A bit of [hi]story 2026

A bit of [hi]story 2026 is the annual festival on digital culture organised by the Museo Piemontese dell'Informatica (MuPIn), held in Turin from 30 September to 4 October 2026. The chosen theme, «Equilibri Digitali: i conti veri dell'informatica» ("Digital Balances: the real costs of computing"), focused on the costs that technological innovation tends to leave off the books: the energy consumption of infrastructure and services, pollution linked to the production and use of devices, the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), and the possibilities offered by reuse, repair and extending the life of technological products [1][2].

Programme and venues

The festival offered around 50 events, including free conferences, talks, exhibitions, workshops and labs, with more than 55 speakers. The programme was presented live on the museum's YouTube channel by MuPIn president Elia Bellussi and vice-president Vittorio Pasteris [1]. The first three days, titled «Capire il digitale, immaginare il futuro» ("Understanding the digital, imagining the future"), were reserved for secondary school students and took place at the Palazzo della Città Metropolitana di Torino: the 250 available seats sold out before the event began [3]. On the weekend of 3 and 4 October the festival moved to the Docks Dora, in the Barriera di Milano district, with a programme open to the public [1][3].

Guests and talks

Among Saturday's events, Giovanni Cignoni recounted Apple's first year and the history of the company's logo, while climatologist Luca Mercalli spoke on «La rivoluzione meteo-digitale: no supercomputer, no previsioni!» ("The weather-digital revolution: no supercomputers, no forecasts!"). A round table on Olivetti and innovation brought together Gastone Garziera, one of the designers of the Programma 101, Carlo Massironi and Giorgio Garuzzo, an engineer who studied at the Politecnico di Torino and went on to become CEO of Iveco and general manager of the Fiat group. Former Politecnico di Torino rector Guido Saracco spoke about personal artificial intelligence, while Esmeralda Moretti addressed the relationship between democracy and digital platforms. The day also included a round table on women in STEM and a talk by Pierdomenico Memeo on the «Harvard Computers», tracing their story to the film «Il diritto di contare» ("Hidden Figures"), as well as a session on retro-collecting and repairs with Carlo Santagostino, Davide Gatti and Eleonora Sayaka Chialva [1]. Sunday alternated between history and current affairs, with talks by Mattia Borrelli on the Internet, by Sergio Gervasini and Renato Manfreddi on the path from the IBM PC to the DMD 800, by Paolo Besser on the magazine Zzap, and by Andrea Contato on «The Sumerian Game» [1]. The programme also included Ada Lovelace Day, dedicated to women's contribution to the history of computing [2][3].

MuPIn's 15th anniversary

The 2026 edition coincided with the 15th anniversary of the Museo Piemontese dell'Informatica. During the festival, the museum's history was recounted and the project for a new home in piazza Riccardo Valla in Turin was presented, intended to house MuPIn's historical and technological collection [2][3]. The event was held under the patronage of the European Commission, the Italian National Commission for UNESCO, the Piedmont Region, the Metropolitan City of Turin, the City of Turin, the Politecnico di Torino and the University of Turin, with support from Fondazione CRT and Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT and backing from Sunnyvale [3].

Sources

La Stampa — 28 September 2026
Quotidiano Piemontese — 30 September 2026
TorinoOggi — 1 October 2026

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