Borgo in Jazz Festival — tappa di Pietracupa

Jazz among the cliffs of Pietracupa

Few places in Molise can offer a concert jazz a setting like that of Pietracupa, a small municipality in the province of Campobasso perched on a spectacular rock formation that earned it the nickname "Bethlehem of Molise". Here, every summer, the Borgo in Jazz Festival, the travelling review that has enlivened the historic villages of the region with great improvised music since 2014, makes a stop.

A widespread festival in the heart of Molise

Born from an idea of the Molise saxophonist Nicola Concettini and organised by the Borgo in Jazz Cultural Association, the festival takes place over a handful of weeks between June and August, touching municipalities such as Campobasso, Spinete, Ripalimosani, Baranello, Casacalenda, Gambatesa, Morcone and, indeed, Pietracupa. The idea is simple and winning: to bring national and international level jazz musicians away from the big stages, into the squares and alleys of the towns, restoring a cultural role to the villages and igniting the Molise summer.

The Pietracupa stop

The Pietracupa date is traditionally one of the last on the calendar and often has the value of the closing evening. The concert is held in the evening, outdoors, in the historic centre: the rock serves as a backdrop and natural sounding board. Over the years, the village has hosted prestigious quintets and ensembles, with a programme that alternates original projects and tributes to the jazz tradition.

More than a concert

Borgo in Jazz is not just music: for years the festival has accompanied the Campus for Young Musicians, dedicated to students from the music schools of the Campobasso area, and combines each evening with local food and wine and traditions. In Pietracupa, the concert thus becomes an opportunity to discover a village off the beaten tourist track, its churches, its museums, and typical dishes such as 'scattone'.