2025 Programme
Event #15
Leor Zmigrod, Massimo Cirri
Do you have an ideological brain?
What effect do ideologies produce on our brains? How do dogma and extremism shape not only how we think, but also how we act and relate to others? In conversation with Massimo Cirri, Leor Zmigrod explores the invisible entanglement between belief and biology, revealing why certain brains may be more susceptible than others to ideological allure – and how we might begin to recognise and unravel those patterns in pursuit of greater mental flexibility. To detect rigidity in our thinking – and learn to welcome ambiguity and nuance – is an essential step toward resisting polarisation and fostering a freer, more resilient society.
Interpreter: Sonia Folin
Leor Zmigrod is a scientist and a pioneer in the field of “political neuroscience.” She studied at the University of Cambridge and has held visiting fellowships at Stanford, Harvard, and the Institutes for Advanced Study in Berlin and Paris. Named in the “Forbes 30 Under 30” list, she has received numerous awards. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, Financial Times, and New Scientist. She is the author of Il cervello ideologico (Rizzoli, 2025).
ph. credits: Stuart Simpson
Massimo Cirri is a psychologist and journalist. For twenty-five years he worked in Italy’s public mental health services. He is the creator and long-time voice of Caterpillar on Rai Radio 2. His books include Un’altra parte del mondo (Feltrinelli, 2016), Sette tesi sulla magia della Radio (Bompiani, 2017), and, with Chiara D’Ambros, Quello che serve. Una storia di malattia, cura e Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (Manni, 2022).
Event #7
Cristina Bazzanella, Patrizia Casali
Navigating the invisible: a journey through myth and Yoga Nidra
Event #22
Sonia Bergamasco
Duse and us: a plural portrait of an Artist
dramaturgy by Sonia Bergamasco and Marianna Zannoni
Event #25
Angelo Carotenuto, Marco Malvaldi
Playing with the Invisible. Tennis and what can’t be seen
Event #30
Piero Maranghi
The Intangible Abstract Art. A Semi-Serious Journey Through the Seen and Unseen in Music
Event #34Children / Kids
Per Aspera ad Astra
The Tale of Cì (who set out as a child and stopped as an old man)
Event #47extraFestival
In collaboration with the Minotauro Institute of Milan, with Loredana Cirillo and Filippo Rosa
The Invisible Emotions of Adolescents… and Beyond
Event #48
Centro Formazione Supereroi
Extreme Writing: Ghosts, Spirits, and Other Invisible Presences
