Escape Room Book now

“Web Genesis”: an educational escape room to rediscover the early years of the Web

Alongside the production of the audiofiction, the research team brings “Web Genesis” — an educational, completely free escape room — to two major events in the Ticino region: The experience immerses participants in a narrative in which the history of the Web risks being distorted by inaccurate information and oversimplifications. Through puzzles based on real historical sources and using technologies from the 1980s and 1990s, participants must reconstruct key events from the history of the Web in order to preserve an accurate version of its evolution.

Upcoming stops for “Web Genesis”

  • LongLake Festival (Lugano): 9–26 July 2026 Ended
  • Locarno Film Festival (Locarno): 5–15 August 2026 Book now

About - Once Upon a Time in the Web

The project brings together researchers, designers and communicators from USI and SUPSI, with complementary skills in media history, science communication and interactive design.

Project leads

Gabriele Balbi

Interim Rector and Vice-Rector for Education and University Life at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), and full professor of Media Studies at the Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society. An internationally recognised media historian, his research focuses on the history of telecommunications, digital media and communication infrastructures in the long term.

Gabriele Balbi

Giulio Zaccarelli

Director of the Institute of Design at SUPSI (Department of Environment, Construction and Design), where he coordinates research and innovation in the field of design, with a particular focus on the intersections between design, science communication and interactive experiences.

Giulio Zaccarelli

The project team

Deborah Barcella

Post-doc researcher and lecturer at the Institute of Media and Journalism (IMeG), Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society (USI). She earned her PhD in April 2025 on the early years of the history of the Web.

Deborah Barcella

Luca Morici

Senior researcher and lecturer at the Institute of Design at SUPSI and head of the “Design for Science” unit, where he develops projects that translate complex scientific content into accessible, engaging experiences for the public.

Luca Morici

Max da Rocha Fonseca

Scientific collaborator at the Institute of Design at SUPSI in the “Design for Science” unit, working on the development of interactive and participatory solutions for the communication and mediation of knowledge.

Max da Rocha Fonseca

Vanessa Mazzei

Assistant at the Institute of Design at SUPSI in the “Design for Science” unit. Within the project she translates scientific content into dynamic visual solutions for the various communication devices and social channels.

Vanessa Mazzei

Alessandro Plantera

Assistant with a Master's degree at the Institute of Design at SUPSI in the “Design for Science” unit, involved in the design activities and in the development of educational and immersive experiences related to the project.

Alessandro Plantera

Andrea Ravetti

Student in the Bachelor's programme in Visual Communication at SUPSI, on internship at the Institute of Design at SUPSI, where he developed the visual content for the project's social channels.

Andrea Ravetti

Arianna Casano

USI student in the Master's programme in Corporate Communication. Works in digital communication.

Arianna Casano

Caterina Cappelletti

USI student in the Master's programme in Media Management. Works as Instagram Social Media Manager.

Caterina Cappelletti

Project partners

CERN
Fonoteca nazionale svizzera
La Filanda
Locarno Film Festival
Lugano Living Lab (L*3)
RSI Radiotelevisione svizzera (SRG SSR)