Il telescopio di Vincenzo Caropreso e il gabinetto scientifico del liceo “Duni” di Matera tra Otto e Novecento: percorsi di narrazione e valorizzazione del patrimonio educativo in Italia

This paper explores the heuristic potential of a handcrafted brass secrétan, commonly called telescope. It belonged to Vincenzo Caropreso (1881–1926), a pupil at ‘Emanuele Duni’ secondary school, founded in 1864 in Matera, in the heart of southern Italy. The telescope, now part of the school’s extensive scientific collection – which also houses other instruments that could be used to establish a school museum – is a tangible example of material culture and educational heritage to be preserved and passed on; it is evidence of the school’s material history and, more broadly, of the history of education,which should be brought to life.