Pint of Science Rome

Pint of Science returns to Rome

Pint of Science is the world's largest international science communication festival. Born in the UK, it brings research to hundreds of pubs across dozens of countries every year during the same period. The 2026 Italian edition took place from May 18 to 20 in 28 cities and about 90 pubs, involving over three hundred researchers. In Rome, the event was held at the Wishlist Club, a historic venue at Via dei Volsci 126B in the San Lorenzo district, just a stone's throw from the Sapienza University campus.

How it works: science and a pint

The formula is simple and intentionally informal: every evening, starting at 8:00 PM, a researcher talks about their work for about forty minutes, then answers questions from the audience with a beer in hand. There are no academic lectures or endless slides, just a direct dialogue around the pub tables. Those who ask the most curious questions can win an official festival t-shirt. Admission is free and open to everyone, with no scientific background required.

The 2026 program in Rome

The three Roman evenings followed the festival's main thematic strands, led by speakers from INFN, INAF, Sapienza, and the capital's research institutions:

• Monday, May 18 — Dark Matter: A journey into the hunt for the unknown particles that make up the invisible part of the Universe, as part of the Atoms to Galaxies strand.
• Tuesday, May 19 — Emerging and Re-emerging Viruses: A meeting dedicated to our bodies and the challenges of virology in a changing world, covering health surveillance and new epidemics.
• Wednesday, May 20 — The Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence: An evening on the Tech Me Out theme, exploring cryptography, algorithms, and the limits of what AI can truly do.

San Lorenzo, the neighborhood of science at the bar

The choice of San Lorenzo is no coincidence: as a quintessential working-class and university district, with its dense network of pubs, taverns, and cultural spaces, it is the ideal setting for researchers and citizens to meet in a relaxed atmosphere. Pint of Science Rome thus fits into a tradition of grassroots science communication that the Municipality of Rome and the major scientific institutions of Lazio have supported for years, bringing the general public closer to contemporary research topics: from astrophysics to medicine, from particle physics to artificial intelligence.

An international festival rooted in the Capital

Present in Rome for several editions, the festival is supported nationally by organizations such as INFN and INAF and involves local universities and research centers. The Roman leg is one of the most attended in Italy and confirms the capital as one of the country's most vibrant scientific hubs, capable of turning pubs into open-air classrooms for three nights.