Season 27 · Episode 3

Superquark: The Trapani salt pans and the Digital University

The world's population could drop to 8.8 billion in just over 40 years, and 23 countries, including Italy, will see their populations shrink by more than 50%. Piero Angela explains the complex consequences of the demographic study just published in The Lancet. From the Trapani and Paceco Salt Pans nature reserve, Alberto Angela will talk about salt, the white gold of antiquity, so much so that the Romans distributed it to soldiers as extra pay, giving rise to the word "salary." He will take us inside the ancient Chiusicella salt pans, where the traditional salt extraction and harvesting system is still in place. Giovanni Carrada and Gianpiero Orsingher will discuss innovation: the forgotten ingredient of the economic miracle that can revive Italy after the pandemic. Next, Rossaella Li Vigni will take us to Brescia, where the Digital University was founded, a unique educational experiment to prepare young people for digital challenges and integrate them into the workforce.