University departments opened their doors and, for one day, Pisa’s squares were transformed into laboratories thanks to BRIGHT-NIGHT, the European Researchers’ Night, held on Friday 25 September.
More than 70 activities for schools were held in university buildings and research centres, involving around 2,000 students from 60 schools at all levels in the provinces of Pisa and Livorno. The event gave them an opportunity to attend lectures, visit laboratories, conduct experiments and take part in games alongside researchers.
BRIGHT-NIGHT officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Logge di Banchi at 4.30 pm, marking the start of activities in the four Research Squares: Innovation at the Logge di Banchi, Planet in Piazza Santa Caterina, Health in Largo Ciro Menotti and Community in Piazza dei Cavalieri.
Workshops, live experiments, activities for children and science talks—more than 200 events in total—gave the public an opportunity to discover the work of researchers.
The 2026 edition centred on the theme of “caring”, understood as a responsibility towards people, communities, relationships and the environment. BRIGHT-NIGHT offered an opportunity to discover how science can become a form of care from multiple perspectives: from health and people’s well-being to environmental sustainability, from community participation to the dissemination of knowledge and the responsible development of new technologies, with particular attention to the opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence.
At 8.30 pm, the façade of the Logge di Banchi came to life with “Taking care Pisa. Pisa, City of Science”, an architectural video-mapping show created by Davide Giannoni and Francesca Pasquinucci of Imaginarium and developed from Irene Taddei’s photographs featured in the urban installation “Bright Urban Science – Pisa City of Science”. The faces of researchers from Pisa’s universities and research institutions merged with scientific elements and organic forms to portray research as an act of care towards people, the environment, communities and the future.
BRIGHT-NIGHT concluded with a DJ set by Sharko, in collaboration with Radio Eco, keeping a packed square dancing for more than three hours.
