7 Music Festivals to Discover Italy's Hidden Gems in Summer 2019
This article features seven music festivals across Italy that merge live music with cultural and scenic environments. The FRAC Festival, now in its fifth year, takes place at the Complesso Monumentale del San Giovanni in Catanzaro, showcasing artists like Theo Parrish. Color Fest is scheduled for August 3-4 at Parco naturale di Platania, featuring performances by Motta and Myss Keta. In Sardinia, the Gaeta Jazz Festival runs from July 25-28 with talents such as Yazmin Lacey, while the Musica sulle Bocche festival (August 22-25) offers jazz in Castelsardo. The Time in Jazz festival in Berchidda (August 7-16) includes a lineup curated by Paolo Fresu. In Puglia, the Sagra Elettronica on July 27 highlights experimental music, and the Mythos Opera Festival runs until September 1, showcasing operas at Sicilian sites.
Key facts
- FRAC Festival V edition at Complesso Monumentale del San Giovanni, Catanzaro, August 9-11
- Color Fest VII edition at Parco naturale di Platania, Calabria, August 3-4
- Gaeta Jazz Festival XII edition, July 25-28, featuring Yazmin Lacey, Joe Armon-Jones, Nicola Conte
- Sagra Elettronica II edition at Masseria Ospitale, Lecce, July 27, with Aïsha Devi, Nkisi, Jay Glass Dubs
- Mythos Opera Festival III season in Sicily until September 1, dedicated to Franco Zeffirelli
- Musica sulle Bocche XIX edition in Castelsardo, Sardinia, August 22-25
- Time in Jazz XXXII edition in Berchidda and other Sardinian locations, August 7-16, directed by Paolo Fresu
- Time in Jazz title 'Nel mezzo del mezzo' and includes film screenings curated by Gianfranco Cabiddu
Entities
Artists
- Theo Parrish
- Planningtorock
- Peaking Lights
- Lee Fields & The Expression
- Venerus
- Cecilia Sammarco
- Yazmin Lacey
- Joe Armon-Jones
- Nicola Conte
- Motta
- Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti
- Myss Keta
- Franco126
- Murubutu
- I hate my village
- Fask
- Paolo Fresu
- Aïsha Devi
- Nkisi
- Jay Glass Dubs
- Nino Strano
- Franco Zeffirelli
- Attilio Colonnello
- Beppe de Tommaso
- Arnoldo Foà
- Mauro Bolognini
- Gianfranco Cabiddu
- Robert Glasper
Institutions
- FRAC Festival
- Color Fest
- Gaeta Jazz Festival
- Sagra Elettronica
- Mythos Opera Festival
- Musica sulle Bocche
- Time in Jazz
- Jana Project
- Masseria Ospitale
- Complesso Monumentale del San Giovanni
- Castello Normanno
- Parco naturale di Platania
- Castello Aragonese
- Scalinata Santa Maria del Monte
- Teatro Antico di Taormina
- Teatro Verdura
- Arena di Verona
- Artribune
Locations
- Catanzaro
- Italy
- Calabria
- Platania
- Gizzeria
- Monte Reventino
- Sila Piccola
- Gaeta
- Lazio
- Sardinia
- Castelsardo
- Bocche di Bonifacio
- Berchidda
- Sassari
- Arzachena
- Bortigiadas
- Budoni
- Cheremule
- Erula
- Loiri Porto San Paolo
- Mores
- Nulvi
- Olbia
- Ploaghe
- Posada
- Golfo di Marinella
- San Pantaleo
- San Teodoro
- Telti
- Tempio Pausania
- Tula
- Lecce
- Torre Chianca
- Puglia
- Salento
- Sicily
- Caltagirone
- Taormina
- Palermo
- Verona