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ASTRONOMY AFTER DARK · MONTE NOVEGNO
Walk under the full moon while listening to sounds recorded in space
A night walk with wireless headphones, spacecraft recordings and dinner at a mountain hut above Vicenza
From Malga Davanti on Monte Novegno, Biosphaera leads a short evening walk under the full moon with wireless headphones supplied to each participant. Along the route, you hear recordings collected by space probes, Mars rovers and terrestrial detectors while the guide explains planets, black holes, neutron stars and space exploration. The 2024 full moon edition began with hot tea and mulled wine at the malga, continued on foot towards the Croce del Novegno, and ended back at the hut with dinner.
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Know before you go
The soundwalk runs on selected dates and is not a regular attraction. Meeting point Confirmed for each individual edition. Contact Biosphaera for future dates before travelling. Booking Required for scheduled events Organiser Biosphaera Phone +39 0445 1716489 Email info@biosphaera.it
About
On a full moon night, Monte Novegno needs very little help. The high bowl of pasture around Malga Davanti, at about 1,560 metres, catches the moonlight, the Piccole Dolomiti rise beyond it, and far below you can see the lights of the Vicenza plain.
Monte Novegno has become the setting for one of Biosphaera’s most unusual astronomy formats. Participants walk from the Malga Davanti area with wireless headphones, listening to recordings produced by spacecraft, rovers and scientific instruments while an environmental guide explains the phenomena behind them. The night sky, the mountain route and the audio programme are experienced together, rather than as separate activities. The event is occasional and must be booked when a new edition is announced.
Moon above you, grass and rock beneath your boots, the sounds of the Universe in your ears. This is I suoni della Luna Piena, The Sounds of the Full Moon.
LISTEN TO SPACE WHILE WALKING THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS
Biosphaera began experimenting with this kind of astronomy soundwalk around Schio in 2019. One of the earliest editions sent walkers out at night equipped with wireless headphones to hear recordings made by spacecraft, rovers and detector networks while a guide talked about black holes, neutron stars, chemical elements and astronomical exploration. The sky itself remained part of the evening, with stops to find the Moon, stars and constellations overhead. So this is not a playlist added to a hike. The sounds are part of the astronomy.
WALK UNDER THE FULL MOON
For the Novegno edition, the evening begins at Malga Davanti. A previous full moon night opened with hot tea and mulled wine before a short walk towards the Croce del Novegno, with the pale light of the Moon over the plateau and the lights of the plain below. The headphones travel with you. Stars, planets and black holes arrive through the audio while the real night stays visible around you.
DINNER BACK AT THE MALGA
After the walk, you return to Malga Davanti for dinner. The 2024 full moon edition ended with local charcuterie boards and hot mountain dishes, with a vegetarian option available. The malga itself has since been renewed and continues to operate high on Novegno, overlooking the Val Leogra and the Piccole Dolomiti. It makes a very good ending to a night spent listening to distant planets.
WHY NOVEGNO WORKS SO WELL AT NIGHT
Monte Novegno rises directly above Schio, yet its summit opens into a broad mountain basin of pasture and woodland. The highest point of the massif, Monte Rione, reaches 1,691 metres. Nearby, the Schio astronomy group also operates an observatory at 1,514 metres, in a position protected from much of the light of the plain and used for planetary and deep sky observation. So the astronomy connection here exists well beyond the headphones.
WHO IS IT FOR?
The full moon soundwalk is best for adults, teenagers and families with children comfortable with an evening mountain walk. Biosphaera does not publish a universal minimum age for the format, and individual editions can differ in route, duration and content. The Novegno walk itself has been designed as a short excursion accompanied by an environmental hiking guide.