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There's more to musical wonders and memorabilia that belonged to famous singers, artists and groups of the past: vintage music collectors and enthusiasts are about to experience a series of events are about to begin, all to be experienced firsthand. Live music is back to brighten a good part of the summer season by turning the spotlight on the architecture of the past among evocative landscapes, magical places and unique experiences, while discovering lovely cities to add to our itineraries.
For a dip in the deep Middle Ages — but always in dialogue with the contemporary times — the destination we propose is Spoleto in Umbria, a town nestled in the hills and surrounded by olive groves and vineyards. With its ups and downs that lead to the Cathedral, dating back to the 12th century and decorated with a cycle of frescoes by medieval artist Filippo Lippi, in summer Spoleto becomes the heart of the Festival de Due Mondi. Also known as the Spoleto Festival, from 24 June to 10 July the event will present its 65th edition welcoming the public in theaters, open spaces and unconventional places between music, performance and art: the fil rouge of this edition is women who have given new voices to artistic expressions in different disciplines.
For all opera lovers looking for a good excuse to visit a European city that combines culture with nature and relaxation, the appointment is in Austria: from July 28th to August 31st, the more than one hundred-year-old Salzburg Festival offers a program tailored on classical music conniosseurs, enhanced by a wide range of events conceived for the younger generation, including outdoor activities, prose performances in theaters and contemporary art exhibitions in museums. For the occasion, the gardens and streets of downtown Salzburg are enriched with new destinations that complete its already rich musical calendar, which during the rest of the year focuses on Mozart's operas and atmospheres. All is set in the splendid Baroque setting outlined by the buildings of the city, mixed with the Gothic alleys of the historic center, which has entered the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
And while the Salzburg Festival — given its longevity — is an integral part of Austrian history and identity, there is another event which, returning to central Italy, has helped to strengthen the individuality of one of the most evocative local villages: we are talking about Lajatico, in the area around Pisa, the cradle of the Teatro del Silenzio for seventeen years. An exclusive event, nestled in the native hills of Maestro Andrea Bocelli, who still lives here and his the patron of this special evening, flanked by many famous artist friends and the Teatro del Silenzio Orchestra. The show is scheduled for July 28 and promises to be animated by dazzling amphitheate's scenographies, signed by prestigious international artists, as in the past were Arnaldo Pomodoro, Igor Mitoraj, Mario Ceroli, Kurt Laurent Metzler or the Naturaliter group (in the picture). What else to discover in Lajatico? The Rocca di Pietracassia, one of the main examples of early medieval architecture in Tuscany, as well as the village of Orciatico, the astronomical observatory, the windmills of the late 17th century.
Finally, let's move to the north-west of France, in the village of Thiré in the Vendée region, for a truly unique musical event, ideal for fans of gardening, plants, flowers, horticulture: In the William Christie Gardens is a small festival that takes place every year at the end of August, and which allows the public to discover Baroque music in an exceptional context: among the hedges, under the trees, on a body of water, this is a festival in which the barriers between artist and audience seem to fade. The project was born from American harpsichordist and conductor William Christie: in love with European culture and art, Christie arrived in Europe in the 70s and resurrected an abandoned farm by designing a radiant garden around it. Here, together with her prestigious ensemble, Les Arts Florissants, Christie involves the young people of his academy Le Jardin des Voix in the festival, as well as the musicians of the prestigious Julliard School in New York. «It’s the whole idea of the pastoral dream» Christie told the Financial Times; «you have songs, you have music, and it gets mixed up with wind, air, birds, water. There isn’t a baroque opera, from the mid-17th century to the end of the French Revolution, that doesn’t somewhere evoke a lovely, beautiful garden».
