A one hundred square metre stand, as blue as the jerseys of the athletes who have made the history of Italian sport, will be the ‘branch’ of the University of Trieste in the prestigious setting of Piazza Unità d'Italia, on the occasion of the 56th edition of the Barcolana.

From 5th to 13th October, the University of Trieste, as part of the celebrations linked to the 100th Anniversary of its foundation, will once again take part in what has become one of the world's greatest sporting events and will open ‘Casa UniTS’ in the Barcolana Village to meet the world of sport and citizenship through a series of events, talks and presentations that will deal with some of the key themes of the university world in an original and light-hearted way.

In particular, within a daily appointment open to the public, researchers, alumni, students, athletes, journalists and sports managers will discuss scientific and technological innovation, phenomena affecting society, sustainability, social inclusion, culture and the challenges of the future.

Guests will include athletes such as Paralympic gold medallist Matteo Parenzan, Jana Germani, Francesca Genzo, Stefania Buttignon, Ilaria Corazza and Giorgia Marchi, Marcell Jacobs' former coach in Tokyo Paolo Camossi, journalists Paolo Condò, Sergio Tavčar and Giovanni Marzini, Trieste basketball star Daniele Cavaliero and swimming champion Novella Calligaris. The latter, on Saturday 12th October, will talk, in her capacity as president of the Associazione Nazionale Atleti Olimpici e Azzurri d'Italia (National Association of Olympic Athletes and Italian National Team members), about the emotions aroused by the travelling photographic exhibition ‘Tutte le sfumature dell'azzurro’ (All shades of blue), which can be visited in Trieste at the Sala Fittke in those days.

The stand will be inaugurated on Saturday 5th October with the presentation of Aura, the electric racing car of the UniTS Racing Team, the result of a project of technological excellence and innovation in the field of sustainable mobility, on which around sixty students from the University are working to take part in Formula SAE competitions.

Aura will be on display in front of the UniTS stand for the entire opening period of the Barcolana Village and will be accompanied by Bai-Flying Lina, the world's first moth-class boat equipped with terraces composed of a core and linen fibre sandwich, a jewel of technology and sustainability designed by the students of the Audace Sailing Team.

Among the highlights, the 100UniTS Barcolana Dragon Boat Race ‘Rowing for the Future’, organised by Trieste University Sports Centre, is scheduled for Thursday 10th October: two characteristic dragon-headed canoes, made available by Venice University Sports Centre, will be steered by crews of UniTS students.

The non-competitive performance will see the two boats take to the water at the entrance to the Grand Canal to reach the Old Sea Wall. The initiative will see the participation of students from different cultures and countries to promote peace, coexistence and social inclusion through sport.

The activities of the University of Trieste at the Barcolana see the contributions of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and Io Sono Friuli Venezia Giulia and the technical partnership of Illy caffè.