On Thursday, 12 March, Anna Maria Bernini, the Italian Minister of University and Research, travelled to ESO’s Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert, Chile. Her visit included tours of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) and CTAO-South, the CTAO’s telescope array site in the southern hemisphere. She was accompanied by a small delegation that included Valeria Biagiotti, Ambassador of Italy to Chile, and Roberto Ragazzoni, President of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF). 

Minister Bernini, who was in Chile for the inauguration of the country’s new President, was welcomed by ESO Director General Xavier Barcons to explore the ELT facilities. The delegation then proceeded to the CTAO-South site, where they were greeted by the CTAO’s local team, who guided the visitors and detailed the rapid progress of the ongoing construction. The landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation since a major contract was signed in July 2025 between ESO (on behalf of the CTAO) and a consortium of Chilean companies for the construction of roads and telescope foundations. The foundation work is now well advanced, and the site is preparing to receive its first telescope structures in the coming months. 

Italy is a founding member of the CTAO ERIC and the hosting partner of the CTAO Headquarters in Bologna, Italy. The Italian scientific community plays a key role in the Observatory’s development, particularly by leading the development of the Small-Sized Telescopes that will be deployed at the CTAO-South array.