La Campania is preparing to welcome a scientific excellence of European level: the planetary largest on the continent. The structure, which will be called St. Peter's, is financed by the Campania region and will take advantage of a synergy between the municipal administration and the academic world.
The collaboration agreement, signed today between the University of Napoli Federico II and the Municipality of Montecorvino Rovella (Salerno), represents a fundamental step towards the creation of a cutting-edge scientific hub.
A center of excellence for astronomical research
“Federico II is committed to collaborating with the Municipality of Montecorvino Rovella for the use of a new extraordinary planetarium capable not only of entertaining people, of telling the beauty of the cosmos – declared the rector Matteo Lorito – but it will be above all a structure dedicated to science and research to be able to arrive at new discoveries”.
This impressive project, destined to become the largest planetarium in Europe, will offer unprecedented opportunities for students, researchers and PhD students at the Federico II University.
The structure, already partially built and awaiting the last tranche of funding for its completion, will become a real laboratory where students will be able to carry out supplementary teaching activities and training internships, PhD students will collaborate in the design and implementation of specific lines of research and researchers will have access to cutting-edge technologies for the study of the universe.
Excellent training and scientific dissemination
"It will be the largest planetarium in Europe. We want it to become a study center and we have chosen Federico II to offer students the opportunity to learn and practice in a suitable and futuristic structure."
Thus Mayor Martino D'Onofrio, underlining the importance of academic collaboration. The agreement provides for the development of joint programs in the areas of orientation, training, teaching, research and scientific dissemination.
Professor Giovanni Covone, professor of Astrophysics and Astronomy, winner of the Asimov Prize in 2024, referent of the agreement for the University of Federico II highlighted: "Our students will have the opportunity to study in a state-of-the-art facility. It will be an opportunity for them to grow, but it will also be useful for the teachers and astrophysicists of Federico II".
A strategic investment for the future of Italian astronomical research
This collaboration represents a strategic investment for the future of Italian astronomical research, positioning Campania as a European reference center for the study of the cosmos and offering the academic community an unprecedented scientific tool in the continental panorama. The territory of Montecorvino Rovella already has a tradition in this field and has boasted the presence of an astronomical observatory dedicated to the astronomer Gian Camillo Gloriosi, a native of the town of Salerno, since 1986.
Article published on 19 February 2025 - 20:02
