In the Sala della Protomoteca—a venue usually reserved for formal meetings—the discussion will focus on a topic that, behind its lightheartedness, conceals extraordinary power: play as an educational, therapeutic, and inclusive tool. “Intelligent” play.
Promoted with the support of the Municipality of Rome, the meeting stems from Marco Orlandi’s new book, an innovative guide that collects games divided by visual skills—from eye movements to memory, from coordination to imagination. A manual designed for children with developmental difficulties, but which becomes a valuable resource for educators, parents, and therapists: a true laboratory of growth in a playful form.
His thesis is clear and powerful: play is the first educational act in life. Through play, children learn about the world, develop their minds and bodies, relate to others, observe, and imagine. Every laugh is a cognitive exercise; every challenge is a training ground for autonomy and creativity.
But for play to really work, it must remain free, spontaneous, and authentic. When it becomes an imposition, it loses its educational function and is emptied of its transformative power. Orlandi himself reminds us: “Play cannot be taught, it must be experienced.”
And if anyone thinks it is just a matter for children, just remember the words of Umberto Eco: play is one of the fundamental needs of human beings, on a par with sleeping, knowing, and loving.
The meeting on October 20 aims to reiterate precisely this: play is not a pastime, but a key to forming curious, empathetic, and inclusive minds, capable of looking at the world with new eyes.
Growing up is natural.
Playing in order to grow up well, on the other hand, is an educational choice.
📍 Event organized by the Italian Association for Vision Study and Research, with the patronage of the Municipality of Rome.
📅 Free admission with mandatory reservation on Eventbrite (limited places).
