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Nine of Italy’s best small summer music festivals

Every summer, some of Italy’s most picturesque locations transform into stunning backdrops for diverse music festivals. Here's our pick of the best in 2023.

Published: 5 June 2023 15:57 CEST
Updated: 10 June 2023 07:02 CEST
Nine of Italy's best small summer music festivals
Italy's summer of small music festivals is just getting started. Photo: Ariano Folk festival/Photo: A Flickr

From ancient castles to tiny islands, historic towns and idyllic countryside, Italy’s best summer events are as much about location and local culture as they are about the music.

READ ALSO: Eight events to look forward to in Italy this June

Well-known festivals such as the historic Umbria Jazz, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, or the capital’s vast Rock in Roma are well worth the ticket price, but smaller events offer the opportunity to have a more intimate experience, explore new places, and enjoy local food — all while listening to your favourite band or brand new musical discovery. 

Here are nine of Italy’s most unique summer music festivals

Beaches Brew  June 5- 8 

Beaches Brew is a festival that takes place in Marina di Ravenna, on the shores of the Adriatic sea.

It’s entirely free, so you won’t have to spend a fortune for the luxury of spending a few days with your feet in the sand, eating local seafood, and listening to the festival’s famously eclectic lineup, which this year features the likes of South African gqom trio Phelimuncasi, Guatemalan cellist and composer Mabe Fratti, and Angolan-Portuguese singer and composer Pongo.

Beaches Brew also highlights the culture and lifestyle of Emilia Romagna: the traditional, family-run pescherie on the town’s pier for example take centre stage on the day of the festival’s opening ceremony, and the team works closely with locals breweries and restaurants. 

IndieRocket June 23 – 24 – 25 

When visiting Abruzzo the coastal town of Pescara is usually skipped over in favour of the region’s spectacular mountainous areas and stunning national parks. Which is a shame, because Pescara has a lot to offer, from pristine beaches to coastal cycle paths that run for hundreds of kilometres.

There’s also the well-loved Indie Rocket, a festival that feels like a local sagra but has all the trappings of an international event.

Thirty euros will get you three days of concerts (this year the lineup features musicians from Uganda, Kenya, Turkey, Lebanon, and more) in the lush Ex Caserma Cocco park, where local artists also display and sell their work. And of course you’ll be able to sample Abruzzo’s delicacies, from arrosticini to Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wine. 

Mistica Sounds Festival July 7-8-9

One of the best things about Rome is just how easy it is to get out of it —  all it takes is a short drive or train ride to be completely immersed in nature.

The pretty Borgo della Mistica offers the opportunity to enjoy some peace and tranquillity without having to venture far, and for the first time this year it will host the Mistica Sounds Festival, a three day event that combines art, workshops, food and wellbeing.

The festival highlights the most cutting-edge club sounds from around the world — this year’s lineup features Mc Yallah from Kenya and Abadir from Egypt — and from Rome’s experimental scene. And if you need a rest, not to worry: there’s more than enough space to lounge by the pool or in the shade of the Borgo’s olive trees. 

Gaeta Jazz Festival July 1-12-13-14-15-17

Sitting right between Rome and Naples perched on the Tyrrhenian Sea, the beautiful town of Gaeta dates back to ancient times and is shrouded in myth and legend (Ulysses is said to have moored his ships here).

The medieval town unfolds over a knot of meandering cobbled alleyways and is overlooked by the impressive Castello Aragonese, which every summer for the past 15 years has played host to a series of concerts organised by Gaeta Jazz Festival.

While it used to be a jazz festival in the traditional sense, over the years its focus has broadened to include different evolutions of jazz and electronics, with concerts and DJ sets taking place in different locations around the city. 

Ortigia Sound System July 26 – 30 

OSS is an electronic music festival that brings together the rhythms and sounds of the Mediterranean with the latest trends in contemporary music. It takes place on the small island of Ortigia, the historic “heart” of Syracuse known for its Greek heritage (it’s been inhabited for over 3000 years) and baroque architecture.

For a few days every July since 2014 some of Ortigia’s most impressive buildings — the grandiose Antico Mercato, and this year even the elegant Teatro Massimo —  are transformed into picturesque concert venues, while many of the DJ sets and afterparties take place on boats out in the sea. 

Ariano Folk Festival August 16 – 20

Tucked away in the mountains of Campania is Ariano Irpino, a very charming but unassuming little town with a stunning view over the hills below. Since 1996 it has been the setting for one of Italy’s most important folk festivals, and over the years has welcomed important acts from all over the world.

As well as nightly concerts the festival includes theatre performances, workshops, book presentations, yoga, and activities for children. The whole town turns out for the festival and it all feels a bit like a village fete — it’s a great one for the family, especially if you love camping.

Photo: AFF/@rvs-dumdum-kumbiaboruka via Flickr

Festivalle August 3 – 6

The Valley of the Temples has to be one of the world’s most awe inspiring places: on a high plateau close to the sea and a stone’s throw from the historic centre of Agrigento, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the foremost examples of Ancient Greek culture and art in Italy.

Festivalle’s four days of concerts and performances unfold across the valley’s most breathtaking locations, from the opening ceremony at the foot of the Temple of Juno, sunset performances in the Garden of Kolymbethra, and the traditional dawn ritual at the Temple of Concordia.

As well as a great lineup and unique location, Festivalle is a great opportunity to discover the history, culture, and food of Agrigento. 

Jazz Refound August 31 – September 3 

With its characteristic stone houses, expansive views, and lovely rose gardens, the Piedmontese borgo of Cella Monte is among the most beautiful in Italy. No wonder it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

Jazz Refound, which takes place between the end of August and the beginning of September, is the perfect excuse to explore this area.

Not only will you be listening to some of the biggest stars of the contemporary music scene (this year features sets and concerts by the likes of DJ, Radio host, and record label owner Gilles Peterson, as well as legendary DJ Louie Vega, and futuristic jazz trio the Comet Is Coming), but you’ll also have the opportunity to take part in their many side events, from wine and food tasting (lest you not forget, truffles are a speciality of this area), yoga, film screenings, and even rafting. 

Locus Festival June 27 – September 1

There are many hidden gems in Puglia, and with its whitewashed houses and historic churches the town of Locorotondo is one of the most striking.

Since 2005 it has been home to Locus Festival, which from its humble beginnings has grown into one of the most important festivals in Italy, expanding its global outlook without losing its local character.

The festival, which runs over several dates and locations throughout the summer, is rooted in jazz and soul, and boasts an impressive lineup featuring the likes of Herbie Hancock, Roy Ayers, Fatumata Diawara, and others.

Megan Iacobini de Fazio is a Rome-based freelance journalist who writes about music and culture for Bandcamp, Pitchfork, The Guardian, Songlines and others.

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CULTURE

Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli dies at 83

Roberto Cavalli, whose penchant for python and flamboyant animal prints made him the darling of the international jet set for decades, died Friday at 83, the luxury company said.

Published: 13 April 2024 09:21 CEST
Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli dies at 83

“It is with deep regret and a great sadness the Roberto Cavalli Maison participates in the passing of its founder Roberto Cavalli,” wrote the company in a statement sent to AFP.

“From humble beginnings in Florence Mr. Cavalli succeeded in becoming a globally recognised name loved and respected by all,” said the company.

First seen in the 1970s on stars such as Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot, Cavalli’s skin-baring, eye-popping styles were still favoured years on by later generations of celebrities, from Kim Kardashian to Jennifer Lopez.

With a taste for Ferraris, thoroughbred horses, fat cigars and tailored shirts unbuttoned to expose his tanned chest, the designer’s private life also appeared the stuff of fantasy.

He married a Miss Universe runner-up, owned a purple helicopter and a Tuscan vineyard, and was on a first-name basis with A-listers like Sharon Stone and Cindy Crawford.

But the designer also weathered challenges, including a dry spell in the 1980s when minimalism took hold on runways and his form-fitting, feathered creations looked out of step.

A years-long trial in Italy on tax evasion charges ultimately ended in Cavalli’s acquittal, but after his eponymous fashion house began posting losses, a majority stake was sold to private equity in 2015.

Best known for his use of printed leather and stretchy, sand-blasted jeans, Cavalli always embraced the wow factor in his designs, never encountering an animal print he did not like.

The designer was tapped in 2005 to update the Playboy Bunnies’ scanty uniform — true to form, he introduced one version in leopard print.

Party crasher

Born on November 15, 1940 in Florence, Italy’s premier leatherworking centre, Cavalli began painting on T-shirts to earn money while at art school.

He recalled in his blog in 2012 how he gate-crashed a party in 1970, and, seeking to save face when he met the host, who was a designer, told him that he printed on leather.

When the designer asked to see some of his work the next day, Cavalli hurried to find samples of thin, supple leather onto which he printed a flower design.

The designer was impressed, and Cavalli was hooked.

Taking his inspiration from glove design, Cavalli began working with calfskin, patenting a new way to print leather with patterns that soon caught the eye of French luxury goods maker Hermes and the late designer Pierre Cardin.

In the 1970s, he opened a shop in Saint Tropez, playground of the world’s glitterati, and debuted his collection in Paris.

He went on to present for the first time in Italy at Florence’s opulent Palazzo Pitti, grabbing attention with his boho-chic patchwork designs on denim that married the unpretentious fabric with expert tailoring.

‘I’m copying God’

Of his ubiquitous use of prints, the animal lover — whose menagerie once included a monkey — told Vogue in 2011: “I like everything that is of nature.”

“I started to appreciate that even fish have a fantastic coloured ‘dress’, so does the snake, and the tiger. I start(ed) to understand that God is really the best designer, so I started to copy God,” he told the magazine.

In the 1980s Cavalli’s instantly recognisable, exotic designs were out of sync with the minimalist look that was all the rage, but the designer came back with a bang a decade later with distressed-looking jeans that proved a hit.

His fashion empire expanded to home furnishings, wine, shoes, jewellery and even a line of vodka, its bottle sheathed in snakeskin.

Taking his style to the high street, he designed a fast-fashion line for Swedish retail giant H&M and tour outfits for Beyonce, among others.

But the label began to suffer financial difficulties amid increased competition from well-funded brands owned by fashion conglomerates LVMH and Kering, and Cavalli stepped down as creative director in 2013.

Two years later, Milan-based private equity group Clessidra bought a 90-percent stake in the company, but a restructuring failed to reverse losses.

After filing for administration and closing its US stores, the fashion group was bought in November 2019 by Vision Investments, the private investment company of Dubai real-estate billionaire Hussain Sajwani.

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