The school of the future will be showcased at the sixth edition of Didacta Italy, from 8 to 10 March 2023, at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence. During the three days of the fair, teachers will be given the opportunity to participate in workshops taking place in a classroom dedicated to the metaverse, or choose the immersive environment, thanks to augmented reality using 3D monitors and viewers, to experience interesting virtual teaching experiences.

The immersive workshops will be located in 6 departments. The first four are aimed at secondary schools, divided into humanistic, scientific, artistic and innovative school libraries. There will be two events per day, during which teachers will be able to participate in a training course starting from a specific topic that will be tackled from different points of view, creating a sort of “disciplinary hybridization”, i.e. connections between the various teaching disciplines. To these departments are added those relating to 0–6-year-olds and primary school.

At Didacta Italy there will be also workshops on school architecture; topics such as energy saving, the quality of light, the effectiveness of colours and the use of photovoltaics will be addressed, among other issues. The activities are aimed not only at teachers, but also at an audience new to Didacta, but connected to the school world, such as local authorities, engineers, and architects.

Another area will concern sport and motor activity, with events dedicated to sport and health.

The attention and visibility given to the ecological transition is growing with a green area curated by the ecologist Rossella Muroni: a renovated space that this year will turn the spotlight on the skills needed to make the circular economy and clean energy the tools for fight against climate change, but also an opportunity for a new economy and jobs. Finally, there will be the workshops of the hospitality industry which will be held in a special immersive kitchen.

Alongside the numerous training activities, a series of conferences is planned, including one dedicated to ITS (Higher Technical Institutes), which are among the breakthroughs of post-secondary education in the Italian school system, and seminars with international guests.

On the last day of the Fair, March 10, “Montessori day” will be celebrated for the second consecutive year, a non-stop day in which it will be possible to learn more about the history, ideals and modernity of this extraordinary innovative woman, creator of a new teaching model.

During the three days of the fair, in addition to the training activities, participants will have the opportunity to visit a rich exhibition section with the main companies in the school and education supply chain: from the publishing sector to the latest generation information technologies, from furniture to canteens. Among the participants also numerous national and international institutions, scientific and cultural structures, universities, schools, associations, companies, foundations, and museums.

Didacta Italy is organized by Firenze Fiera with the scientific coordination of INDIRE and Giovanni Biondi, in partnership with Didacta International and with an organizing committee made up of the Ministry of Education and Merit, the Ministry of University and Research, the Tuscany Region, the Municipality of Florence, Florence Chamber of Commerce, Unioncamere, ITKAM and Destination Florence Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The complete programme of events will soon be published on the official website www.fieradidacta.it.