Assaggi Festival – Incontro

A theatre and community festival in Peveragno

The Assaggi Festival is a summer highlight that has been gracing the month of June in Peveragno for several years. Located at the foot of the Maritime Alps in the heart of Piedmont, this small town in the Province of Cuneo provides the perfect backdrop for the event. It is organized by the Compagnia del Birùn APS, a local cultural and theatrical association that uses the festival to stage performances, readings, and concerts that blend artistic quality with social awareness.

The festival's guiding theme is the idea of an "assaggio" (a taste): short, intense experiences designed to introduce the audience to important topics with both lightness and depth. Each edition revolves around a keyword that shapes its focus.

The 2026 edition: «Incontro»

The 2026 edition is titled «Incontro» and consists of three evenings, from June 19th to 21st, all with free admission subject to availability. The program blends theatre, dramatic readings, and live music, sensitively addressing topics such as mental health, gender prejudice, and the inclusion of vulnerable individuals.

• Friday, June 19th, 9:30 PM, Cortile Ambrosino: the play «ILMONDODIFUORI» by the Compagnia Gli Episodi of Boves, inspired by the novel «Grande meraviglia» by Viola Ardone, which explores mental health during the years of the Basaglia Law.
• Saturday, June 20th, 9:30 PM, Cortile Ambrosino: the theatrical reading «(NON) SONO SOLO CANZONETTE», featuring Valentina Veratrini and guitarist Lorenzo Orlandini, an ironic journey through popular Italian pop music and the gender stereotypes hidden within it.
• Sunday, June 21st, from 6:30 PM, on the San Giorgio hill: a merenda sinoira (traditional Piedmontese late-afternoon snack) followed by a concert by the Coro Senza Dimora of Turin, a social choir coordinated by Orlando Manfredi and Tommaso Cerasuolo, dedicated to the values of hospitality and care for those experiencing homelessness.

Venues and atmosphere

The heart of the festival is the Cortile Ambrosino, an intimate space in the centre of Peveragno that serves as the stage for the theatrical evenings. The final day moves to the San Giorgio hill, accessible on foot, where the traditional Piedmontese merenda sinoira accompanies music and moments of conviviality outdoors, overlooking the mountains of the Cuneo area.

A local cultural project

More than just a series of shows, Assaggi is a community culture project: the Compagnia del Birùn aims to demonstrate that bringing different people, ideas, and contexts together does not necessarily generate conflict, but can become an opportunity for encounter. This is why the festival pairs theatre with music, civic reflection, and the promotion of the Peveragno area, in a small Piedmontese town that turns culture into a catalyst for collective growth.