Carolino Festival

A traveling festival along the Carolino Aqueduct

The Carolino Festival is a traveling musical series that traverses the iconic sites of the Vanvitellian heritage, from the Royal Palace of Caserta to the Ponti della Valle and the villages of the Valle Caudina. The concept is simple yet ambitious: to give voice, through music, to the Carolino Aqueduct, a masterpiece of hydraulic engineering designed by Luigi Vanvitelli and now part of the UNESCO site that includes the Royal Palace, the Park, and the aqueduct itself. The artistic direction is entrusted to maestro Marco Stallone, a local musician.

The festival was born within MaratonArt, a project launched in 2021 and coordinated by the Pro Loco of Airola, selected by the Royal Palace of Caserta as part of the participatory enhancement plan for the UNESCO site. Alongside the concerts, the program features guided tours, excursions, and local promotion initiatives: music is never an isolated event, but part of a broader narrative about the landscape and its history. Promoters include the Municipality of Valle di Maddaloni, the Vanvitellando ETS Association, the Pro Loco of Airola, the Pro Loco of Caserta, and the ANFI section of Maddaloni.

Airola, a stop on the International Project

In 2026, in its second edition, the Carolino Festival arrives in Airola, a town of just over eight thousand inhabitants in the province of Benevento, in the heart of the Valle Caudina in Campania. The choice is no coincidence: Airola is one of the centers linked to the path of the Vanvitellian aqueduct, and its Pro Loco is one of the historical drivers of MaratonArt. This stop is part of the festival's International Project, a programming line that brings performers from foreign musical circuits to the valley.

The 2026 program at Palazzo Montevergine

The two evenings were held at Palazzo Montevergine, at 9:00 PM, with free admission. Saturday, July 25, opened with the Kla-Vier Duo, formed by Portuguese pianists Sònia Amaral and Patrícia Ventura, with a journey through the four-hand piano repertoire spanning different eras, styles, and musical languages. Sunday, July 26, featured South Korean soprano Bisong Park, accompanied on the piano by Marco Stallone, in a concert that intertwined the great international operatic repertoire with the European chamber tradition.

With artists from Portugal, South Korea, and Italy, the festival confirms its international vocation and continues to build cultural relationships between the sites of the Vanvitellian heritage and contemporary artistic experiences.

Palazzo Montevergine, a 17th-century building

Palazzo Montevergine was built in 1606 by the Benedictines of Montevergine and in 1820 passed to the Municipality of Airola, which still houses municipal offices and other public functions there today. It is one of the most frequently used spaces for concerts in the city: compact dimensions, an intimate atmosphere, and a historical setting that naturally harmonizes with chamber music. For visitors, it is also an opportunity for a stroll through the historic center of Airola, rich in noble palaces and churches.

The other stops of the second edition

The 2026 program opened on April 4 in the Palatine Chapel of the Royal Palace of Caserta with the Stabat Mater by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, one of the highest expressions of 18th-century sacred music, with access included in the evening ticket for the Royal Apartments. On May 17, the festival reached Sant'Agata de' Goti, in Piazza Duomo, with the Klezmer Modern Quartet and a free guided tour of the Church of the SS. Annunziata. On June 6, at the Ponti della Valle in Valle di Maddaloni, the National Police Band, conducted by maestro Fausto Remini, celebrated the eightieth anniversary of the Republic, amidst guided tours of the aqueduct and institutional ceremonies.

What to expect

• Free evening concerts in historical spaces, with limited seating and an intimate audience.
• Programs of classical, chamber, and operatic music, often built on juxtapositions between different traditions.
• A strong connection to the Vanvitellian heritage and the landscape of the Valle Caudina.
• A diverse audience, including music enthusiasts and residents of the towns crossed by the aqueduct.