(Piccolo) Festival della Divulgazione
Science, culture, and widespread knowledge in the Bolognese plain
About Festival della Divulgazione
A festival for those who love to understand
The (Piccolo) Festival della Divulgazione is a widespread event that transforms the territory of the Unione Reno Galliera, in the plain north of Bologna, into a large laboratory of shared knowledge every spring. Born in San Giorgio di Piano (Metropolitan City of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna) and growing edition after edition, the festival approaches dissemination with scientific rigor and accessible language, with the stated goal of offering quality culture and acting as an antidote to disinformation and pseudoscience.
Six Municipalities, one territory
Despite having its historical headquarters in the San Giorgio di Piano library, where the event originated, the festival is a widespread event: appointments take place in six Municipalities of the Unione Reno Galliera — San Giorgio di Piano, Argelato, Bentivoglio, Castel Maggiore, Pieve di Cento, and San Pietro in Casale. Oratories, libraries, civic halls, art galleries, and outdoor spaces become meeting places between scholars, disseminators, and citizens.
Themes: from science to philosophy
The program ranges lightly across different disciplines: science, environment and climate, physics, history, philosophy, psychology, art, nature photography, and even music, with shows that intertwine dissemination and performance languages. Alongside the sixteen main meetings, a network of collateral initiatives — photographic exhibitions, guided tours, workshops for schools, and nature excursions — further broadens the offer.
Accessible and free knowledge
The distinctive feature of the event is its popular vocation: almost all events are free entry, with booking recommended to secure a seat. It is a model of widespread culture that the Metropolitan City of Bologna and the Legislative Assembly of the Emilia-Romagna Region support with their patronage, recognizing its civic as well as cultural value.
Why it's worth it
In an era of fragmented information, the (Piccolo) Festival della Divulgazione offers a different experience: listening to authoritative voices, asking questions, testing one's own ideas. For those living in the Bolognese plain, but also for those coming from elsewhere, it is an opportunity to discover a vibrant and curious territory, where knowledge is a shared asset.
Festival della Divulgazione — edition 2026
The fifth edition of the (Piccolo) Festival della Divulgazione animated the territory of the Unione Reno Galliera from March 6 to April 12, 2026, with sixteen main meetings and a rich network of collateral initiatives — photographic exhibitions, guided tours, excursions, and workshops for schools. The common thread remained the slogan 'bring your curiosity': a journey through science, environment, history, physics, philosophy, and nature photography, featuring leading voices in Italian dissemination. The events were held in San Giorgio di Piano, Argelato, Bentivoglio, Castel Maggiore, Pieve di Cento, and San Pietro in Casale, almost all with free admission.
Programme Festival della Divulgazione 2026
March 6 — San Giorgio di Piano
- 9:00 PM — Davide Zanin, 'Gli altri animali tra noi' (Other Animals Among Us), on wildlife conservation (Oratorio San Giuseppe). Simultaneously, inauguration of Davide Zanin's photographic exhibition at the Library.
March 7
- Serena Giacomin on climate change.
March 8
- 5:00 PM — Giulio Boccaletti with 'Le forme dell'acqua' (The Forms of Water), a concert-conference on water security with the Ben.Ti.Voglio Orchestra.
March 10
- 9:00 PM — Eric Gobetti on the history of Italy during the Second World War.
March 11
- 9:00 AM — CRAC theatrical performance dedicated to great scientific discoveries (for schools).
March 13 — San Pietro in Casale
- 9:00 PM — Roy Menarini on contemporary cinema.
March 14
- Guided tour of the art collection; 9:00 PM — Mariasole Bianco on ocean conservation.
March 15
- 11:00 AM — Historical excursion to Monte Sole with guide Aldo Becca.
March 18
- 9:00 PM — Beccamorta, on the history of funeral rites and memory.
March 20
- 9:00 PM — Lorenzo Paletti, scientific magic show.
March 21
- 9:00 PM — Claudio Morici in 'La malattia dell'ostrica' (The Oyster's Disease) (paid event, Agorà season).
March 22
- 5:00 PM — Nicolò Oppicelli, on fungi.
March 24 — Pieve di Cento
- 9:00 PM — Anna D'Errico, on smell and the brain.
March 26
- 5:00 PM — Pierdomenico Memeo, 'Il labirinto della Sibilla' (The Sibyl's Labyrinth), interactive experience (ages 10+).
March 27
- 9:00 PM — Roberta Fulci, on pain and science.
March 28
- 9:00 PM — Dario Bressanini, on nutrition and thermodynamics.
March 29
- 5:00 PM — Marco Colombo, on river conservation and nature photography.
April 1
- 9:00 PM — Federica Cevolani, on the use of devices among children and adolescents.
April 2
- 5:00 PM — Mariachiara Mazzanti workshop on insect architecture.
April 12
- 9:30 AM — Foraging walk along the Reno River; 5:00 PM — Fabio Ciconte on food systems.
Highlights Festival della Divulgazione 2026
Prices Festival della Divulgazione 2026
Practical information — Festival della Divulgazione
Where
Widespread events in the Municipalities of San Giorgio di Piano, Argelato, Bentivoglio, Castel Maggiore, Pieve di Cento, and San Pietro in Casale (Unione Reno Galliera, Metropolitan City of Bologna). Main venue: Municipal Library of San Giorgio di Piano.
Admission and booking
Free admission to almost all events (exceptions are shows included in the Agorà theater season). Booking recommended through the San Giorgio di Piano Library: tel. 051 6638529 — email [email protected].
How to get there
San Giorgio di Piano is located about 15 km north of Bologna and can be reached by car from the SS64 Porrettana or the Bologna highway exit; train and bus connections link it to the provincial capital. The various Municipalities of the event are easily connected to each other in the Bolognese plain.
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Where does it take place — Festival della Divulgazione
Biblioteca comunale e luoghi diffusi dell'Unione Reno Galliera
Via della Libertà 35, 40016 San Giorgio di Piano