The Polo Museale - Sapienza Cultura (PMSC) presents the official program for the Maggio Museale event, which will take place on Saturday, May 23, as part of the European Night of Museums 2026. This prestigious international event dedicated to the promotion and enhancement of cultural heritage will kick off at 3:00 PM in the university city of Sapienza University of Rome, continuing seamlessly into the Night of Museums, starting at 8:00 PM, when the evening opening will be inaugurated by a concert from the Ensemble MuSa Blues, conducted by Maestro Stefano Ciuffi in the Odeion Hall of the Museum of Classical Art. The entire day will be dedicated to art, science, and culture, featuring a rich free program of exhibitions, seminars, themed guided tours, and educational workshops aimed at families, children, and students. All initiatives will run until midnight.
The ninth edition of Maggio Museale marks a significant moment for the University, which, with the new Polo Museale - Sapienza Cultura center, will present to the public for the first time the expansion of its cultural offerings, uniting museums, a botanical garden, theater, music, and cinema into a single structure.
The 2026 edition includes the participation of 17 museums from the Museum Section of Polo Museale - Sapienza Cultura, along with the Eurotales Laboratory – Museum of the Languages of Europe, which is present for the second consecutive year. It offers a wide and cross-disciplinary cultural program that spans various disciplines, from archaeology to natural sciences, from medicine to contemporary art.
**PROGRAM**
**MUSEUM OF ETRUSCAN AND ITALIC ANTIQUITIES | Director: Prof. Alessandro Conti**
Opening hours: 3:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Guided tour timings: 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Among the unmissable events at the Museum of Etruscan and Italic Antiquities is the inauguration of the exhibition "Etruscan Blue, Etruscan Gold" at 6:00 PM, in the MAEI halls annexed to the MAC. The exhibition explores the charm and significance of two extraordinary materials – Egyptian blue and gold – which were prominent in Etruscan sanctuaries. Through contexts and artifacts from Pyrgi, Cerveteri, Tarquinia, Gravisca, Orvieto, and Marzabotto, the exhibition pathway guides visitors on a fascinating journey through precious raw materials, ancient processing techniques, and objects of extraordinary artistic and craftsmanship quality. For children, two workshops are planned: "Etruscan Puzzle: the Museum's Mystery Hunt" – a fun treasure hunt through the Museum's halls – and "Indecipherable? Let's Write in Etruscan," to learn to read and write like true Etruscan scribes. The Museum of Etruscan and Italic Antiquities will also host a seminar in the Odeion of the Museum of Classical Art, linked to the morning's opening exhibition, titled "Etruscan Blue, Etruscan Gold: Precious Materials, Sources of Supply, and Contexts in the Craftsmanship of Etruria's Cities," aiming to reinterpret the craftsmanship activities of central Tyrrhenian Italy before the phenomenon of Romanization. In the evening, in the small hall of the Museum of Etruscan and Italic Antiquities, there will be a concert "Etruscan Avant-garde: a story of Etruscan culture between music and vocal experimentation," an original composition written for vocal ensemble that integrates archaeological narration with a suggestive experience. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**MUSEUM OF GEOGRAPHY | Director: Prof. Riccardo Morri**
Opening hours: 3:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Guided tour timings: continuous from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
At the Museum of Geography, visitors can explore the exhibition "Sound Geographies," a sensory journey through the SOUND GEOGRAPHIES of our extraordinary geo-documentary and cartographic heritage. Additionally, two workshops for children are planned: the first, titled "What a bore this museum! ... Or maybe not?" focuses on building and representing mountains, and the second is dedicated to geographical readings for younger audiences, called "The World on a Page." For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY "Giuseppe Sergi" | Director: Prof. Fabio Di Vincenzo**
Opening hours: 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Guided tour timings: at 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM
Among the most engaging activities for children at the Museum of Anthropology is the workshop "Meet the Ancestor," which allows participants to travel up the tree of human evolution and meet their ancestors from Lucy to Neanderthals, on a journey back in time among bipedal apes and stone-age hunter-gatherers. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**MUSEUM LABORATORY OF CONTEMPORARY ART – MLAC | Director: Prof.ssa Francesca Gallo**
Opening hours: 3:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Continuous guided tours for small groups
The Museum Laboratory of Contemporary Art is presenting the exhibition "Alì Assaf. Works 1973-2011," the first Italian solo exhibition of Alì Assaf, an Iraqi artist who has been in Rome for fifty years, with a guided tour alongside curator Arianna Desideri at 6:00 PM. From 3:00 PM, a children's workshop titled "Paper Windows" invites participants to create their own "window" inspired by Alì Assaf's work "Fabric Windows." Following this, two seminars suitable for all ages will take place: in the MLAC and MVOEM spaces, at 9:00 PM, there will be a performance by artist Alì Assaf; at 9:00 PM, the documentary-interview "Special Features: Foreigner" (1987, 17’) will be screened for the first time, produced in 1987 and featuring Alì Assaf recounting his migration experience from Iraq and his relationship with the city of Rome. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**MUSEUM OF ORIGINS | Director: Prof.ssa Giulia Recchia**
Opening hours: 3:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Guided tour timings: 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
At the Museum of Origins, the public can visit the exhibition "New Readings for Prehistory," showcasing new displays of wooden artifacts from the Bronze Age (4200-3400 years ago) from the pile-dwelling of Ledro (TN). Children will have the opportunity to participate in two workshops: "The Life of a Hunter-Gatherer," based on observing the life of an ancient hunter-gatherer and attempting to reproduce some replicas of the first stone and bone tools used by our ancestors to hunt and gather, and "A Day as an Archaeologist," exploring the museum's garden in search of artifacts and learning how a proper survey is conducted. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ANATOMY "Battista Grassi" | Director: Prof. Mattia Toni**
Opening hours: 6:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Guided tour timings: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM – 10:00 PM
For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**HERBARIUM MUSEUM | Director: Prof.ssa Donatella Magri**
Opening hours: 3:00 PM - 12:00 AM
The Herbarium Museum will welcome visitors with the exhibition "Botanical Wonders," which will be continuously accessible, leading to the discovery of the hidden treasures of the herbarium. Throughout the afternoon and evening, a series of workshops for both adults and children will take place, all without reservation: it starts at 3:30 PM with "Harry Potter's Plants," followed by hourly activities dedicated to creating a herbarium titled "Creating a Herbarium," and the workshops "Fossil Plant Hunters," "Killer Plants," and "Drunken Botany," exploring poisonous species and plants involved in beverage production, culminating in more contemporary themes such as the digitization of herbarium samples through the workshop "The Herbarium of the Future" and observing the forest under the microscope ("The Forest under the Microscope"). The evening ends with the workshop "Treasures of the Herbarium Museum" at 10:30 PM. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**MUSEUM OF MERCEOLOGY | Director: Prof.ssa Donatella Restuccia**
Opening hours: 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Continuous guided tours
The Museum of Merceology offers continuous guided visits and a creative workshop with prior reservation for children. "Invisible Threads: Create and Discover Your Tapestry" – from threads to microscope: a journey between art and textile science takes place in two shifts, at 3:30 PM and 5:30 PM, combining hands-on activity and scientific observation: children will create a small tapestry and discover the structure of textile fibers under the microscope. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**MUSEUM OF THE NEAR EAST, EGYPT, AND MEDITERRANEAN | Director: Prof.ssa Marta D'Andrea**
Opening hours: 3:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Guided tour timings: 4:00 PM – 10:30 PM
The Museum of the Near East, Egypt, and Mediterranean will also remain open until midnight, with guided tours from 4:00 PM to 10:30 PM. The program includes pre-booked workshops in the afternoon, such as "Archaeology in Relief" and "Ancient Writings," allowing participants to experience ancient techniques and languages. In the evening, at 7:00 PM, a seminar titled "A Day in the Past: Reading Daily Life Through Images" will occur, followed by a performance by artist Alì Assaf at 9:00 PM, spanning the spaces of MLAC and MVOEM. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY | Director: Prof. Carlo Rondinini**
Opening hours: 3:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Continuous guided tours
The Museum of Zoology houses the exhibition "The Secrets of Hidden Biodiversity," dedicated to the fundamental role of insects in ecosystems. The workshops will be held in the afternoon: the first is called "Recognizing Bird Songs" and aims to teach children how to use field sound recorders, sound spectrum analyzers, and apps to identify songs and monitor bird communities in nature; the second, "Animals in Tracks," allows participants to create real casts of wolf, bear, and ibex footprints using DAS, discovering curious facts about these fascinating animals and learning to recognize their tracks. Additionally, two seminars will take place: one at 5:00 PM on the adaptations of predatory bees, titled "Michela Gabrieli – The Extraordinary Adaptations of Predatory Bees to a Continuously Changing World," and another at 9:30 PM on the effects of climate change on biodiversity, titled "Carlo Rondinini – Global Warming… the Last to Turn Off the Light." For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**MUSEUM OF CLASSICAL ART | Director: Prof. Massimiliano Papini**
Opening hours: 3:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Guided tour timings: from 6:00 PM onwards continuously to discover the largest ancient art plaster cast collection in Italy, curated by the Museum Director.
The Museum of Classical Art hosts the exhibition "The Absent Calm: Peace and War in Ancient Greece," a thematic pathway prompted by selected works telling stories of peace and war in ancient Greece, with contemporary resonance, enhanced by specific contemporary artworks created for this initiative. In the afternoon, workshops for children will be held by reservation, including "A Restoration for Comparison" with simulated restoration activities, "An Ancient Greek Name" teaching the youngest to write in the Greek alphabet, and finally, a "Detail Hunt" among the artworks to search for details and identify the artworks to which they belong. At 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM in the Parthenon Hall, Dr. Beatrice Luci will present the "StoneTales" project: a mobile app designed to allow users to follow thematic itineraries both physically through geolocation and remotely, exploring not only the city but also life in medieval Rome through the lens of epigraphy. The evening will be enlivened at 9:30 PM by the theatrical event "The Trojan Women," an adaptation of Euripides' text that evokes the Algerian war and reminds us that barbarism knows no era. Organized by TEATRO MOBILE Cultural Association, dramaturgy by Pina Catanzariti, and directed by Marcello Cava, this event is free with reservation. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**CHEMISTRY MUSEUM "Primo Levi" | Director: Prof. Donato Monti**
Opening hours: 3:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Guided tour timings: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The "Primo Levi" Chemistry Museum, in addition to guided tours, will present the seminar "Cannizzaro's Scientific Activity in Rome. Two Examples in Different Fields" at 6:30 PM, dedicated to Cannizzaro's scientific activities, with examples ranging from water analysis to organic chemistry. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**MUST – MUSEUM OF EARTH SCIENCES | Director: Prof. Marco Romano**
Opening hours: 6:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Continuous guided tours
Starting at 6:00 PM, the Ponzi Room of MUST – University Museum of Earth Sciences will be animated with numerous workshops for children: "The Paleontologist's Job" – a tactile journey into prehistory where young participants will don the role of a paleontologist to unveil the secrets of fossilization – "Prehistoric Puzzle" – a recreational activity that involves creating and assembling a puzzle with prehistoric animals – "Dinosaur Workshop" – where young experts must observe every detail to fit the perfect skeleton within their museum diorama – "Geosciences, What a Surprise!" – to bring citizens closer to Geosciences and raise awareness of their usefulness to society – "Geogame: Are You Ready to Take Risks?" – to convey the importance of studying processes and solutions. Meanwhile, minerals can be observed under the microscope in the Gismondi Room through the workshop "Minerals under the Microscope." For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE | Director: Prof. Gilberto Corbellini**
Opening hours: 5:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Guided tour timings: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
The Museum of the History of Medicine offers guided visits starting every hour. From 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM, visitors can also explore the exhibition "Algorithms in the Ward: From Scalpel to Machine Learning," a journey intertwining the history of medicine, technological innovation, and artificial intelligence through installations and interactive experiences integrated into the museum's permanent path. Among the main exhibits, "Virtual Bodies for Real Changes" invites the public to explore the phenomenon of virtual embodiment: through interaction with digital avatars, visitors can experience how the perception of their bodies influences attitudes, behaviors, and cognitive processes, witnessing firsthand the effects of virtual reality on the mind. With "Try Minerva!" the pathway opens up to the artificial intelligence developed in Italy. Through quizzes, challenges, and interactive activities, the public will get to know Minerva, the linguistic model created by the SapienzaNLP and Babelscape research groups: an open and transparent system trained on Italian language and culture. Young participants can join the workshop "Journey Through Time and Science": a dive into history to imagine the future with scientist Paoletta Paoletti, discovering the most famous medical tools in the history of medicine. The most exciting moment will be the end of the journey, as it will be up to young explorer scientists to imagine the future while playing with the human body. Finally, a seminar titled "Giving Voice to Care: Artificial Intelligence and the Language of Medicine," a talk by Alberte Fernández Castro (National Doctorate in Artificial Intelligence, Sapienza University of Rome and Babelscape), is scheduled. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**MUSEUM OF PATHOLOGICAL ANATOMY | Director: Prof. Carlo Della Rocca**
Opening hours: 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Guided tour timings: 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM – 10:30 PM
**MUSEUM OF PHYSICS | Director: Prof.ssa Adele La Rana**
Opening hours for Fermi Building: 5:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Marconi Building: 3:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Guided tour timings: 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM and 10:30 PM – 11:30 PM
The Museum of Physics is distributed between two buildings: the Marconi building opens from 3:00 PM, while the Fermi building opens at 5:00 PM; both are freely accessible until midnight. The program features the exhibition "Paths of Peace," reflecting on the role of scientists in promoting disarmament and international cooperation. Moreover, it includes an interactive workshop dedicated to discovering a type of special and difficult-to-intercept waves produced by the collision of stars and black holes titled "In Search of Gravitational Waves with Virgo," and a seminar at 6:00 PM called "The Discovery of Gravitational Waves and the Birth of Multi-Messenger Astronomy," retracing one of the most extraordinary contemporary scientific adventures with Pia Astone, research director at the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) and a member of the Virgo and Einstein Telescope groups of the Rome INFN Section of Sapienza, being one of the protagonists of the discovery of gravitational waves and the emergence of a new form of astronomy. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**HYDRAULICS MUSEUM | Director: Prof.ssa Monica Moroni**
Opening hours: 3:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Exceptionally hosted at the Parravano Hall of the Chemistry Building CU014 - first floor
The Hydraulics Museum, exceptionally hosted in the Chemistry building, proposes a children's workshop in the afternoon: "Fluid What?" Experiencing matter between friction and flow dedicated to the study of fluids through practical experiments, blending play and science. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**EUROTales LABORATORY - MUSEUM OF THE VOICES OF EUROPE**
Opening hours: from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Hosted at the Museum of Classical Art – Archaeology Small Hall
The Eurotales Laboratory – Museum of the Voices of Europe offers the workshop "The Multimedia Collection Eurotales Laboratory" with interactive activities to explore the history and variety of European languages through games, models, and thematic paths. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
**SIEH CENTER – SAPIENZA INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP HUB**
Opening hours: from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Finally, the SIEH Center – Sapienza Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub invites young children to discover the world of digital fabrication with "The Fabulous Fablab!" amidst 3D printers, innovative materials, and applications of artificial intelligence. For more information, details on timings, and workshop bookings: CLICK HERE.
European Night of Museums – the prestigious event of international significance promoting the knowledge of European cultural heritage and identity is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, the Council of Europe, the European Commission, and ICOM.
Web:
www.culturaliart.com/eventi...
Art & photography
0516569105
Roma
Share
Add to your calendar
