Futuro Remoto

The festival that pioneered science communication in Italy

Founded in 1987, Futuro Remoto is the first science festival ever held in Italy and one of the longest-running science communication events in Europe. Promoted by the Fondazione Idis - Città della Scienza, it takes place in Naples, Campania, within the former industrial site of Bagnoli, now converted into a science centre. For nearly forty years, the festival has transformed Via Coroglio into a vast open laboratory where researchers, teachers, artists, students, and curious visitors gather to reflect on possible futures and how today's choices shape the world of tomorrow.

A journey between science and science fiction

The 39th edition, which ran from October 2025 to February 2026, was titled A Journey Between Science and Science Fiction: an invitation to use imagination as a research tool, bridging the gap between speculative literature and cinema with the daily work of laboratories. The festival is no longer confined to a single weekend but is spread over several months, with events scheduled primarily on weekdays to accommodate school groups and during public opening hours.

The three major themes

The thematic path of Futuro Remoto revolves around key transitions that are reshaping our lives:

• Sustainable development: circular economy, material reuse, and ecological transitions in domestic habits;
• One Health: the approach linking human, animal, and ecosystem health;
• Digital transition: artificial intelligence, interfaces, new languages, and emerging professions;
• Culture and well-being: the role of museums and heritage in community quality of life.

The program: spectacular conferences, Future Labs, and citizen science

The Futuro Remoto format blends different styles. Spectacular conferences bring scientists and communicators to the stage using theatrical and visual storytelling. Future Labs are half-day, limited-capacity practical workshops dedicated to specific topics, ranging from plastic transformation to digital interfaces, and from Egyptian blue to mathematics applied to health. Additionally, there are cross-disciplinary paths that run throughout the season:

• Per Domani (For Tomorrow), orientation days for students choosing their post-school path;
• Il Museo che verrà (The Museum to Come), professional training for museum staff in Southern Italy, organized with ICOM Italia;
• Citizen science activities, where the public directly participates in data collection and analysis;
• Reflection formats such as Percorsi di senso, Passione politica, and Chi viene a cena.

A network of universities and research centres

Futuro Remoto is not an isolated event but the culmination of a network: the event collaborates with Campanian universities (Federico II, Vanvitelli, L'Orientale, Parthenope, Suor Orsola Benincasa, Salerno, and Sannio), the CNR with its Neapolitan institutes, the Campania Region, and numerous national research bodies. Recent years have seen new collaborations with ICOM Italia and Art Days - Napoli Campania, marking an increasingly close dialogue between science, art, and culture.

Towards the 40th edition

Città della Scienza has announced that the 40th edition of Futuro Remoto is in preparation for November-December 2026, with the stated goal of building new alliances between art, science, culture, and sustainability—a direction also reflected in the meeting with Michelangelo Pistoletto and Cittadellarte in Biella. Exact dates and the detailed program have not yet been released: it is recommended to follow the official website and Città della Scienza's channels for updates.

Why it is worth visiting

For those visiting Naples, Futuro Remoto is an opportunity to discover a less touristy and highly contemporary side of the city: Bagnoli, the gulf, the islet of Nisida in the background, and a science museum built inside a former factory. For families and schools in Campania, it is a staple of the school year, capable of making research tangible without ever losing the sense of play and wonder.