Futuro Remoto

The festival that pioneered science communication in Italy

Founded in 1987, Futuro Remoto is the first science festival ever organized 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 the city of Naples, in the Campania region, within the former industrial area 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 minds meet 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, held 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 speculative literature and cinema with the daily work of laboratories. That edition was not confined to a single weekend but 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 several major transitions that are changing our lives:

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

The program: show-conferences, Future Labs, and citizen science

The formula of Futuro Remoto blends different styles. The show-conferences bring scientists and communicators to the stage using theatrical and visual language. The Future Labs are hands-on, limited-capacity half-day workshops dedicated to specific topics: from plastic transformation to digital interfaces, from Egyptian blue to mathematics applied to health. There were also the cross-disciplinary paths of the last season:

• For Tomorrow, orientation days for students choosing their post-school paths;
• The Museum to Come, training for museum professionals in Southern Italy, organized with ICOM Italia;
• Citizen science activities, where the public participates directly in data collection and analysis;
• Reflection formats such as Paths of Meaning, Political Passion, and Who's Coming to Dinner.

A network of universities and research centers

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

The 40th edition: "Imagining Futures"

The 40th edition of Futuro Remoto, marking the fortieth anniversary of the first Italian science festival, has been announced by Città della Scienza for November-December 2026. It opens in Naples from November 10 to 15, 2026, under the theme "Imagining Futures," with the stated goal of building new alliances between art, science, culture, and sustainability—a path also initiated through the meeting with Michelangelo Pistoletto and Cittadellarte in Biella. The program will be presented by Città della Scienza at a press conference on October 16, 2026; details of the events can be found on the official website.

Why it's 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 tone of play and wonder.