Applausi a Scena Aperta

Theatre under the stars in Mentana

Applausi a Scena Aperta is the summer theatre festival of the municipality of Mentana, located in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the heart of the Roman Sabina. Launched in 2021, the event brings a series of live performances to the Ara-Ossario Garibaldino Gardens every year between July and August. Situated behind the Garibaldi museum, this natural and historical setting gives the festival a truly unique character within the landscape of summer events in the province of Rome.

The artistic direction is led by actor and director David Mastinu, alongside the DamArte Cultural Association, which manages the programming in collaboration with the municipal Department of Culture and with the support of the Lazio Region. Over the years, the festival has become, as the local press has defined it, a landmark for summer theatre in Rome and its province.

A programme that blends different styles

The lineup is not limited to a single genre: alongside classical prose, there is space for social theatre, stand-up comedy, storytelling, and itinerant performances. Typical evenings include:

• Social and committed theatre, with works dedicated to figures and events from recent Italian history;
• Comedy and solo performances, in a light format suited to summer audiences;
• Itinerant shows that move out of the gardens and travel through the historic centre of Mentana, involving dozens of actors and transforming squares and alleys into natural stage sets;
• Side events such as guided tours of the Garibaldi museum, which in some editions have preceded Saturday evening performances;
• Meetings with authors and family-friendly shows, which in past editions have expanded the audience to include younger viewers.

A venue that is a performance in itself

The Ara-Ossario Garibaldino in Mentana preserves the memory of the Battle of Mentana on 3 November 1867, one of the most well-known episodes of the Risorgimento in Lazio. Attending a theatre performance in this garden creates a evocative connection between the history of the peninsula and contemporary performance: when evening falls and the stage lights come on, the audience is seated in a place of memory that becomes a space for community.

The format is typical of well-executed local festivals: a few events spread over several weeks, usually starting at 9:30 PM when the heat subsides. The atmosphere is familiar and informal, with refreshments provided by local businesses, and the audience consists of both Mentana locals and spectators arriving from the nearby Sabina towns and the north-east area of Rome.

Mentana and its surroundings

Mentana is located just over twenty kilometres from the centre of Rome, along the Via Nomentana, in a hilly area that preserves a historic centre clustered around the Castello Orsini-Borghese. The theatre festival is part of a broader summer calendar promoted by the municipality, which includes music, children's activities, and events in the village squares. For those visiting the area, an evening at the theatre can be combined with a walk through the historic centre and a visit to the Garibaldi Museum, one of the most significant in Lazio for the Risorgimento period.

Why it is worth visiting

Applausi a Scena Aperta is not a massive festival, and that is precisely its value: curated programming, a limited number of evenings, affordable prices or free admission depending on the edition, and the chance to see quality theatre in an intimate setting. For those looking for alternatives to the more crowded Roman festivals, it is one of the most interesting proposals of the summer in the province of Rome.