Art and sustainability meet in the second edition of Planetaria – Stories that speak to the future.

From September 26 to 28, the second edition of Planetaria – Stories that Speak to the Future returns to the Teatro della Pergola and the Giunti Odeon – Libreria e Cinema in Florence, under the artistic direction of Stefano Accorsi. During these three days, science and art meet to explore the changing world : scientists, actors and actresses, singers and authors will present shows, talks and events, all free of charge, to explore the urgent needs of the present and imagine possible futures through stories and insights into environmental, social and economic sustainability.

Sea warming off the Italian coast, air pollution in modern cities, conflicts between different economic models, and the exploitation and protection of nature are just some of the topics covered with reference to local situations, from Puglia to Veneto to Lombardy, as part of a mapping of the national territory begun in the previous edition.

Actresses Matilda de Angelis , Pilar Fogliati, Teresa Saponangelo , and actor Matteo Giuggioli will be appearing for the first time at Planetaria 2025, along with returning stars such as Nicolas Maupas. Together with artistic director Stefano Accorsi, they will star in “ Conferenze Immaginarie,” three shows dedicated to the future of the environment and society . Written by Filippo Gentili and Giulia Gianni, along with various scientists, they are an original format conceived by Planetaria. Sold out in the festival's successful first edition, they will take place every evening at 9 pm at the Teatro della Pergola. Joining the actors on stage will be the aforementioned Giulio Boccaletti , who will present his latest book, “Il Futuro della Natura” (Mondadori), Claudia Pasquero , and economist Francesco Perrini of Bocconi University .

Among the new features of this edition is Planetaria Sound , a section entirely dedicated to music, featuring artists committed to sustainability issues such as Ariete and Alfa , who will discuss the environment on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 September respectively. Furthermore, Planetaria Screenings is a series of screenings of films and short films on the environment and society at the Giunti Odeon – Libreria e Cinema cultural centre, in collaboration with the Ferrara Film Corto Festival (whose theme is “Environment is Music”), and with NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, which will screen some short films created as part of the Media Design and New Technologies Area of ​​the Milan and Rome campuses.

The Planetaria Talks are back again this year, featuring afternoon meetings with scientists, entrepreneurs, and civil society figures introduced by Stefano Accorsi and moderated by Lorenzo Luporini.

The event is also open to the littlest ones with Planetaria Junior , which organizes meetings and shows for families, offering a simple and fun way to discover how nature and science work. Starting each day with "Planetini," the format debuting with a brand new offering, a show-workshop where young spectators can be amazed by scientific experiments that help them understand how climate change works. There are also robotics workshops by the Golinelli Foundation to understand how the circular economy works, storytimes in English in collaboration with Kids&Us , and an unmissable live session created in collaboration with Antoniano , featuring some of the most famous Zecchino d'Oro hits. The surprises don't end there. With the Planetaria Experience section, the Teatro della Pergola will become home to interactive installations and sculptures: "Ocean Suite – the sound of the ocean," an audiovisual installation in collaboration with Antonio Navarra and Laura Panzera based on a study by the CMCC; "Futuropoli," a model of the cities of tomorrow, created by the participants and curated by the Golinelli Foundation; and "C'era due volte," a collective action transforming waste materials into creatures and animals, in collaboration with Airbank.

Planetaria is a large-scale collective conversation born from a new and powerful alliance between science and art to discuss sustainability and the major changes in the world. It helps us process the enormous amount of data and information we're bombarded with every day and navigate the good and bad news, fears, hopes, and new insights. The project thus aims to overcome the traditional barriers of scientific communication to reach the heart of a large and diverse audience, uniting diverse voices that enrich each other: actors, scientists, artists, musicians, institutions, and companies. A cross-media and widespread platform, made up of physical events and digital content , with the goal of stimulating a broad and engaging civic dialogue.

Conceived by Stefano Accorsi and Filippo Gentili , theater director, Planetaria is produced and curated by Superhumans , in collaboration with the Fondazione Teatro della Toscana , and organized under the patronage of the European Commission , MASE – Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, and the Municipality of Florence. Planetaria's scientific committee is made up of Giulio Boccaletti, scientific director of the CMCC (Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change), Claudia Pasquero (University of Milan – Bicocca), and Stefano Pogutz (Bocconi University).