Antiqua in San Raffaele Cimena
Early music resonates in the Church of San Raffaele Arcangelo
About Antiqua
Antiqua: Great Early Music in the Municipality of San Raffaele Cimena
Antiqua is one of Italy's longest-running festivals dedicated to early music, conceived and organized by the Accademia del Ricercare under the artistic direction of Pietro Busca. Each year, the event offers a packed calendar of concerts distributed across various locations in Piedmont, with a special focus on medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque repertoires performed according to historical practice criteria on period instruments or philological copies.
The San Raffaele Cimena Stage
In the municipality of San Raffaele Cimena, nestled in the hills of the Metropolitan City of Turin, the festival finds one of its most evocative venues: the Church of San Raffaele Arcangelo, located on Via Maestra in the hamlet of San Raffaele Alto. The intimate atmosphere and the acoustics of the sacred building provide an ideal setting for listening to early music, where the charm of the location dialogues with the sounds of Baroque instruments.
Multiple Concerts Between Spring and Summer
Unlike a simple isolated evening, Antiqua brings a small season of concerts to San Raffaele Cimena spread across April, May, and June. Each appointment features a monographic program entrusted to a prominent ensemble in the early music scene, with a common thread often revolving around the 17th century and its thousand facets, from love to the discovery of the exotic.
A Cultural Initiative for the Territory
The Antiqua concerts in San Raffaele Cimena are free of charge, in the spirit of cultural dissemination that drives the Accademia del Ricercare. The evenings are often accompanied by artistic installations curated by local associations, such as the "La Voce dei Venti" Association, which enrich the spectator experience by combining music and visual arts.
- Venue: Church of San Raffaele Arcangelo, Via Maestra, San Raffaele Alto
- Organization: Accademia del Ricercare
- Artistic Direction: Pietro Busca
- Free admission
- Territory: Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont
Antiqua — edition 2026
The 31st edition of the Antiqua festival offered San Raffaele Cimena a true small season of early music, with three concerts in the Church of San Raffaele Arcangelo in San Raffaele Alto, all free of charge and starting at 9:15 PM.
The common thread was the 17th century in its various facets: from love sung by Baroque voices to the encounter between Europe and the Orient, up to the discovery of human passions through instrumental music. Each evening was enriched by an art installation curated by the "La Voce dei Venti" Association, in a dialogue between sound and visual arts in the heart of the Metropolitan City of Turin.
Programme Antiqua 2026
April 18, 2026, 9:15 PM — Church of San Raffaele Arcangelo
Orfeo Futuro — «Italian 17th-Century Love Cantatas and Serenades»
- Alessandro Giangrande, countertenor
A journey through passion, irony, and melancholy in the vocal and instrumental pages of the Italian 17th century, featuring music by Benedetto Ferrari, Andrea Falconieri, and Giovanni Battista Buonamente.
May 14, 2026, 9:15 PM — Church of San Raffaele Arcangelo
Mirum Musicis Ensemble — «Le Goût Étranger, Façon de la Chine»
- Xiaoyu Zhao, gu zheng
- Luca Taccardi, viola da gamba
- Eva Carazzolo, harpsichord
An encounter between European Baroque and ancient China: a dialogue between viola da gamba, harpsichord, and the ancient Chinese gu zheng zither, tracing the exoticism that fascinated French composers of Louis XIV's time, from François Couperin to Marin Marais.
June 13, 2026, 9:15 PM — Church of San Raffaele Arcangelo
Ars Baroca Ensemble — «The 17th Century: The Discovery of Passions»
- Lorenzo Cavasanti, Luisa Busca — flutes
- Lorenzo Fantinuoli — cello
- Ugo Nastrucci — theorbo and guitar
- Claudia Ferrero — harpsichord
Music by Frescobaldi, Merula, Buonamente, Fontana, Vitali, Gabrielli, Corelli, Uccellini, Cima, and Falconiero.
Highlights Antiqua 2026
- Three free concerts in the Church of San Raffaele Arcangelo
- Orfeo Futuro with countertenor Alessandro Giangrande (April 18)
- Mirum Musicis Ensemble between European Baroque and China, with the gu zheng zither (May 14)
- Ars Baroca Ensemble with «The 17th Century: The Discovery of Passions» (June 13)
- Art installations curated by the "La Voce dei Venti" Association
Prices Antiqua 2026
Practical information — Antiqua
How to get there
San Raffaele Cimena is located approximately 22 kilometers from Turin and can be reached by car by driving up the hilly bank of the Po river; the reference railway stations are Chivasso and Settimo Torinese, which are well connected to the regional capital. The concerts are held in the Church of San Raffaele Arcangelo, on Via Maestra, in the hamlet of San Raffaele Alto.
Tickets
Admission to the Antiqua festival concerts is free. For information and reservations: [email protected].
Tips
Events generally begin at 9:15 PM. It is recommended to arrive a little early, given the limited capacity of the church, to ensure a seat.
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Where does it take place — Antiqua
Chiesa di San Raffaele Arcangelo
Via Maestra, San Raffaele Alto, 10090 San Raffaele Cimena