of the video – which has therefore been made available free of charge to all PLANit member planetariums – the presence of the Italian Association of Planetaria at the next Focus Live, which will be held from 7 to 9 November at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, featuring an inflatable planetarium for the three days of the festival.

Starting at 8 pm, outside the planetarium, it will also be possible to observe the sky (weather permitting) thanks to the telescopes of theNeapolitan Astrophile Union.

Great success for “Focus Live -Traguardi” at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, Italy

At the seventh edition of the “Focus” Festival of Knowledge, all of the more than 100 free events were sold out: meetings, workshops and interactive experiences with the stars of science

Segrate, 11 November 2024 – Focus’s festival of knowledge, Focus Live, once again achieved incredible success, with over 18,000 visitors. This is the seventh consecutive year that Focus has carried out this event in collaboration with the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan. The brand demonstrated its digital and social media strength by reaching more than 9.2 million users (a sharp increase from the 2023 edition), with posts, stories and videos shared on the Internet, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Tik Tok, all of which will remain available and will be enriched with new content for fans young and old.

Focus Live – Traguardi hosted 120 nationally renowned scientists, popular science figures, and creators, including Vincenzo Schettini, Telmo Pievani, Dario Bressanini, Teresa Fornaro, Adrian Fartade, Barbara Gallavotti, Tommaso Ghidini, and Massimo Temporelli, who involved the attentive and enthusiastic audience.

“The large participation and turnout at our festival testifies to the fact that there is a great thirst for scientific knowledge in our society”, said Gian Mattia Bazzoli, Director of Focus. “These days we’ve witnessed something extraordinary: science has become a common language, capable of uniting different generations. Celebrating the Achievements of Research and Innovation in all fields, we saw young popular science figures in dialogue with established scientists, resulting in an intergenerational exchange that truly bridged the seemingly distant worlds. This shows that when popular science can be both rigorous and exciting, it succeeds in touching the deepest levels of human curiosity”.

The more than 100 events that made up this seventh edition of the Festival special were all sold out: meetings, talks, workshops, and performances that made participants reflect on the fundamental role of science in shaping our future and illustrate in popular language the achievements of human knowledge. This is all thanks to authoritative voices, innovative formats, a mix of genres, fusions between the arts, music and nature, theatre and biology, sports and technology, embracing the nuances and facets of different languages capable of deep connections and interactions.

Contributing to the excellent result of Focus Live were major players in science and beyond, including: the “Three Musketeers” Adrian Fartade, Elia Bombardelli and Benedetta Colombo, social media popular science figures beloved by the younger generation; Alberto Grandi, food history lecturer and writer; comedian Federico Basso; Giampaolo Ricci, Italian national basketball team member and Doctor of Mathematics, who shared how he managed to combine study with competition at the highest level; Manuel Bortuzzo, bronze medalist in swimming at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, who spoke about his story; and Gian Francesco Giudice, Director of the Department of Theoretical Physics at CERN in Geneva. There was no shortage of Italian Institute of Technology researchers: Adriana Traviglia and Ferdinando Cannella, who brought Ringhio, the first robot archaeologist; Federica Pirrone, Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Milan; Marco Martinelli, popular science figure; and Roberto Valbuzzi, chef and TV host. Ample space was given to health, with Arsela Prelaj, researcher at the National Cancer Institute in Milan, along with Eugenio Santoro, researcher at the Mario Negri Institute and neurosurgeon, Pietro Mortini.

Once again this year, Focus Live gave its many visitors the opportunity to travel into the past or immerse themselves in the future through virtual reality, escape rooms and more, experiencing firsthand how science and technology are shaping the world around us. The experiences at the Experience Area were possible thanks to installations curated by amazing partners like Humanitas University, Scuola Sant’Anna, the Italian Institute of Technology, Airc, Joint Research Centre – European Commission, Politecnico, and the University of Milan.

For children and teens, the Kids area, curated by Focus Junior, offered an even richer program of STEM workshops, with a dedicated stage for talks with writers and scientists. From a magic school to games with graphs; from the use of a digital microscope to travelling around the world with a digital globe; from an escape room to travelling like particles of light to a trip on Santa Claus’s sleigh; from the use of artificial intelligence to write a story to creating a comic, robotics and economics and finance workshops.

Among the new features of this edition were Artificial Intelligence Masterclasses taught by Federico Favot and Jacopo Perfetti of Promptdesign.it, with whom Focus started MYIA, online courses on artificial intelligence. The two lecturers then took the topic to the Main Stage in the talk titled The 7 “Superpowers” You Didn’t Know You Had (Thanks to AI).

Also on display at Focus Live was the suit that will be used by astronauts on the Artemis III mission to return to the Moon, made by Prada and Axiom.

Headlining the Friday and Saturday evenings are two gripping shows: Science Shots, an engaging and interactive conversation between Licia Troisi and Virginia Benzi on the exploration of the unexpected. Then Change the Climate, Change the Music, Change Us Too, a two-voice, three-string, four-composer dialogue on climate change that featured journalist and popular science figure Massimo Polidoro and climatologist Elisa Palazzi on stage along with the Milan Symphony Orchestra ensemble. Closing the festival on Sunday was the lectio magistralis What Makes Us Human by evolutionary philosopher, Telmo Pievani.

Partners and sponsors

Focus Live is a Mondadori Media event, created in collaboration with the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, and numerous partners:

MAIN PARTNER: Eni, ING
PARTNER: Autostrade per l’italia, Bayer, Humanitas University, Jordan Care, Kia, VTech
CONTENT PARTNER: Airc, Deloitte Foundation, Mondadori Education
OFFICIAL RADIO STATION: R101
AREA KIDS powered by Focus Junior

This edition of Focus Live sees the collaboration and support of various institutions, research centres, and universities: Civic Aquarium of Milan, Ars Dimicandi, Asi, Enea, Esa, Bruno Kessler Foundation, Henesis, IIT, Inaf, Joint Research Centre, Civic Museum of Natural History of Milan, Symphony Orchestra of Milan, Shake srl, Civic Planetarium of Milan, Polytechnic University of Milan, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Smonting, Think about Science, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, University of Milan, University of Milan-Bicocca, University of Ferrara and Way experience.

Advertising for Focus Live is curated by Piemme S.p.A, the Mondadori Scienza S.p.A.

Production and administration by the Left&Right event agency. The advertising campaign and the creativity of the installation were conceived by Zampe Diverse with the help of Artificial Intelligence expert Eddy Anselmi, who produced the visuals generated by generative AI.

Focus, the Mondadori Group brand that serves as a point of reference for scientific dissemination and entertainment, has set a goal of bringing audiences closer to the most important technological revolution of our time: artificial intelligence. With this aim and in collaboration with PromptDesign.it, it is launching MYIA, an innovative series of online courses dedicated to learning and using generative AI for everyday life.

The offer includes 3 video courses organised in levels of increasing complexity: basic, intermediate and advanced. These training courses are designed both for people who are approaching the world of AI for the first time and for those who want to deepen their skills and become experts in the use of advanced tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and DALL-E.
With MYIA, users will learn how to make the most of artificial intelligence, improving their productivity, optimising professional work or simply exploring new creative horizons.

The courses offered by Focus are the ideal opportunity for anyone who wants to dive into the future of technology and understand how artificial intelligence is transforming society and the working world. The course is taught by Jacopo Perfetti, co-founder of the PromptDesign.it platform, author of several essays and Fellow of Innovation at SDA Bocconi, and Federico Favot, co-founder of the PromptDesign.it platform, screenwriter and creative producer, and host of the ‘Hacking creativity’ podcast.

The courses do not require prior technical skills and are fully available online through a dedicated platform. The lessons, which are all recorded, can be followed and reviewed at any time, for maximum flexibility. At the end of each course, a personalised certificate of participation is issued, certifying the skills acquired.

THREE CUSTOM COURSES

Each course is divided into 6–8 lessons and are always available in the personal area on the myia.academy website. Additional materials and slides that summarise the basic concepts can be downloaded for each lesson, along with pdf files of the pages of Focus used for exercises and tests.
1) BASIC: Introduction to Generative Artificial Intelligence. Participants who are new to artificial intelligence will learn the basics of generative AI and how to use models like ChatGPT. The course explains fundamental concepts such as creating effective prompts, the impact of AI on society and the conscious use of technology, providing participants with a solid foundation for using AI tools.
2) INTERMEDIATE: Prompt Design Techniques and the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence. This course is intended for people who are already familiar with AI. It focuses on prompt design techniques and the use of different AI models, such as Claude and DALL-E, to generate images, analyze documents and automate processes. Participants will learn how to fully leverage the potential of personalised GPTs and AI tools.
3) ADVANCED: Master in Prompt Design and Automation with Generative Artificial Intelligence. The advanced level of MYIA is aimed at people who wish to become true experts in artificial intelligence. This course explores innovative solutions for generating content, images, audio and video with tools such as DALL-E. It provides the skills needed to integrate AI into complex projects and automate tasks.

MYIA also offers artificial intelligence courses for teachers, created by Mondadori Education and Rizzoli Education with Formazione su Misura. This is an exclusive project dedicated to the practical application of AI in the world of education. And coming soon: AI courses for children in collaboration with Focus Junior.
Further information on the learning pathways and purchase prices of individual courses, as well as the various packages, are available on the myia.academy website.

Focus, in all its forms, is the leading dissemination brand in Italy, with a fanbase of over 7 million users (Social Media Account + Focus Creator), more than 3.3 million unique users (source: Audiweb 2023), a monthly circulation of over 127,000 (source: Ads, January–July 2024) and more than 3.1 million readers every month (source: Audipress 2024/2). 

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will be participating in National Space Day celebrations with a series of initiatives to promote research and the Italian space industry. The event is organized by the diplomatic-consular network, Italian Cultural Institutes and Italian Trade Agency Offices.

‘The strong support for Italian National Space Day reflects the priority given to space diplomacy, which is an integral part of our foreign and security policies and a tool for internationalising businesses,’ says Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani. He reiterates that ‘by reinforcing the network of Space and Science Attachés working at embassies and consulates, [the Ministry] supports companies in seizing opportunities related to the new space economy to encourage investment.’

’This year’s edition,’ adds the Deputy, ‘is particularly significant in view of the International Astronautical Congress, which will be hosted by Italy in Milan in October 2024. This is why we wanted to launch “The Italian Spaceway” project, an exhibition on Italian space research and industry that will travel the world from now until late 2024.’

‘The Italian Spaceway’ is produced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the IAC 2024 Milan Organising Committee and curated by Focus, the science communication brand of the Mondadori Group. It recounts the contribution of Italian research and Made in Italy products in the development of space technologies, with a focus on sustainability. The exhibition presents an engaging and interactive experience to stimulate reflection on the need to protect space and preserve its sustainability in order to protect planet Earth.

Italy is a leading country in the space sector and among the first in the world in terms of activities and research: €7 billion of public investment in the 2021–2026 period, €2 billion in turnover, 300 companies, 12 districts and 6,000 employees.