Massimo Carpinelli Honored at the Giubbe Rosse: Science Kicks Off the New Season of Florentine Coffee

The director of the European Gravitational Observatory received the 2026 Le Giubbe Rosse Award. During the evening, the program of meetings and events for 2026/27 was presented.

On September 30, at the historic Giubbe Rosse Literary Café in Florence, Professor Massimo Carpinelli received the 2026 Le Giubbe Rosse Award. The ceremony also served as an opportunity to present the venue’s new cultural season, which will bring together literature, art, theater, science, and current events.

Carpinelli directs theEuropean Gravitational Observatory (EGO) in Cascina, which hosts and supports Virgo, the interferometer dedicated to the observation of gravitational waves. Research in this field has opened up new possibilities for studying the universe and was the focus of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics.

“Scientific research always begins with a question—even when it seems too difficult, too distant, or even impossible. This is what brings it so close to culture: both strive to push the boundaries of our knowledge a little further,” Carpinelli stated.

The event, presented and moderated by journalist Stefano Bisi, opened with remarks by Bernard Dika, undersecretary to the president of the Region of Tuscany, and Giampaolo Marchini, regional president of the Order of Journalists. The discussion on the use of artificial intelligence in scientific research and medicine featured Professors Bruno Frediani and Emanuele Montomoli of the University of Siena, physicians Alessandro Antonelli and Luigi Gervino, journalist Lorenzo Lombardi, and architect Paolo Bulletti.

Alessandro Belli, a member of the board of directors of FaroAlto, presented the 2026–27 season.

The decision to honor a scientist restores to the Giubbe Rosse that spirit of a space open to dialogue across different disciplines, which has defined its history. Literature, art, philosophy, and scientific research become languages through which to interpret the present and create new opportunities for encounter.
It is precisely in this spirit that the new 2026/27 cultural program was presented during the evening; it will accompany the upcoming months of activities at the Caffè Letterario.

The calendar will alternate between meetings, performances, cultural salons, exhibitions, and special events, with the goal of strengthening the identity of the Giubbe Rosse as a vibrant hub of Florentine culture.

The Dialoghi in cerchio, series, organized by the online magazine sfogliamo.eu, also features meetings with Giovanni Puglisi on October 14, Gadi Piperno on November 11, Giuseppe Salvini and Olga Mugnaini on November 18, and Paolo Peluffo on November 25.

Among the first events announced are Firenzissima on October 16, an evening also aimed at a younger audience; Ugo De Vita’s theatrical and poetic performance dedicated to Dino Campana on October 23; and La Natura del Bastardo on November 17, again featuring De Vita and with the participation of Davide Rondoni; and on November 27, as part of the “Salotto del pensiero” series, the event “Between History and Dreams: Giovanni Guareschi, the Monarchist.”

The program will continue in December with Donato Nitti’s painting exhibition, scheduled from December 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027, and with *Eduardo and His Poetry – Naples of the Red Jackets*, scheduled for December 16, again featuring Ugo De Vita. Additional *Salotto del pensiero* events are already planned for 2027, including *Wine and Opera*.

*Two Great Italian Brands in the World*, on April 16, and *Eleonora di Toledo Medici and the Boboli Gardens*, on May 22.

The initiative is organized in collaboration with SfogliAmo.eu, an organization that has already curated events at the Giubbe Rosse dedicated to science, history, and current affairs.

“We don’t want the Giubbe Rosse to live solely on its history. Our goal is to make it once again a place where something worthwhile happens: events, voices, topics, and people capable of speaking to the present,” Belli stated.

The complete season program will be published on the official channels of the Giubbe Rosse.