In the Noto neighbourhood, a 32-m radiotelescope was installed by the Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna as part of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. It works in collaboration with a similar instrument in Medicina, Bologna.
The city has held an annual flower festival, the Infiorata, every May since the 1980s, lining the streets with floral works of art
