My name is Antonio Ventura, born in 1975, from Rome, Italy. I am a mechanical engineer with a great passion for the sky, perhaps inherited genetically from my father who in the early 70s graduated in mathematics with a focus on astronomy, doing research activities at the Astronomical Observatory "Monte Mario" in Rome.

 

In 2024 I finally decided to fulfill a dream by designing a private astronomical observatory, which I built in Arpino (Fr) the city of "Cicerone", in the wonderful land of my in-laws Vera and Antonio Di Folco, immersed in the beauty of nature among olive trees and vineyards. Antonio, known as "Tonino", also an engineer, was of vital help and support in this wonderful adventure.

The sky of Arpino (Fr), although not immune to the tremendous light pollution that is progressively making the stars disappear from the night skies around the world, with a SQM of 20.5 magnitude per arcse2, still allows astronomical observations of reasonable quality.

It is incredible to see how few people look "upwards" at night, when in a not too distant past astronomy was instead part of everyone's daily life. I, on the other hand, am fascinated by the immensity of the universe and, a bit like a child who never fully grew up, I continuously dream and imagine what could be or what could have been in places so remote and far from us. All this in the full awareness that to date there is not the slightest scientific proof of life outside our planet, not even within the perimeter of the solar system.

However, what pushed me to build this Astronomical Observatory is precisely the constant need to virtually escape from this planet, certainly wonderful and unique at least in our solar system, but equally small and insignificant compared to the immensity of the universe. Nowadays, even with good "amateur" equipment it is possible to observe very distant objects in the universe, even galaxies millions of light years away! If you don't believe it, try to take a look at the Astronomical images section.

 

...To my wife Teresa and my daughters Giorgia and Ilaria, who I hope will one day be able to use it like me to try to broaden their horizons by looking far into space, far into time...