Sunday, September 21, 2025 – 6:00 p.m.
Parco Mediceo di Pratolino
Via Fiorentina, 276, Pratolino FI
The Cultural Association La Nottola di Minerva ETS is pleased to present the ninth edition of the festival Felicità Metropolitane, with the support of the Metropolitan City of Florence and in collaboration with the Careggi University Hospital, the Careggi Foundation ETS, Tram di Firenze S.p.A., and Music Pool as part of Un Parco di Musica e Altre Storie:
Reading in Nature
From The Air Factory to the Third Carer
Biophilic architecture and holistic design of hospitals
Songs of Life
Care, well-being, health, science, architecture, art, and music
Speakers:
• Ab Rogers, internationally renowned designer and architect, author of one of the most celebrated Maggie’s Centres
• Maria Chiara Carrozza, former President of the National Research Council (CNR): Gateway and Biodiversity
• Sergio Luzzi, President of P.E.S.C.A.S.: Mauro Batisti, The Forest Is My Cure. From the woods to the garden, an extraordinary gift of nature to promote well-being, prevention and healing, I Libri di Mompracem
• Tiziano Fratus, Italian writer and poet, author of Una foresta ricamata (Mimesis)
• Letizia Fuochi, singer-songwriter and storyteller
Moderators: Cristina Benedettini, architect, and Stefania Costa, La Nottola di Minerva ETS
Translations by Giulia Schneider
A new event in the Reading in Nature cycle, part of Careggi Ospedale Biofilico conceived by Stefano Mancuso, weaving together reflection, emotion, and inspiration, placing the relationship between environment, well-being, and beauty at the heart as tools of healing.
The event is organized in collaboration with P.E.S.C.A.S. – Association of Expert Professionals for the Safeguarding and Culture of Environment and Health, committed to promoting an empathetic architecture attentive to the human dimension.
At the center of the meeting is the experience of the Maggie’s Centres, support centers for people affected by cancer, created in the United Kingdom from an idea of Maggie Keswick Jencks and her husband Charles Jencks, urban planner and architectural theorist. Today, the Maggie’s Centres represent an international model for their integrated approach to architectural design, human relationships, listening, and psychological support.
The gathering will provide an opportunity to reflect on how space can become an ally in care, and how design can respond to the deep, often invisible needs of people.
An encounter where scientific and architectural discourse merges with the artistic dimension, to collectively envision a deeper and more sensitive culture of care, where beauty is not a luxury but a necessity.
Ab Rogers will share his design vision and the experience behind the creation of one of the Maggie’s Centres, illustrating how architecture can tangibly contribute to the well-being of those facing illness.
Maria Chiara Carrozza, born in Pisa in 1965, is an Italian physicist, bioengineer, and politician. She served as President of the National Research Council (CNR) from 2021 to 2025, the first woman to hold this role. Former Rector of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna and Minister of Education in the Letta government, she is an expert in biorobotics and rehabilitation technologies. Her career bridges scientific research, technological innovation, and institutional commitment.
Sergio Luzzi, expert in sensory and environmental design, will explore the role of listening and perceptual quality in healthcare spaces.
Cristina Benedettini will bring the perspective of Italian architecture on the theme of empathetic design, reflecting on how built space can profoundly affect people’s emotional experience.
Tiziano Fratus, poet of trees and inner forests, will guide the audience through readings from his book Una foresta ricamata, evoking the connection between nature, memory, and healing.
Letizia Fuochi, with her voice and musical storytelling, will take the audience on an emotional journey between memory and hope, performing songs that evoke resilience, transformation, and human connection.