Beppe Forti Astronomical Observatory

In the hills above Montelupo Fiorentino in Tuscany, Italy, the Beppe Forti Astronomical Observatory combines a working research telescope with public outreach, keeping alive the memory of the astrophysicist it's named after.

About Beppe Forti Astronomical Observatory

The observatory is run by the Gruppo Astrofili di Montelupo (G.A.M.), an amateur astronomy association based in the Camaioni area on Via San Vito. It is named after Giuseppe "Beppe" Forti, an astrophysicist at the Arcetri Observatory who died in 2007, and carries Minor Planet Center observation code K83. The facility centres on a cylindrical observation tower with a dome housing its telescope, alongside a data-processing room and a lecture hall with its own planetarium dome for public talks and school visits.

History

The observatory was inaugurated in July 2018, with popular science communicator Dr. Piero Angela attending the opening. In the years since, the G.A.M. team has built it into an active centre for both research and astronomy education in the Montelupo Fiorentino area, hosting public events such as a 2024 talk tied to a locally published book.

Telescopes & research

Observers here focus on minor bodies, including potentially hazardous asteroids, contributing data that helped the observatory earn a Shoemaker NEO Grant from The Planetary Society for 2022–2023 — an award recognising amateur observatories doing genuine near-Earth-object work. The dome telescope and data-processing room support this observational programme, while the planetarium dome is used separately for teaching and outreach.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits in the Tuscan countryside on Via San Vito, in the Camaioni locality just outside Montelupo Fiorentino, within easy reach of Florence and the wider region covered in Star Register's observatories directory. The hillside setting keeps it away from the densest urban lighting of the Arno valley below.

Visiting Beppe Forti Astronomical Observatory

The observatory regularly hosts public talks and events through the Gruppo Astrofili di Montelupo, including sessions in its planetarium-dome lecture hall. For current opening dates, guided visits or event bookings, check the observatory's own website or the Montelupo Fiorentino municipal listings before you travel — hours are not fixed year-round.

See your named star from here

Because the observatory's telescope and its team's asteroid-tracking work depend on precise sky coordinates, a visit here is a fitting place to look for a star you've named. Name a star with Star Register, or search the catalogue for one already registered, then bring its coordinates along.