Castelbasso Festival

A village that becomes a festival

Perched on a hill overlooking the Vomano valley, the medieval village of Castelbasso — a hamlet of Castellalto, in the province of Teramo — hosts one of the most significant cultural events in Abruzzo every summer. The Castelbasso Festival is promoted by the Fondazione Malvina Menegaz per le Arti e le Culture, which since 2008 has turned the village into a place for multidisciplinary dialogue and a hub for cultural production and innovation.

Contemporary art in historic palaces

The heart of the festival is the major contemporary art exhibition, set up in the evocative spaces of Palazzo De Sanctis and Palazzo Clemente. Each year, a new exhibition, curated by nationally renowned critics and curators, brings installations, sculptures, photography, and works by leading Italian and international artists to the village walls, ranging from Arte Povera to the most current research.

Music, theater, and literature

Alongside the exhibitions, the program is enriched with concerts, theater performances, readings, and literature meetings, featuring names ranging from international jazz to singer-songwriters, and from classical music to contemporary drama. The village squares, such as Piazza Belvedere, become natural stages that engage with the landscape of the Teramo hills.

An experience between art and territory

Strolling through Castelbasso during the festival means experiencing art in a rare setting: stone alleys, panoramic views of the valley and the Gran Sasso, and evening atmospheres animated by guided tours, workshops for children and families, and food and wine moments linked to Abruzzo's excellence. A model of cultural regeneration that has made the small village a point of reference for contemporary art in Central Italy.

• Where: village of Castelbasso, hamlet of Castellalto (Teramo), Abruzzo
• Exhibition venues: Palazzo De Sanctis and Palazzo Clemente
• Organizer: Fondazione Malvina Menegaz per le Arti e le Culture
• Period: from late July to late August