The Asiago Astrophysical Observatory was inaugurated on May 27, 1942. In honour of this important anniversary, the University of Padua Department of Physics and Astronomy organizes a day in Asiago dedicated to the memory of the architect Daniele Calabi.
The construction of the Observatory project began in the mid-1930s under architect Daniele Calabi, a man of Jewish heritage. In addition to drafting the project, Calabi followed each stage of the Observatory construction until 1938, when fascist laws forced him out of the country. On January 13, 1939, he left Italy for Brazil, where he remained until 1948. During the inaugural ceremony in 1942, Calabi’s name was not mentioned, and throughout subsequent celebratory events name of those who planned and followed the construction of the Observatory were not mentioned.
Now, 80 years later, a day dedicated to the memory of architect Daniele Calabi is celebrated in the Sala Millepini of Asiago on the morning of May 27. The day begins with institutional greetings by University of Padua Rector Daniela Mapelli and Asiago Mayor Roberto Rigoni Stern, plus a tributing message sent by the Holocaust survivor and Senator for Life, Liliana Segre.
The event includes guest speakers, Flavio Seno (Director of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Asiago Astrophysical Observatory), Roberto Ragazzoni (Director of the Astronomical Observatory of Padua, as part of the National Institute of Astrophysics -INAF), Donatella Calabi (Architectural Historian and daughter of the Daniele Calabi), Stefano Zaggia (Architectural Historian), and Davide Romanin Jacur (Union Councilor of Italian Jewish Communities -UCEI).
The event is open to the public, but reservations are required.
Online streaming is available.
An additional invitation-only ceremony unveils a commemorative plaque in memory of the architect Calabi displayed in the historic Asiago Astrophysical Observatory building.