Scuola Normale Superiore

ISPIRA, a project by Scuola Normale students, brings science closer to lower secondary school students, especially girls, challenging stereotypes around #STEM subjects. At the “Settesoldi” school in Vecchiano, curiosity and enthusiasm showed how science can open new perspectives.

Research assessment is never fully neutral. On 20 May, SNS hosted a discussion on gender bias in academia and more inclusive evaluation practices, bringing together researchers, institutions and the TIER group of CoARA, which presented a toolkit developed through a two-year research project.

Since 2012, Palazzo della Carovana has hosted selected works from the Luigi Pecci Centre for Contemporary Art. Not decoration, but a dialogue between past and present. Discover it through guided tours. Free entry, online booking required: piazzadeicavalieri.sns.it

Around 40 PhDs and researchers joined the “Quantum Science and Technology” MERITA (PNRR) Seasonal School in San Miniato (Pisa) to explore cutting-edge quantum research, from theory to experimental methods. The programme fostered interdisciplinary exchange, networking and new research perspectives.

Mathematics may seem abstract, far from practical use. But it is everywhere. Chiara Gambicchia, a PhD student at the SNS, explains how ideas without applications can prove crucial even centuries later, shaping unexpected developments. Watch the full video on #AllaEnne allaenne.sns.it/video/il-bel...

Palazzo della Carovana has been the Scuola Normale’s main site since 1846 but its history is much older. From medieval building to seat of power, then reshaped by Vasari, it still preserves traces of its past. Discover it through guided tours. Free entry, booking required piazzadeicavalieri.sns.it

The university orientation school run jointly by the Normale and the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna is due to return, with two residential courses aimed at providing a direct and immersive experience inside the world of the university. Details on 👉 orientamento.sns.it/pagina-orien...

Ten years after his death, the Giulio #Regeni Day brought together SNS, University of Pisa, and Sant’Anna. A screening of "Giulio Regeni – All the Evil in the World" was followed by discussions on truth, justice and academic freedom, with scholars, the general public and Regeni’s family.

In postwar Italy, paperbacks made books mass culture, making covers key to communication. "La grafica ritrovata" (by Stefano Rovai, Edizioni della Normale) revisits 1960s-70s book design, showing how graphics shaped publishing and reflected wider cultural change. Discover more: shorturl.at/AhCzf

Happy Liberation Day to all of you! 🌹 #april25 #liberationday

Step inside Piazza dei Cavalieri: SNS guided tours to historic sites, from Palazzo della Carovana to the Archive and beyond. Led by SNS students and staff. Public engagement initiative sharing research from the Cultural Valorisation Project developed with Fondazione Pisa. More: bit.ly/48mxvpk

The 7th Spring School in Synthetic Biology (SSSB), addressing advances in systems and synthetic biology, from basic science to applications and AI-driven approaches, has come to an end. Organized by the SNS with Unipi, Unict and EBRI, and funded by the PNRR (MERITA). #syntheticbiology

Colleagues and students gathered to celebrate Lamberto Maffei's 90th birthday. A central figure at the SNS, he shaped generations in #neuroscience with rigour and curiosity. The symposium was held at the SNS and the CNR. #LambertoMaffei

SNS residential orientation courses are back: apply by 11 May Four immersive days of lectures, workshops and discussions for high school students. 📍 Lecce | San Miniato (PI) | Turin | Rome 📅 June - July 2026 Discover more: orientamento.sns.it/pagina-orien...

What does it mean to study an early Italian text today? Valentina Nieri (SNS researcher) works on a Digital Philology Hub with CNR, integrating tools for manuscripts, transcription and critical editions, combining rigorous methods with new access to cultural heritage. #laricercaèNormale

Thinking of applying to the Humanities Faculty admission exam at SNS? Online sessions for high school students introduce the structure and expectations of the competition. Led by SNS students, they focus on texts, methods and past papers. From 13 April: orientamento.sns.it/pagina-orien...

Spring School “Democratic Backsliding and Political Conflict” has concluded, focusing on the role of gender inequalities and intersectionality in the dynamics of democratic regression. It involved 20 researchers from across countries. Organized by SNS + EUI, funded by PNRR within the MERITA project.

A short video series from PRIN 2022 “La Galleria Borghese e i suoi pubblici, 1888-1938”, by SNS, Universities of Palermo and Naples Federico II, with Galleria Borghese. First episodes now online: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Dario Fo at SNS, 1999: turning a medieval chronicle into living theatre, he transforms words into sound and movement, drawing the audience into the scene. From “I venerdì del Direttore”. Watch the full video: allaenne.sns.it/video/una-le...

The SNS Spring School “Political Economy of Production and Labour” concludes today. Five days at Palazzo Strozzi to discuss changes in work, global value chains and industrial policies amid geopolitical and environmental crises. The initiative is part of the MERITA project (funded by PNRR).

“8th March 2026: Riding the anti-equality tide, building feminist futures” brings together scholars from SNS, SSSA, Oxford University and CSIC to discuss feminist responses to anti-gender backlash and future paths toward equality. 10 March, 9.30am, Florence (and online): tinyurl.com/3pjycnrt

Listen to the EELISA 2.0 podcast episode, “When Texts Meet Tech,” Valentina Nieri and Camillo Pellizzari explore how digital philology is reshaping access to texts through shared standards and collaborative infrastructures. @eelisa.eu More: open.spotify.com/episode/61my...

At 27, Darwin sketched the tree of life in a small notebook with the words "I think". Science writer David Quammen reflects on this in "The Tree of Life: Genes, Viruses, and Evolution", a discussion with Antonino Cattaneo and Francesco Raimondi (Nov 10, 2020, online). #DarwinDay

For the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the SNS highlights the experiences and perspectives of young women passionate about #STEM who participated in the third edition of "Scienziate di domani" (January 27–29, 2026). #WomenInSTEM #11February

Everyday objects like smartphones and clothing often come from fragmented global production chains. Ensuring safe working conditions across them is a key challenge of globalisation. Vincenzo Maccarrone, SNS research fellow, studies transnational regulation of workers’ rights in global value chains.

What transformations is the global economy undergoing in the age of artificial intelligence? Ignazio Visco, Honorary Governor of the Bank of Italy, addressed this question yesterday in the Sala Azzurra during his Lectio at the Normale, as part of the series of lectures "La Normale delle Idee".

Modern international law arose from the principle of “never again racism”. In a conference at the SNS, jurist Luigi Ferrajoli reflects on these milestones, warning that racism persists today through inequalities, persecution and new forms of discrimination. More: allaenne.sns.it/video/razzis...

Drugs don’t act uniformly across the body: they target proteins that vary between cells and tissues. This molecular geography explains both benefits and side effects. Martina Varisco (SNS researcher) shows how data can guide smarter use of existing drugs. #laricercaèNormale

The Camposanto of Pisa hosts major 14th-century frescoes, including Buffalmacco’s Triumph of Death. In 2019, SNS lecturer Massimo Ferretti guided teachers through the site during an art history refresher course. allaenne.sns.it/video/il-tri...

Sveva Sodomaco, PhD student at SNS, shares her vision of chemistry and its beauty: atomic interactions mirror human relations. Invisible processes give rise to materials, medicines, and technologies that shape society allaenne.sns.it/video/il-bel...

Warmest wishes from the entire SNS community for a bright 2026!

An independent, critical view of the world. Fabrizio Consoli with accordionist Fausto Beccalossi evokes Pier Paolo Pasolini in concert. Part of the Normale’s programme marking 50 years since Pasolini’s death allaenne.sns.it/video/il-cor...

Ancient theatre speaks a language beyond words. Even fragmented tragedies retain a powerful expressive force. Michele Di Bello, #Greek literature scholar and soon SNS graduate, studies how these fragments still convey conflicts, desires and power that resonate today. #laricercaèNormale

✈️ “Moving Stories Unboxed,” the Normale’s event for EELISA Days 2025, brought together voices and experiences from international mobility. Students shared what stays with you when you step beyond familiar borders: the insight, the change, the growth it sparks. #EEDays2025 #WeAreEELISA @eelisa.eu

Over 2K visitors have attended “Gli Etruschi alla Normale”, the exhibition at the Torre del Conte Ugolino featuring artifacts from Via Sant’Apollonia and the Palazzone in Cortona. Open until December 31, it’s accompanied by talks on the latest research into Etruscan Pisa: www.sns.it/it/evento/gl...

On the occasion of #WorldPhilosophyDay, the Normale proposes this brief video interview with Simona Forti, SNS lecturer in Political Philosophy, explaining to us what, in her view, is the best thing about this discipline. Watch the complete video: allaenne.sns.it/video/il-bel...

Colleagues hailed Luigi Rolandi’s inspiring energy at a Scuola Normale conference marking his 50‑year career in experimental particle physics. A former student and professor until 2024, he mentored generations. Alumni worldwide gathered in tribute.