Aboard the Amerigo Vespucci, TNG and Multimessenger Astronomy look to the future with Einstein Telescope

The historic training ship Amerigo Vespucci, a symbol of Italian excellence worldwide, hosted the event "Islas entre ondas" on 22 May during its stop in Santa Cruz de Tenerife as part of the "Amerigo Vespucci World Tour - North America Campaign 2026.

Organized by the Vice Consulate of Italy in Arona with the support of the Scientific Office of the Italian Embassy in Madrid, the event opened with institutional greetings from Vice Consul Gianluca Cappelli Bigazzi and the ship's commanding officer, Captain Nicasio Falica. The round table, moderated by Sergio Scopetta, Scientific Attaché at the Italian Embassy in Madrid, brought together Silvia Casu, INAF researcher at SRT (Sardinia Radio Telescoe) Eugenio Coccia, Director of the Institut de Física d'Altes Energies in Barcelona, Adriano Ghedina Director of Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG), and Alberto Masoni researcher and coordinator of the Einstein Telescope Infrastructure Consortium in Sardinia (INFN).

The discussion focused on the role of multimessenger astronomy and on the scientific links between the Canary Islands and Sardinia, two strategic locations for advanced astrophysical infrastructures. The Canary Islands host facilities operated by the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), including the TNG, Italy's 3.58-meter optical and near-infrared telescope at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma and the ASTRI Mini-Array, an innovative system of Cherenkov telescopes designed to study the Universe at very high-energy gamma rays. Sardinia hosts SRT and is Italy's candidate site for the future Einstein Telescope, Europe's next-generation gravitational-wave observatory.

A central topic of the meeting was the Einstein Telescope project, coordinated in Italy by the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), which aims to transform gravitational-wave astronomy through unprecedented sensitivity to cosmic events.

"Multimessenger astronomy is transforming the way we investigate the Universe, combining complementary observations to build a more complete picture of cosmic phenomena," said Adriano Ghedina. "Facilities such as the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo with an adequate upgrade of the instrumentation will play a key role in this international effort, providing rapid and high-quality optical follow-up observations to characterize the electromagnetic counterpart of the events."

The event also offered an important international showcase for the Einstein Telescope project and for Italy's candidacy to host the observatory in Sardinia, supported by Spain through a bilateral agreement signed in 2024.

The lensing galaxy is visible at the centre of the quadruply lensed quasar configuration

The historic training ship Amerigo Vespucci

Observed-frame optical spectrum of the target obtained with TNG DOLORES spectrograph

A moment from the round table "Islas entre las ondas."

Fundación Galileo Galilei - INAF Telescopio Nazionale Galileo 28°45'14.4N 17°53'20.6W 2387.2m A.S.L.
Home General Info News Telescope & Instruments Observing Time Allocations & Schedules Publications Seminars Weather Webcam Outreach Gallery Links	Aboard the Amerigo Vespucci, TNG and Multimessenger Astronomy look to the future with Einstein Telescope The historic training ship Amerigo Vespucci, a symbol of Italian excellence worldwide, hosted the event "Islas entre ondas" on 22 May during its stop in Santa Cruz de Tenerife as part of the "Amerigo Vespucci World Tour - North America Campaign 2026. Organized by the Vice Consulate of Italy in Arona with the support of the Scientific Office of the Italian Embassy in Madrid, the event opened with institutional greetings from Vice Consul Gianluca Cappelli Bigazzi and the ship's commanding officer, Captain Nicasio Falica. The round table, moderated by Sergio Scopetta, Scientific Attaché at the Italian Embassy in Madrid, brought together Silvia Casu, INAF researcher at SRT (Sardinia Radio Telescoe) Eugenio Coccia, Director of the Institut de Física d'Altes Energies in Barcelona, Adriano Ghedina Director of Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG), and Alberto Masoni researcher and coordinator of the Einstein Telescope Infrastructure Consortium in Sardinia (INFN). The discussion focused on the role of multimessenger astronomy and on the scientific links between the Canary Islands and Sardinia, two strategic locations for advanced astrophysical infrastructures. The Canary Islands host facilities operated by the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), including the TNG, Italy's 3.58-meter optical and near-infrared telescope at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma and the ASTRI Mini-Array, an innovative system of Cherenkov telescopes designed to study the Universe at very high-energy gamma rays. Sardinia hosts SRT and is Italy's candidate site for the future Einstein Telescope, Europe's next-generation gravitational-wave observatory. A central topic of the meeting was the Einstein Telescope project, coordinated in Italy by the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), which aims to transform gravitational-wave astronomy through unprecedented sensitivity to cosmic events. "Multimessenger astronomy is transforming the way we investigate the Universe, combining complementary observations to build a more complete picture of cosmic phenomena," said Adriano Ghedina. "Facilities such as the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo with an adequate upgrade of the instrumentation will play a key role in this international effort, providing rapid and high-quality optical follow-up observations to characterize the electromagnetic counterpart of the events." The event also offered an important international showcase for the Einstein Telescope project and for Italy's candidacy to host the observatory in Sardinia, supported by Spain through a bilateral agreement signed in 2024. The historic training ship Amerigo Vespucci A moment from the round table "Islas entre las ondas."
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