Anima Mea Festival (Andria leg)

An early music festival in the heart of Puglia

Anima Mea is one of the most important early and Baroque music festivals in Southern Italy. Founded and directed by maestro Gioacchino De Padova and promoted by the L'Amoroso Cultural Association, the festival is itinerant, weaving its concerts each year through various cities in Puglia, including Bari, Andria, Bisceglie, Palo del Colle, and Sannicandro di Bari. The program brings together ensembles and soloists from across Europe and the Americas, specializing in the philological performance of medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque repertoires on period instruments.

The Andria leg at the Church of Sant'Anna

For several years, Andria, a city in the Barletta-Andria-Trani (BAT) province of Puglia, has hosted one of the most anticipated legs of the festival. Concerts are held in the Church of Sant'Anna on Via Flavio Giugno, an intimate venue whose acoustics and sacred atmosphere are perfectly suited to early music. The Andria leg is organized in collaboration with the Andria section of Italia Nostra, which shares the festival's goal of enhancing the territory's cultural and architectural heritage.

A repertoire from the Middle Ages to the Baroque

The common thread of Anima Mea connects the great European classical tradition with influences from world music: from sacred polyphony to madrigals, and from French and Italian Baroque cantatas to Latin American folklore. Each edition revolves around a theme linking music to the human condition, with readings, guests, and reflections accompanying the concerts. Over the years, internationally renowned ensembles have performed in Andria, offering the Apulian public rare and fascinating gems from the golden age of European music.

A cultural project for the region

More than just a concert season, Anima Mea is a cultural project that brings early music out of major urban centers and into the churches and historic sites of Apulian towns. The choice of Andria and the Church of Sant'Anna reflects this mission: to introduce a wide audience to a repertoire often considered niche, within a highly evocative setting. The dates for the 2026 edition of the Andria leg have not yet been announced; updates are published on the festival's official website and the L'Amoroso association's channels.