Fantastico Medioevo festival transforms Basilicata's medieval heritage into contemporary performance

The Fantastico Medioevo festival, running until September 28, 2025, turns iconic medieval sites in Basilicata's Vulture and Alto Bradano regions into stages for theatre, music, dance, and poetry. Directed by poet and writer Davide Rondoni, the event is part of a larger three-year cultural project promoted by the Basilicata Region and coordinated by the Fondazione Matera Basilicata 2019, aimed at rediscovering the region's Norman-Swabian heritage. Central to the project is Emperor Frederick II and his Constitutions of Melfi, whose eighth centenary falls in 2031. The festival features nationally renowned artists including Simone Cristicchi, Ambrogio Sparagna, Massimo Popolizio, David Riondino, and Rondoni himself, using contemporary languages to challenge the perception of the Middle Ages as a 'dark age.' After September, the festival will return in December with BasiliCanta, a collective choral performance led by Sparagna. Rondoni describes the initiative as a 'great cultural operation' distinct from entertainment-focused festivals, aiming to foster reflection on human uniqueness.