Theme: TO LIVE (ABITARE)

The fifth edition of TEDxPutignano revolves around the verb “to live”, in Italian “abitare”.
It comes from the latin word habere, and it has multiple meanings, namely to stay, to have, to share the same space. It’s a verb that has to do with habits, to something we are familiar with or that we feel comfortable in. It gives a sense of solitude, as well as of community.
In Italian indeed, it has a strong connection with the word “abito”, that in English is translated with dress, something that we wear and that we choose, that reflects who we are and what we want to communicate to the world.
It’s a verb that is able to connect the inside with the outside, between our body and the society we find ourselves in, between the house we live in and the city that hosts us.
Not only a connection with a physical place then, but also with identities, people, stories and perspectives. Thanks to the ideas of the nine speakers, we are going to have a different look at how we live the world we’ve been given in many areas and from many points of view: linguistics, urban planning, climate actions and so forth.

Teatro Comunale
Corso Umberto I n. 34
Putignano, Puglia, 70017
Italy

Federica Verona

Architect

Architect and urban planner dedicated to addressing housing challenges, social housing projects, and promoting culture as a social catalyst in residential and peripheral areas. She writes about cities for various publications and contributes to Repubblica Milano. She serves on the board of the Workers’ Cooperative Consortium, is the president of APS NoiCoop, and is the founder of Super, the festival of peripheries in Milan.

Federico Faloppa

Professor

Professor of Language and Discrimination at the Department of Languages and Cultures at the University of Reading (UK). His research primarily focuses on ethnic stereotypes and the linguistic construction of diversity. His publications include Parole contro. La rappresentazione del diverso nella lingua italiana e nei dialetti (2004), Razzisti a parole (per tacer dei fatti) (2011), Brevi lezioni sul linguaggio (2019), #Odio. Manuale di resistenza alla violenza delle parole (2020) and Sbiancare un etiope. La costruzione di un immaginario razzista (2022). He currently coordinates the ‘Rete nazionale per il contrasto ai discorsi e ai fenomeni d’odio’ (www.retecontrolodio.org) and serves as an advisor to the Council of Europe on related issues.

Flavio R. Albano

digital innovator

He has been a researcher and professor of Business Economics and Management at the University of Bari and taught Brand Management in the MBA program at the University of Basilicata. Now an entrepreneur, he has dedicated years to marketing and digital innovation. Co-founder of "Progetto Tornanza," he is also an author of books, scientific publications, and a speaker at international conferences.

Francesca Roseo

PhD Student in Environmental Science

She is a PhD candidate in Environmental Sciences at the University of Milan, studying the impacts of climate change and human activities on high-altitude alpine birds. Born and raised in the Alpine city of Trento, she has lifelong dedication to mountain ecosystems, combining her academic work with on-the-ground environmental activism. Through her efforts, Francesca promotes sustainable conservation strategies tailored to these sensitive environments.

Giacomo Doni

photographer + graphic designer

Born in Florence in 1980, he developed an interest in photography during his studies in graphic design. His work became a voice for telling the stories of forgotten places, particularly Italy’s abandoned mental health institutions that were left untransformed after Law 180. His compelling documentation has garnered significant public interest. His work has appeared in national and international publications, been exhibited across Italy— including Piedmont, Lombardy, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, and Campania—and shared through modern digital platforms.

Ilaria Cristofaro

researcher in Cultural Heritage

Ilaria Cristofaro (born 1990) holds a degree in Astronomy from Bologna, a diploma in Cultural Astronomy from Wales, and a PhD in Classical Archaeology from the University of Vanvitelli. She is a researcher at the CNR Institute for Cultural Heritage Sciences (PZ). Her work centers on skyscape archaeology. She has numerous international publications and is known for significant discoveries, such as verifying the astronomical alignment of Pompeii and demonstrating its foundation on celestial principles. Her current research includes the orientations and festivals of Magna Graecia sanctuaries, within the framework of a prestigious European Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship.

Linda De Luca

medical interpreter + translator

She was born in Milan in 1984 and raised in the Varese province. In 2013, she moved to the United States, specializing in medical interpreting. She has worked in major New York hospitals, taught Italian at the United Nations School, and now teaches at Collina Italiana in Manhattan. Since 2018, she has been dubbing films and TV series, including Grey’s Anatomy, and provides medical English tutoring to international medical students. In 2025, she published Avrai sempre la mia voce, a reflective essay highlighting the importance of medical interpreters and linguistic mediation, a topic she has explored in various articles and magazines. She currently lives and works in Rome.

Matteo Marchesano

social innovator

Born in Rome, he lived there until he was 28. He started seeking an alternative lifestyle outside the city and, with a group, moved to a small village in the Apuan Alps. Co-founder of the ‘Comunità Diffusa Spirituale Pranamare’, he is also a student of the Eish Shaok tradition.

Sara Ciafardoni

writer + activist

Writer, student, and advocate for inclusion. An author for Mondadori Electa, she combines scientific rigor with delicate storytelling, studying Communication and Biomedical Engineering. She is a regular guest on Rai 3 and active on social media, where she discusses culture, vulnerability, and rights with an intense and human perspective.