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Armonie del Mediterraneo – Viaggi, Miti e Ritorni unfolds as a journey in motion—a narrative woven from stories, sounds and memories that reveals the Mediterranean in its deepest dimension: a place of encounters, departures and homecomings, a living space where multiple identities and cultures meet in dialogue.
Through the arts and contemporary forms of expression, the Festival brings together tradition and vision, transforming the Mediterranean's cultural heritage into a shared experience that speaks powerfully to the present. Within this narrative, Salento emerges as both a gateway and a destination, offering a privileged vantage point over a sea that has always connected peoples, cultures and histories.
The Festival is conceived and promoted by the Euro-Mediterranean Cultural Heritage Agency, in collaboration with the Municipality of Lecce, with the support of the Italian Ministry of Tourism through the National Tourism Fund (FUNT) – 2025 Current Expenditure Programme (Project Code CUP F89I25002020001).
The initiative is delivered in partnership with the "Tito Schipa" Conservatoire of Music, Lecce, Fondazione Treccani Cultura ETS, Associazione Culturale Aletheia Teatro, BandAdriatica, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, and Quarta Agency, directed by Rosanna Quarta.
Following the inaugural 2025 edition, which explored Sounds, Arts and Cultures in Dialogue, the Festival now develops around the theme Viaggi, Miti e Ritorni, evoking the visible and invisible routes that, over the centuries, have shaped the Mediterranean into a crossroads of journeys, encounters and shared narratives.
From 28 April to 7 June, the programme unfolds through three thematic strands—Harmony on Stage, Harmony in Dialogue and Harmony in Music—bringing together nine events, all with free admission (booking required where indicated). Together, they form a rich and interconnected narrative in which past and present engage in dialogue, while the Mediterranean once again becomes a symbolic space of memory, transformation and future possibility.
Harmonies on Stage brings MITIKA – Teatro e Mito nella contemporaneità to the stage of Teatro Paisiello, with Curtain up: 9.00 p.m. The programme features three productions, presented on 28 April, 17 May and 21 May, by Associazione Culturale Aletheia Teatro, under the artistic direction of Carla Guido.
The Festival and the theatre programme open on 28 April with the world première of DEDALO E ICARO, OLTRE IL VOLO, written by Giovanna Bino, performed by Toni Candeloro and Carla Guido, and directed by Toni Candeloro. This compelling new production reimagines the myth of Icarus as a powerful metaphor for ambition, rebellion and the universal longing for recognition.
On 17 May, AGAMENNONE, based on the work of Ghiannis Ritsos, is performed by Andrea Tidona and Carolina Vecchia, with Alessandra Fallucchi providing the voice-over, under the direction of Alessandro Machìa. The production offers an intense journey through the memories and conscience of a man profoundly marked by war, exploring the complex interplay of guilt, vulnerability and power.
The programme concludes on 21 May with CIRCE: LE ORIGINI, written by Alessandra Fallucchi and Marcella Favilla, performed by Alessandra Fallucchi and directed by Marcella Favilla. Offering a contemporary female perspective on one of mythology's most compelling figures, the production transforms the ancient narrative into a powerful journey of self-awareness and emancipation, bringing both MITIKA – Teatro e Mito nella contemporaneità and Harmony on Stage to a close.
Harmonies in Dialogue welcomes the Festival del Mediterraneo Treccani 2026, presenting two events curated by Fondazione Treccani Cultura ETS as part of the broader Festival Treccani della lingua italiana, held in Lecce from 8 to 10 May. Together, they weave literature, mythology and collective memory into a compelling exploration of the Mediterranean's cultural identity.
On 9 May, at 9.00 p.m., Teatro Paisiello hosts PSICHE MEDITERRANEA, a contemporary reinterpretation of the myth of Cupid and Psyche through the voices and reflections of Emanuele Trevi—writer, literary critic and recipient of the 2021 Premio Strega—and Valter Malosti, theatre director, actor and visual artist. Together, they reveal the timeless depth and universal resonance of one of classical mythology's most enduring narratives.
Live music by Andrea Cauduro accompanies and enriches the performance, creating a rich sonic texture that enters into dialogue with the spoken word, amplifying its emotional depth and contributing to an immersive and evocative theatrical experience.
On 10 May, at 7.00 p.m., the Complesso degli Agostiniani hosts MEDITERRANEO: UN MARE DI DONNE TRA PASSAGGI E NARRAZIONI, a lecture by Emanuela Bufacchi, Professor of Italian Literature at the Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples and Scientific Adviser to the Biographical and Thematic Dictionary of Women in Italy.
Through her lecture, Emanuela Bufacchi restores voice and centrality to the women who have crossed, shaped and transformed the history of the Mediterranean, offering new perspectives that connect memory with the contemporary world. In doing so, she reaffirms the Mediterranean as a living space of relationships, encounters and shared cultures, bringing the Harmony in Dialogue programme to its conclusion.
Harmonies in Music finds its vibrant home at Teatro Apollo, transforming the venue into a symbolic harbour where music becomes a journey across the many cultures of the Mediterranean.
The voyage begins on 6 May with BANDADRIATICA – NOSTOS – CONCERTO DEL VENTENNALE, presented by Manigold, celebrating twenty years of music, encounters and cultural exchange through a rich musical itinerary spanning Greece, Türkiye, Lebanon, Albania and Croatia.
The evening opens at 7.00 p.m. with the Salento Grooves Band, performing a selection of BandAdriatica's repertoire in the traditional brass band style. At 8.00 p.m., the curtain rises on the anniversary concert itself. Making the occasion even more memorable is the participation of artists who have shared the ensemble's musical journey over the years: Maria Mazzotta, Rachele Andrioli, Bojken Lako and Antonio Castrignanò.
The programme continues on 16 May with CGS 50 – IL MITO, the celebratory concert marking the fiftieth anniversary of Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, a landmark event honouring five decades of artistic innovation, musical research and cultural commitment (Curtain up: 8.45 p.m.).
Taking the stage are the group's current line-up, led by Mauro Durante, together with the electronic duo Inude and two founding members: Roberto Licci, one of the most iconic voices of the Griko musical tradition, and Rossella Pinto, who performed with Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino for more than thirty years.
The performance celebrates the creative dialogue between tradition and modernity that has long defined the ensemble's artistic identity. Through a contemporary reinterpretation of the rituals associated with the celebrated pizzica tarantata, the artists revisit an ancient tradition in which music, dance and trance were believed to possess the power to heal those struck by the bite of the legendary taranta.
The programme continues on 24 May, at 8.30 p.m., with FISARMONICHE ONE NIGHT – La fisarmonica dal classico al jazz | Suoni dal Mediterraneo, a festival entirely devoted to an instrument that has become a symbol of journeys, memory and cultural exchange, capable of connecting generations and traditions.
Curated by Quarta Agency, under the artistic direction of Rosanna Quarta, the event unfolds as an elegant, immersive musical experience—a genuine voyage across the shores of the Mediterranean and the sounds of contemporary music, shaped through the encounter of diverse artists, traditions and musical languages.
The programme moves from the deeply personal songwriting of the Mino De Santis Quartet to the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the Partenope a Parigi Quartet, featuring vocalist Valentina Madonna, where the musical soul of Naples meets an international outlook. The evening concludes with the refined musical exploration of the Loderini–Pinca–Venturoso Trio, whose original interpretations of jazz and the Argentine tango of Astor Piazzolla reveal the accordion's extraordinary expressive possibilities.
A musical journey that seamlessly intertwines tradition and innovation, restoring the accordion to its full expressive richness and reaffirming its place among the Mediterranean's most evocative musical voices.
The Festival concludes on 7 June with ROTTE DEL MEDITERRANEO, performed by the Ensemble Mediterraneo "Tito Schipa" (Curtain up: 8.30 p.m.), an event presented by the "Tito Schipa" Conservatoire of Music, Lecce.
The concert offers a musical voyage through the many identities of the Mare Nostrum, bringing together folk traditions, Mediterranean soundscapes and global influences. On stage, traditional instruments engage in dialogue with contemporary musical languages, creating a bridge between East and West.
Among the featured performers is Samuel Mele, a young musician and researcher whose artistic project brings together ancient roots and contemporary sensibilities. The repertoire ranges from the folk traditions of Southern Italy to the musical heritage of Naples, before embracing Balkan and African influences in a continuous process of cultural exchange and artistic cross-fertilisation.
The arrangements and musical coordination are by Christian Bevilacqua, whose artistic vision shapes an immersive concert experience in which tradition and innovation come together, providing a fitting conclusion to Harmony in Music and to the Festival itself.
Armonie del Mediterraneo is, above all, a collective undertaking: a shared artistic journey in which every event becomes a living experience, bringing together deep-rooted traditions and new perspectives. In doing so, the Festival restores the Mediterranean to its enduring role—not as a frontier that divides, but as a sea that connects, a place where cultures, communities and histories meet in dialogue.
This year's theme, Viaggi, Miti e Ritorni, transforms Lecce into a symbolic harbour where millennia of history—from its Messapian and Byzantine origins to the splendour of the Baroque—encounter the contemporary world. Throughout the Festival, the city itself becomes an emotional landscape, linking three emblematic venues: Teatro Apollo, a symbol of artistic prestige and international outlook; Teatro Paisiello, renowned for its elegance and intimate atmosphere; and the Complesso degli Agostiniani, an open space dedicated to participation, dialogue and intercultural exchange. Together, these places become safe harbours where the stories of the Mediterranean can arrive, be shared, and set sail once more.
At a time marked by uncertainty and division, Armonie del Mediterraneo offers a different perspective. Through music, theatre, storytelling and dialogue, a sea too often associated with conflict is reclaimed as a sea of harmony, where every departure carries the promise of encounter and every homecoming becomes the beginning of a new story.
By bringing together voices, sounds and artistic languages from across the Mediterranean, the Festival weaves a shared cultural fabric founded on dialogue, mutual understanding and the transformative power of artistic exchange.
