Computer history on and off the screen.
An European Society for computer Preservationi exhibition.

Held in the wonderful Villa Santa Lucia on the Ceresio lake shores
It's not simply a computer exhibition, it is a journey inside movies: you can see objects, meet who worked at, relive cult scenes and celebrate unforgettable anniversaries.....
The exhibition isn't just a vintage computer showm it's a portal towards the future we imagined.
Free entry.
Computer that dreamed for us
Once upon a time, computers were huge. They didn't fit in your pocket, they weren't invisible. They were mysterious, noisy, luminous machines. In science fiction films, they became the brains of spaceships, oracles of the future, silent monsters, or faithful friends. They were much more than circuits: they were materialized imagination. They taught us to fear and love technology; they made us laugh, tremble, hope. Today, those computers—the ones we saw on the big screen in cult films and unforgettable series—come back to speak to us. Not as relics, but as mirrors of our dreams. Because science fiction has never been just entertainment: it has been a compass of the future. Looking at those machines, we recognize ourselves: generations who dreamed of tomorrow through the cinema screen. This exhibition is not just a return to the past. It is a journey into the future we imagined. A bridge between those who remember with nostalgia and those who discover for the first time. A place where cinema, technology, and wonder meet.
Villa Santa Lucia, on the banks of Lake Ceresio, in the municipality of Valmara (TI), Switzerland.
The splendid Villa Santa Lucia is located right on the shores of Lugano's Lake, in the Melano district of Val Mara. It has a large free parking lot and is easily accessible from the A2 motorway, exit at Melide-Bissone if coming from Bellinzona/Lugano or Mendrisio if coming from Como/Varese/Chiasso. By train, use the Melano-Maroggia station, less than 2 km away and about a 20-minute walk.
Address: Villa Santa Lucia - Via Santa Lucia 22 (Zona Lido) - Melano - Switzerland
Preserving the legacy of computer science and science fiction, which has shaped entire generations of engineers, artists, and dreamers.
Parents can tell their children, "I saw this at the cinema," and young people can discover that the retro-futuristic aesthetics that are now so popular on TikTok and in fashion were born there.
In an age where real computers are everywhere, small and invisible, seeing the "giant and noisy" ones from the movies restores a sense of technological magic.
Looking at how cinema imagined computer science, we realize how science fiction has often predicted (or inspired) current events: AI, virtual reality, global networks.
Sci-Fi panels, cultural talks, anniversaries to celebrate. Guests to meet...
Schools and groups can request a guided tour, with the works and their history told by the European Society for Computer Preservation.
September 27, 2025 – October 19, 2025, Every Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm (except September 27, 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm). Weekday visits by request. Computers have never been so alive.