A new clue could help reconstruct the layout of one of the most important residential complexes in ancient Aquileia. This is what has emerged from the 2026 excavation campaign conducted under a ministerial archaeological concession by the Department of Humanities of the University of Trieste at the House of the Dancing Putti, one of the city’s largest and most luxurious Late Antique residences.

The investigations led to the identification of what appears to be the perimeter enclosure wall of the Ritter-Zàhony House, a structure discovered in the 1930s by Giovanni Brusin and subsequently reburied. At present, this remains a hypothesis that will need to be verified during future excavation campaigns, but it could shed light on the relationship between the earlier dwellings and the large residence built from the mid-4th century AD onwards.

Research by the University of Trieste, which began more than twenty years ago under a concession from the Ministry of Culture, through the Superintendence for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for Friuli Venezia Giulia, in collaboration with Fondazione Aquileia, has gradually revealed a residence of exceptional dimensions. The evidence currently available makes it possible to estimate its extent at approximately 10,000 square metres.

The monumental scale of the House and the richness of its decorative features – from mosaics and wall paintings to the extensive use of marble and the discovery of a precious dichroic glass diatretum, decorated using a highly refined technique reproducing a “net” pattern – point to an exceptionally high-status patron.

One of the main objectives of the 2024–2026 campaigns has been to reconstruct the organisation of the insula before and after the construction of the House of the Dancing Putti and to identify its various building phases.

This research framework also includes an important recent rediscovery, funded by Fondazione Aquileia under the scientific direction of the Superintendence for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for Friuli Venezia Giulia. At the end of 2025, the “Floral Carpet” mosaic was uncovered again in the area adjacent to the Cassis estate archaeological site and the House of the Dancing Putti. Its dating to the 4th century AD appears to support the hypothesis of a possible connection with the same patron who commissioned the House.

This year’s excavation campaign by the University of Trieste involved 15 students, including two from the University of Rijeka, with which UniTS has maintained a long-standing collaboration. The excavation site provides an important training opportunity for students, postgraduate students and PhD candidates, who are able to engage directly with the methods and tools of archaeological research.

“It was a demanding experience, but ultimately fully rewarding, thanks to the curiosity that drove every strike of the pickaxe and the excitement of standing before a reality that had remained hidden for such a long time,” comments Irene Padova, a Classics student at UniTS who took part in the excavation campaign.

Eighteen years after the first study, the follow-up phase of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Genetic Park project is getting underway. The initiative will involve the communities of Erto e Casso, Sauris, San Martino del Carso, Resia, Illegio and Clauzetto. Activities will begin in Sauris on October 12, followed by Illegio in November, San Martino del Carso in January, and subsequently the other municipalities involved.

The project was established to investigate the genetic and environmental factors underlying diseases and complex traits. In its first edition, it involved more than 2,200 people across the six areas. Thanks to the data collected, researchers have been able to carry out numerous studies over the years, resulting in the publication of more than 60 scientific papers in prestigious journals and the establishment of collaborations with major international consortia.

The follow-up further strengthens the collaboration between IRCCS Burlo Garofolo and the University of Trieste, with the valuable support of the Casali Foundations and BeneficentiaStiftung. The initiative also involves numerous young medical residents and researchers, who will contribute to research activities, data collection and engagement with local communities.

The meetings will provide an important opportunity to share the results achieved, collect new information and maintain an ongoing dialogue with local populations. The direct involvement of citizens will make it possible to further explore aspects related to the history, culture and genetic characteristics of residents in each area. The follow-up will also allow researchers to update the data collected, assess the project's evolution and strengthen collaboration among researchers, local authorities and residents.

“Returning to the communities involved after so many years is an essential step in ensuring continuity for the project and giving back to local communities the value of the information collected,” the project promoters emphasize. “Citizen participation remains at the heart of this initiative.”

The full schedule of events and information on how to participate will be announced through the official channels of the local authorities involved.

Paolo Fornasiero, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Trieste’s Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Vice-Rector for Research, has been elected Corresponding Member of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei in the Class of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences.

His election represents one of the most prestigious recognitions in the Italian and international scientific community and acknowledges Professor Fornasiero’s contribution to research in the fields of catalysis, advanced materials and chemistry for the energy transition.

Becoming a member of the Accademia dei Lincei is a great honour and a responsibility,” says Professor Fornasiero. “This recognition celebrates a journey built together with the many colleagues, researchers and students with whom I have had the privilege of working. I believe that, today more than ever, research must contribute not only to scientific progress, but also to the cultural and social development of the country, addressing the major challenges of sustainability, energy and innovation with scientific rigour and a spirit of collaboration.

Founded in 1603, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei is the world’s oldest scientific academy still in operation. Throughout its history, its members have included figures such as Galileo Galilei, Stanislao Cannizzaro, Quintino Sella, Benedetto Croce and Albert Einstein. Today, it is Italy’s foremost scientific and cultural institution and serves as a scientific adviser to the President of the Italian Republic.

Professor Fornasiero’s scientific career is internationally recognised. His research focuses primarily on materials chemistry, heterogeneous catalysis, energy conversion processes and the development of sustainable technologies for reducing emissions and producing fuels and chemicals with a lower environmental impact.

The author of more than 370 scientific publications in leading international journals, Fornasiero is among the most highly cited researchers in his field and has served as coordinator and partner in numerous research projects funded by the European Union and by national and international organisations. Over the course of his career, he has received major scientific awards and is a member of prestigious international scientific societies.

His election to the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei also represents recognition of the scientific excellence of the University of Trieste, reaffirming its leading role in national and international research.

Friday, September 25, at 11:30 a.m. in the Talk Area in Piazza Unità d’Italia, the 15th edition of Trieste Next will officially open with the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

After the inauguration, everyone is invited to the UniTS marquee, which hosts the Festival’s exhibition spaces, offering a rich opportunity to discover and experience cutting-edge research.

There will be eight activities, including “Cheers to Science,” “Guess the Country!”, “The Mind at Play,” “From the Sun to Movement,” and “gECO podcast.” One space will also be dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Friuli earthquake, exploring the history of seismic monitoring and the University’s research in this field. Another space will focus on UniTS’s public and social engagement and the role of the University’s Third Mission.

Special events

All of the major events at Trieste Next 2026 will be organised by UniTS.

The Festival’s opening evening, which was previously announced around a keynote lecture by archaeologist and anthropologist Lambros Malafouris, will feature a second guest: Umberto Galimberti.

The event, “The Shape of Thought,” will take place on Friday, September 25, starting at 8:30 p.m. at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste. Admission is free, with advance registration required.

The evening will begin with a keynote lecture by Malafouris, Professor of Cognitive and Anthropological Archaeology at the University of Oxford, introduced and moderated by Gabriele Beccaria, editor-in-chief of La Stampa’s Tuttoscienze science section. Malafouris proposes looking for the origins of consciousness not within the brain, but in the space where the body, environment and material culture intersect: an idea he calls STRANGE, Situated TRANsactional GEnesis. He also applies this perspective to one of the most pressing questions of the present day: what kind of people algorithms are turning us into.

This will be followed by a talk by Umberto Galimberti, one of Italy’s most widely read philosophers, essayists and psychoanalysts, entitled “The Misadventures of Truth.” Galimberti traces a genealogy of truth throughout the history of Western thought, from the Greek alétheia to the Hebrew emet, from Plato to modern science and from Christian faith to contemporary technology. He then explores what truth appears to have become today: effectiveness. If truth is merely what works, he asks, what room is left for critical thinking, and who decides what is true? His investigation addresses the crisis of democracy, the rhetoric of populism and the dominance of artificial intelligence, starting from a fundamental conviction: giving up on truth means giving up on humanity itself.

On Saturday, September 26, the special event “Being and Thought” will feature psychiatrist and writer Vittorino Andreoli. Meanwhile, renowned sociolinguist Vera Gheno will take part in the panel “Knowledge Is Not a Solitary Pursuit”, funded by the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. She will engage in a dialogue with Regional Councillor Alessia Rosolen and UniTS Rector Donata Vianelli on the idea of shared knowledge built through relationships and cross-disciplinary exchange.

Also on Saturday evening, science will meet music: evolutionary biologist and philosopher of science Telmo Pievani will engage in a dialogue with Deproducers – Vittorio Cosma, Gianni Maroccolo and Riccardo Sinigallia – in a performance entitled “DNA – The Show That Makes Science Sound”, combining scientific outreach with musical languages.

View the full UniTS programme at Trieste Next 2026:

Friday, September 25

Saturday, September 26

Sunday, September 27

Cardiology at the University of Trieste received two European recognitions at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Munich.

Marco Merlo, Associate Professor of Cardiology and Coordinator of the Degree Programme in Medicine and Surgery at UniTS, has been elected Chairperson of the ESC Working Group on Myocardial and Pericardial Diseases. Merlo also heads the Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy Outpatient Clinic and leads clinical research within the Cardiology Department at ASUGI’s Cattinara Hospital, directed by Gianfranco Sinagra. His election reflects the Trieste group’s research into cardiomyopathies and heart failure, combining academic work with clinical care.

The congress also recognised “Impact of genetic testing on primary prevention ICD decision-making and clinical outcomes in dilated cardiomyopathy” as the best abstract in Myocardial and Pericardial Diseases. The research was presented by Annalisa Bernabei, a cardiology resident in Trieste.

Conducted under the scientific supervision of Alessia Paldino, Matteo Dal Ferro and Marco Merlo, the study examines the impact of genetic testing on decisions regarding implantable cardioverter-defibrillators for primary prevention and on clinical outcomes in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. It forms part of the Trieste Cardiology group’s clinical and translational research, aimed at translating scientific knowledge into tools for patient care.

On the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Day, observed today, 21 September, the University of Trieste will illuminate the façade of Building A in purple, renewing attention to a disease that represents one of the major health and social challenges associated with ageing. This year’s observance highlights a particularly dynamic phase in research, marked by the emergence of new therapeutic options and by advances in early diagnosis.

The 2026 international campaign promoted by Alzheimer’s Disease International is specifically dedicated to timely diagnosis, under the theme The Earlier You Know, The More You Can Do: A Dementia Diagnosis Matters. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the benefits that a diagnosis can offer people living with dementia and their families, enabling earlier access to treatment, support and care pathways, while also helping to overcome the stigma that still surrounds the disease.

“World Alzheimer’s Day comes at a time of profound change: for the first time, drugs are available that can remove amyloid from the brain and slow the progression of the disease in its early stages,” says Alberto Benussi, Professor of Neurology at the University of Trieste. The University Neurology Clinic at ASUGI is among the Italian centres involved in administering these treatments and studying their use in clinical practice.

Precisely because these therapies are more effective the earlier they are started, research in Trieste is also focusing on early diagnosis, through new blood biomarkers such as p-tau217, one of the tools currently attracting international research interest for its potential to make the identification of the disease earlier and more accurate.

A further line of research, particularly significant in a city and region that are naturally multilingual such as Trieste, concerns bilingualism. “By studying more than seven hundred people,” Professor Benussi continues, “the group observed that speaking more than one language is associated with greater cognitive reserve and with a better ability of the brain to withstand the effects of neurodegeneration.”

Is it possible to recover genetic information from plankton samples preserved in formalin for seven years? The answer is yes. This is demonstrated by a new study resulting from a collaboration between the University of Trieste (UniTS) and the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Research (OGS), recently published in the Journal of Plankton Research.

The study analysed samples of mesozooplankton collected in the Gulf of Trieste in 2017 and preserved in formalin for approximately seven years.

What is mesozooplankton? It refers to the community of small animal organisms that live in seawater and, although often invisible to the naked eye, play a fundamental role in marine ecosystems. It includes, for example, small crustaceans, larvae, and other organisms that form an essential component of the marine food web.

These organisms are normally identified under a microscope. This study instead applied DNA metabarcoding, extracting and sequencing genetic material from zooplankton samples collected and fixed in formalin. In practice, rather than searching for and identifying organisms one by one, the method analyses the “genetic code” present in the sample to reconstruct which species or groups of organisms are present.

Formalin damages DNA, making these analyses particularly challenging. Despite this obstacle, the researchers were able to recover a significant amount of biological information. Comparison with microscopic identification showed that the molecular method can identify a substantial proportion of the organisms present.

Historical collections as biodiversity archives

The most important finding of the study concerns future prospects. Research institutes and museums around the world hold vast historical collections of plankton, collected over decades and often preserved in formalin.

These samples could therefore represent not only archives of biodiversity observable under a microscope, but also genetic archives of marine life from the past.

Analysing them could make it possible to reconstruct how marine communities have changed over time, by comparing present-day biodiversity with that of decades ago. It could also help retrospectively identify the presence of non-native species, including during the early stages of their appearance in a given area.

The study was supported by the Interconnected Nord-Est Innovation Ecosystem (iNEST) and the National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC)**, both funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR)**.

Aneta Aleksova, Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Diseases at the University of Trieste, has been elected to the Board of the Association for Acute CardioVascular Care (ACVC) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) for the 2026–2028 term and appointed Co-Chair of Education, with a coordinating role in the association’s educational activities in the field of acute cardiovascular care.

The new appointments were officially announced during ESC Congress 2026, held in Munich from 28 to 31 August. Aneta Aleksova is one of the seven elected Ordinary Board Members of ACVC, the European Society of Cardiology association dedicated to the care of patients with acute cardiovascular conditions.

Following her election to the Board, ACVC President Alessandro Sionis appointed Aneta Aleksova Co-Chair of Education. During her term, the UniTS professor will contribute to coordinating the specialist training activities promoted by the association, including simulation-based and hands-on programmes such as the ACVC Simulation School and the ACVC-EAPCI Cardiogenic Shock School, a programme dedicated to the management of cardiogenic shock and organised across different levels of training. Her role will also involve collaboration with ACVC groups working in the fields of accreditation, artificial intelligence and research.

The new appointment is closely connected with Aneta Aleksova’s work at the University of Trieste in the field of simulation-based medical education. She is the Scientific Director of the University’s Centre for Medical Simulation and Advanced Training (CSMAA), where students and healthcare professionals can train in high-fidelity clinical scenarios using advanced technologies and simulation-based activities. Aneta Aleksova is also a certified instructor in Medical Simulation, Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS).

Aneta Aleksova has also joined the ACVC research group coordinated by Professor Karl Huber of the University of Vienna, in recognition of her research on myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest. In recent years, she has received ACVC scientific awards for studies focusing on biomarkers in myocardial infarction and prognosis. The research was carried out at the Molecular Cardiology Laboratory of the ASUGI Cardiology Complex Unit, which she leads, through national and international collaborations.

The roles entrusted to Professor Aleksova within these European networks further strengthen the standing of Cardiology at the University of Trieste and of the ASUGI Cardiology Complex Unit, directed by Professor Gianfranco Sinagra.

How can we track the behaviour of a gas once it has been injected deep beneath the Earth’s surface? This is the challenge at the heart of SBEM (Svelvik Borehole Electromagnetic Monitoring), an experimental campaign carried out in Norway by a team from the Exploration Geophysics Group of the Department of Mathematics, Informatics and Geosciences (MIGE) at the University of Trieste.

The experiment took place at the Svelvik CO₂ Field Lab, near Oslo, a research facility operated by the Norwegian research centre SINTEF and designed to test technologies for monitoring underground gas storage under controlled yet realistic conditions.

At the core of the SBEM campaign is borehole electromagnetic monitoring, a geophysical technique being tested to reconstruct the distribution and evolution of gas injected into the subsurface. This capability is crucial for the safe and economically sustainable development of both carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) and underground hydrogen storage.

An international laboratory bringing research “into the field”

The Svelvik CO₂ Field Lab serves as a bridge between laboratory research and future industrial-scale applications. The University of Trieste group was able to access the facility and carry out the experimental campaign thanks to Geo-INQUIRE (Geosphere INfrastructures for QUestions into Integrated REsearch), a project funded under Horizon Europe that facilitates transnational access to Europe’s leading geoscientific research infrastructures.

The proposal submitted by the Trieste team was selected through a competitive process under the Geo-INQUIRE call, enabling the researchers to design and carry out the experimental activities directly in the field.

From proposal to field research: training through experience

A distinctive feature of the project was the direct involvement of PhD students Elisa Ligas and Giovanni Pantaleo, who followed the entire research process: from preparing the proposal and designing the geophysical acquisition to setting up the instrumentation and conducting the fieldwork, through to data processing, analysis and interpretation.

“This project demonstrates what the University of Trieste offers its students and PhD candidates: the opportunity to design and conduct original research at the forefront of current technology, in close collaboration with international research and industrial organisations,” highlights Michele Pipan, coordinator of the Exploration Geophysics Group and of the Master’s Degree Programme in Geophysics and Geodata. “Experiences such as this one at Svelvik turn PhD students into independent researchers, ready to contribute to the technologies needed for the energy transition.”

FUSE Project (UniTS–UniUD–OGS)

Underground hydrogen storage (UHS) and natural (“white”) hydrogen resources are emerging as key components of Europe’s energy transition strategy, offering large-scale, flexible and low-carbon solutions that can help mitigate the intermittency of some renewable energy sources and strengthen energy security.

Achieving the objectives of the European Hydrogen Strategy and global net-zero roadmaps requires robust geoscientific evidence and advanced technological capabilities to identify, characterise and monitor suitable geological formations. Reducing the risks associated with subsurface operations—from technical and environmental risks to geological hazards—requires new integrated research infrastructures.

The FUSE project, launched in April 2025, addresses this need. Developed through a strategic partnership between OGS, the University of Trieste and the University of Udine, FUSE is building an open, distributed infrastructure that combines state-of-the-art geophysical instrumentation, laboratory facilities and multiscale modelling environments.

The infrastructure integrates borehole geophysical logging systems, seismic, geoelectric and electromagnetic instruments, fibre-optic and orbital-vibrator monitoring solutions, as well as airborne/drone-based magnetic and gravimetric sensing capabilities. These are complemented by advanced laboratory platforms for petrophysics and fluid dynamics.

Together, these components will enable improved imaging, experimentation and simulation of hydrogen–rock–fluid interactions in Italy and beyond.

An international study published in PLOS Medicine documents the progressive decline in stillbirth and early neonatal mortality between 1990 and 2023 across 17 low- and middle-income countries (Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Jordan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Colombia, and Peru).

The study was conducted by Dr Mohammed Ali (World Health Organization, Geneva) and Prof. Saverio Bellizzi (United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Ontario, Canada), in collaboration with Prof. Luca Cegolon, Professor of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine at the University of Trieste.

Lower perinatal mortality was found to be associated with residence in urban areas, higher levels of maternal education, greater household socioeconomic status, and stronger national welfare systems. By contrast, maternal age of 30 years or older was associated with an increased risk.

Stillbirth and early neonatal mortality remain a major global health challenge, with the vast majority of cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries that rely on household surveys—such as the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)—for their estimates, as civil registration systems are often incomplete.

However, DHS data tend to underestimate the scale of the problem and misclassify cases of stillbirth and early neonatal death, limiting their usefulness for planning maternal and child health interventions.

“Although most countries have experienced a decline in perinatal mortality, progress remains uneven and significant socioeconomic disparities persist. Strengthening maternal and neonatal health services and improving data collection systems in low- and middle-income countries remain essential to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of reducing perinatal mortality,” state Prof. Cegolon and Dr Bellizzi.

The study, recently published in PLOS Medicine, analysed 93 DHS surveys conducted between 1990 and 2023 across 17 low- and middle-income countries, covering a total of 1,019,253 reported pregnancies among 733,181 women. Pregnancies lasting at least seven months were included, in line with the standard definition of stillbirth.

Age-specific risks of stillbirth and early neonatal death were estimated using life-table methods and a modified Gompertz-Makeham model, which is able to correct for common DHS data-quality issues, including underreporting, misclassification between stillbirths and deaths occurring on days 0–1 after birth, and age heaping at death—that is, the tendency to systematically report neonatal deaths as occurring at 7 days of age rather than on adjacent days.