A new state-of-the-art planetarium is being installed in Romes southern EUR district. The attraction is scheduled to open in mid-January in the vast high-ceilinged Museo della Civilt Romana complex. The planetarium will feature a 14-m-wide starry vault, an astronomy museum, a library, a bookshop and a reading room. A guided visit will last 90 minutes, half of which will be spent gazing at a starry night-time sky while listening to a narration about the planets and the stars. To prepare for the experience, visitors will first pass through a series of rooms representing the earth, the moon and solar system, the planets, and extra-planetary space. The planetarium's exit is reached through a dark, constricted corridor representing a black hole.

To the south-east of EUR, the Appia Antica park will be inaugurating a permanent astronomy exhibition and a small planetarium on Nov 30 which will be open to the public from 10.30-12.30 on Sunday mornings. Parco Appia Antica, Via Appia Antica 42, tel. 065130682. www.parcoappiaantica.it