Monte Verità

The place

Monte Verità rises on the hills above Ascona, on Lake Maggiore. Since 1900 it has been a magnetic pole for ideas: a colony of artists, thinkers and seekers of a more conscious life. Today it is the conference centre of ETH Zurich, host to international scientific meetings.

Why here

It is not only a venue. Laban's dance school staged the “Festival of the Sun” here, from dusk to dawn. Gathering the science of sleep and wakefulness in this place is no accident: it is the same threshold between dark and light that Drive Awake tells. The symbol opens the door; the science stays put.

The World Sleep Forum

Monte Verità hosted the World Sleep Forum 2025 - Forensic Sleep Medicine, organised by the European Sleep Foundation (founded and chaired by Prof. Claudio Bassetti), with the scientific coordination of Prof. Mauro Manconi, EOC. We documented three days of work and interviewed some of the world's leading experts in sleep medicine.

Official name: International Workshop on Forensic Sleep Medicine · 9-12 November 2025 · Congressi Stefano Franscini (ETH Zurich), Monte Verità, Ascona. Direction: Prof. Mauro Manconi (EOC). Methodology: Prof. Luca Vignatelli. Scientific committee: Anna Castelnovo, Carlos H. Schenck, Claudio Bassetti, Luigi Ferini-Strambi, Winfried J. Randerath.

The voices of Monte Verità

Eight interviews recorded at the forum. The videos live directly on driveawake.ch, voice by voice: the series is complete, all eight online. The forum in five minutes →

▶︎ 1:20 Avv. Simone Gianini · Central President, ACS Switzerland Being awake is part of being fit to drive Watch → ▶︎ 0:45 Prof. Michael H. Silber · Professor of Neurology, Mayo Clinic Sleepiness is not normal Watch → ▶︎ 1:45 Prof. Mauro Manconi · sleep neurologist, EOC Sleep is treacherous Watch → ▶︎ 1:23 Prof. Pierre Philip · sleep medicine and sleepiness at the wheel Sleep and public health Watch → ▶︎ 0:25 Prof.ssa Francesca Siclari · neurologist · Professor, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Sleep & Dreams Group, NIN The science of dreams Watch → ▶︎ 1:16 Prof. Gert Jan Lammers · Professor of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center · SEIN, Heemstede The risk is not only the patients' Watch → ▶︎ 1:18 Prof. Raffaele Ferri · Scientific Director, IRCCS Oasi, Troina Shared criteria after a crash Watch → ▶︎ 0:49 Prof. Carlos H. Schenck · University of Minnesota, RBD and sexsomnia A sleep-deprived society Watch →

• Avv. Simone Gianini - President, ACS SwitzerlandPublished
• Prof. Michael H. Silber - Mayo Clinic, sleep medicinePublished
• Prof. Mauro Manconi - sleep neurologist, EOCPublished
• Prof. Pierre Philip - sleep medicine and sleepiness at the wheelPublished
• Prof. Francesca Siclari - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Sleep & Dreams Group, NINPublished
• Prof. Gert Jan Lammers - Leiden University Medical Center · SEIN, HeemstedePublished
• Prof. Raffaele Ferri - IRCCS Oasi, TroinaPublished
• Prof. Carlos H. Schenck - University of Minnesota, RBD and sexsomniaPublished

Credits and links

Fondazione Monte Verità, Ascona - monteverita.org
World Sleep Forum - European Sleep Foundation - europeansleepfoundation.ch

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