Al Castello Festival

A festival born from the village

Al Castello Festival is an artistic and cultural project held in Monteferrante, a tiny village perched above the Sangro River in the heart of the Abruzzo hinterland. The municipality, located in the province of Chieti, has just over a hundred inhabitants: it is precisely this minute, almost suspended dimension that makes the village the true protagonist of the festival. The name recalls the ruins of the 15th-century castle of the D'Aragona family, around which the fortified village grew and from which it takes its name, linked to King Ferrante I.

The residential workshop as the heart of the project

Unlike a traditional event schedule, Al Castello Festival revolves around a residential workshop lasting several days, designed for a small group of adult participants. Each year, the project explores a different artistic language, invited to engage in a dialogue with the territory, the stones, the alleys, and the people who give meaning to the place. The stated goal is to reveal what lies beneath the surface of the village, illuminating the stories and traces that have belonged to it.

Editions and artistic disciplines

Conceived and curated by Domenico Berardinelli, the festival has explored very different disciplines over the years:

• 2023 – First edition dedicated to the exploration of the architecture, stones, walls, and alleys of the village, guided by Gioia Marchegiani.
• 2024 – Second edition focused on botanical drawing, guided by Gioia Marchegiani in collaboration with the Giardino della Flora Appenninica of Capracotta, to tell the story of the village through its flora.
• 2025 – Third edition, held in spring, dedicated to memory and everyday objects, with graphic artist and illustrator Federico Blu di Prussia and the experimentation of printmaking techniques.

An immersive experience in the territory

Al Castello Festival is not an entertainment event but a slow, participatory journey where art becomes a tool to observe, listen, and restore the identity of a place. Participants live for several days in close contact with the community of Monteferrante, walking among the stone houses overlooking the Sangro Valley and exploring the landscape of the Abruzzo Apennines. The project is distinguished by its deep respect for the territory and its community, without forcing or sensationalism, with the support of the municipal administration.

Why participate

Those looking for an authentic experience away from large-scale events will find a rare opportunity at Al Castello Festival: to rediscover, through the lens of art, the fragile and precious beauty of one of the many small villages in the Abruzzo hinterland. An invitation to slow down, look closely, and let yourself be told a story that begins right where the castle once stood.