The “Luciano Zannoni” astronomical observatory is an Italian astronomical observatory located on the mountain of the same name that overlooks La Spezia. It was designed, funded and built by the La Spezia Amateur Astronomers Association using the abandoned structures of some anti-aircraft positions, built around 1930 by the Royal Navy.

Construction began in 1982 and ended on April 14, 1989 when it was inaugurated by Margherita Hack. In 1996, improvements were made to the observatory’s optics for the development of digital photography and to enable the study of asteroids, discovering and naming six main belt objects, one of which, Palmaria, earned Luigi Sannino the Guinness World Record as the world’s youngest asteroid discoverer at the age of 18, a record that remains unbeaten to this day.

Abandoned for years, after the concession won by the La Spezia Amateur Astronomers in 2022, the entire park has been renovated and restored, along with the internal rooms of the observatory, and new optical and scientific equipment has been acquired.

Since March 2, 2024, the structure has a new name: Luciano Zannoni Astronomical Observatory, Monte Viseggi Scientific Park. You can visit it by staying at Downtown Blue Apartment and thus spend a day dedicated to scientific research and the study of celestial phenomena.