geo&star EXPERIENCE

CAVE&STAR è an experiential activity that takes place after the daily closure of the underground site.

The excursion is organized in a sensory manner by specialized staff and allows you to explore a section of the cave located in the “large caverns” area, alternating between educational and informative content and sensory and emotional experiences.

The cave experience will stimulate an understanding of the sensations of the first explorers, their fears, and the emotions generated by the unknown. It will reveal the concept of “time,” emphasizing the connection between geological time and astronomical time, between inner exploration and experiential activities that take place beyond the infinite space, allowing for an effective introduction to the second laboratory experience, the physical/astronomical one.

After approximately 1 hour of experiential exploration, participants are guided to the Franco Anelli Museum, where another “journey” begins, this time into the vastness of the cosmos and the wonders of the starry sky. Following a brief introduction about the purposes and scientific research objectives by the amateur astronomers from the Sirio Astronomical Observatory, the starry sky is presented, with various constellations, asterisms, and astronomical objects visible at our latitudes. Participants learn to recognize the brightest stars and orient themselves by finding the cardinal points using only naked-eye observations. The workshop then includes the direct observation of celestial objects through a telescope during the evening.

It is important to note that if, due to weather conditions, it is not possible to conduct astronomical observations outside, a reception area is set up inside the museum where various astronomical-themed workshops are activated. This may include viewing 3D videos and a 2D planetarium called “Stellarium.”