street E. Bianchi 46, 23807 Merate, Lc.
How to arrive in Merate.

Booking service for daytime visits:
only by phone from Monday to Friday; from 09:00 a.m. to 04:00 p.m. daytime visits switchboard

Booking service for evening visits:
by phone from Monday to Friday; from 09:00 a.m. to 04:00 p.m. - you can also book via e-mail. Contacts: evening visits switchboard.
Please the week before you have to call or to write us to confirm the booking.

FAQ for Merate visits

Daytime visits

Where: every first friday of every month, except holidays and August.
Time: 10:00.
Free admission. Only by phone booking at visits Switch board (monday - friday; 09:00 a.m. - 04:00 p.m.).

Evening observations

Only by booking
Where: 2/3 evenings every month except on holydays.
Starting time: it depends on the season.
Price: full 7 €; reduced 4 € (children under 10 and adults over 65).
Bad weather sky observation will be replaced by a lecture.
Warning: the domes of the telescopes are not heated: please, choose carefully your clothing, especially during autumn and winter!
Info booking: by phone from Monday to Friday; from 09:00 a.m. to 04:00 p.m. - you can book also via e-mail. Contacts: evening visits switchboard.
Please the week before you have to call or to write us to confirm the booking.

For school

cycles of lectures and guided visits only by booking.
For information and booking, please contact the responsible, Monica Sperandio from 9:00 to 13:00 from monday to friday.
For more information, please look up our website devoted to school!

Apart from the sky!

The Zeiss telescope
(1926; diameter = 100 cm)
It was given by Germany to Italy as part of “compensation for war damages” and, at that time, it was the second largest telescope in Europe. It can be seen during daytime and evening visits.

The Ruths telescope
(1968; diameter = 134 cm)
It was entirely made in Italy and it was the first specimen in the world in which the aluminium was used to made the primary mirror. This is the telescope that is usually used to watch the sky during the evening visits. It can be seen during daytime and evening visits.

The park
The domes and the other buildings of the site are surrounded by a great variety of trees and bushes among which a 200 years old cedar of libanon that was damaged by a tornado in 1999, cantenarian camellias, pines, firs, laurels, horse-chestnuts and other more. It can be seen during daytime visits.