Sorrento Coast Science Festival
Science communication across the Sorrento Peninsula
About Sorrento Coast Science Festival
Science arrives on the Sorrento Peninsula
The Sorrento Coast Science Festival is a science communication event established in 2026 on the Sorrento Peninsula, in Campania. It is promoted by the cultural services cooperative IANUAE and the SLAM association, with the support of the municipalities of Sorrento, Metà, Piano di Sorrento, Sant'Agnello, and Massa Lubrense, and in collaboration with the Fondazione Sorrento. The organizers' stated goal is ambitious: to turn this corner of the Metropolitan City of Naples, world-renowned for its sea and lemon groves, into a national landmark for scientific culture.
A festival spread across five municipalities
The chosen format is that of a distributed festival: activities are not concentrated in a single venue but span the entire peninsula, transforming it into a large open-air laboratory. Within a few kilometers, the public moves between historic theaters like the Teatro Tasso in Sorrento and the Teatro delle Rose in Piano di Sorrento, mansions and parks such as Villa Fiorentino and Villa Fondi, naturalistic spaces like the Oasi WWF in città in Sant'Agnello and the Baia di Ieranto managed by FAI, as well as civic halls in Metà and the Alimuri beach. Museums are also part of the circuit: the «Georges Vallet» Archaeological Museum of the Sorrento Peninsula in Piano di Sorrento and the Museo Correale di Terranova in Sorrento open their doors to participants with discounted rates.
The theme of Migrations
The first edition chose Migrations as its guiding thread, with Ulysses and the Sirens as the lead image — a direct nod to the mythology that has always accompanied this coast. The theme was interpreted from a scientific rather than a political perspective: movement as a vital force and a fundamental operating principle of every system, whether natural or social. From the routes of migratory birds to the invisible journey of pollen and spores, from alien species colonizing the Mediterranean to the circulation of knowledge, every discipline offered its own perspective. This was a deliberate choice in a territory that has always been a place of passage, encounter, and exchange between the Mediterranean and the Campania hinterland.
Workshops for all ages
The festival's daily heart consists of scientific workshops, interactive and itinerant, designed for both adults and children and hosted every afternoon in four different locations. Highlights from the first edition included:
- Villa Fiorentino (Sorrento) — microscopy and botany, grafting agronomy, olive growing, soil studies, and hydroponic cultivation.
- Oasi WWF in città (Sant'Agnello) — zoology of migrations and alien species, genetics and biochemistry, archaeology, topography, and orientation.
- Villa Fondi (Piano di Sorrento) — Web-GIS, artificial intelligence, and marine biology, featuring the return of the monk seal to Campania.
- Alimuri Beach (Metà) — astronomy and cosmic distances, microplastic monitoring, and sea turtle tracking.
Scientific walks and conferences
Alongside the workshops, scientific walks guide small groups to discover the rural landscapes of citrus farming, ancient paths accessing the peninsula, and the soundscapes of the Baia di Ieranto, interpreted through bioacoustics. Conferences, hosted in theaters and civic halls, bring together university researchers, representatives from ESA and the United Nations, and some of Italy's most popular science communicators. The festival also features spectacular elements, including theatrical science monologues and a scientific dinner curated by the Frame – Divagazioni Scientifiche collective.
Schools and the territory
A significant portion of the program is reserved for local schools, involved in morning sessions with dedicated meetings and hands-on activities. The festival also relies on a network of local partners — WWF Terre del Tirreno, Archeoclub Lubrense, ASOIM, AIAPP, Punta Campanella Marine Protected Area, and FAI – Baia di Ieranto — which ensures first-hand naturalistic and archaeological expertise.
When it takes place
The Sorrento Coast Science Festival takes place in April, at the beginning of the pleasant season, when the Sorrento Peninsula is already in bloom but not yet crowded by summer tourism: an ideal time to combine participation in meetings with a slow discovery of the territory.
Sorrento Coast Science Festival — edition 2026
The inaugural edition of the Sorrento Coast Science Festival was held from April 9 to 12, 2026, involving the five municipalities of the Sorrento Peninsula, in Campania. Promoted by the IANUAE cooperative and the SLAM association with the support of the municipalities and the Fondazione Sorrento, the event offered a packed program of conferences, workshops, excursions, and shows.
The chosen theme, Migrations, spanned all disciplines: from the climate crisis to bird routes, from Mediterranean alien species to the history of citrus fruits, and the search for extraterrestrial life recounted by astronaut Umberto Guidoni. Evenings alternated between communication and entertainment, with Federico Benuzzi's "Dreaming Physics" at the Teatro Tasso and the monologue "I'm here for chaos" by Barbascura X at the Teatro delle Rose in Piano di Sorrento closing the event.
Every afternoon, four venues — Villa Fiorentino in Sorrento, the WWF Oasis in Sant'Agnello, Villa Fondi in Piano di Sorrento, and Alimuri Beach in Metà — hosted interactive workshops open to all ages, while mornings were largely dedicated to local schools.
Programme Sorrento Coast Science Festival 2026
Thursday, April 9
- 10:00–11:30 — "What is happening to our planet?", with G. Aulicino, A. I. Ferola (ESA), and A. De Vito (UN) — "Camillo Paturzo" Multipurpose Hall, Metà.
- 15:30–17:30 — Scientific workshops at Villa Fiorentino (Sorrento), Oasi WWF in città (Sant'Agnello), Villa Fondi (Piano di Sorrento), and Alimuri Beach (Metà).
Friday, April 10
- 10:00–12:00 — "Dreaming Physics", with Federico Benuzzi — Teatro Tasso, Sorrento.
- 15:30–17:30 — Scientific workshops at the four venues.
- 18:30–20:00 — "Food without borders", with Alberto Grandi and Beatrice Mautino — Teatro Tasso, Sorrento.
- 20:30–23:00 — "Dining with science", with Frame – Divagazioni Scientifiche — Hotel Conca Park, Sorrento (mandatory reservation).
- Scientific walk in Sant'Agnello on rural citrus landscapes.
Saturday, April 11
- 09:30–10:00 — Scientific press review, with Enrica Favaro and Alberto Agliotti — Villa Fiorentino, Sorrento.
- 15:00–16:30 — "The search for extraterrestrial life", with astronaut Umberto Guidoni — Antica Basilica, Massa Lubrense.
- 15:30–17:30 — Scientific workshops at the four venues.
- 18:00–19:30 — "Metastasis: origin and treatment", with Massimo Di Maio and Natalia Russo — MSC Centre, Sant'Agnello.
- Scientific walk in Piano di Sorrento on historic landscapes and ancient access routes.
Sunday, April 12
- 10:00–12:00 — Scientific workshops at Alimuri Beach (Metà) and other venues.
- 17:00–18:30 — "Citrus fruits, a history of the world", with Giuseppe Barbera, G. Lo Pilato, and A. De Angelis — Hotel Conca Park, Sorrento.
- 21:00–23:00 — "I'm here for chaos", show by Barbascura X — Teatro delle Rose, Piano di Sorrento (mandatory reservation).
- Scientific walk at Baia di Ieranto on soundscapes, bioacoustics, and migrations.
Workshops (15:30–17:30, daily)
- Villa Fiorentino, Sorrento — "Invisible migrants: a small journey through pollen and spores", grafting and tree crops, conscious agriculture, olive growing, "Is it just soil?", hydroponics.
- Oasi WWF in città, Sant'Agnello — "Routes to discover, secrets to explore", "The Alien that came from Earth", "Invisible migrations: DNA and bacteria", "Memory pieces", topography and orientation, "Animal detective: who passed by here?".
- Villa Fondi, Piano di Sorrento — cardinal points, archaeology, Web-GIS, artificial intelligence, "The return of the monk seal to Campania".
- Alimuri Beach, Metà — "Migrations and astronomical distances", "Hunting for microplastics", "On the tracks of sea turtles".
Highlights Sorrento Coast Science Festival 2026
Prices Sorrento Coast Science Festival 2026
Practical information — Sorrento Coast Science Festival
Where
Activities take place in multiple venues across Sorrento, Metà, Piano di Sorrento, Sant'Agnello, and Massa Lubrense, in the province of Naples. In Sorrento, the main venues are Villa Fiorentino and the Teatro Tasso.
How to get there
Sorrento is the terminus of the Circumvesuviana railway (Naples–Sorrento line, EAV), the easiest way to reach the peninsula from Naples and Pompeii. In high season, sea connections from Naples Beverello and Capri are also available. By car, take the SS145 Sorrentina: parking in historic centers is limited, so it is better to use paid parking lots on the outskirts. Travel between the five municipalities is easily managed via SITA buses or by train.
Tickets and reservations
Most events offer free admission until capacity is reached. Some activities require mandatory reservations (evening shows, scientific dinner, walks), and workshops must be booked online. Scientific walks require a small contribution; participating museums offer reduced rates to registered attendees.
Information
Updated program, registration forms, and contact details are available on the official website sorrentocoastsciencefestival.it, or via the organization's contact channels.
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Where does it take place — Sorrento Coast Science Festival
Villa Fiorentino, Teatro Tasso e sedi diffuse in Penisola Sorrentina