Chigiana International Festival – Piano Recital at the Chiostro di Torri

Music beyond the walls, in the most beautiful cloister of the Val di Merse

The piano recital at the Chiostro di Torri is one of the most evocative events in the "Off the Wall" section of the Chigiana International Festival & Summer Academy, the major summer festival organized by the Fondazione Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena. With this series, the festival ventures outside the historic palaces of the Sienese city center, bringing great music to the most fascinating corners of the region and transforming villages, abbeys, and cloisters into open-air concert halls. In Torri, a hamlet in the municipality of Sovicille (Province of Siena), the stage is truly one of the most beautiful.

The Chiostro di Torri: a unique Romanesque jewel in Tuscany

The concert is held in the cloister of the ancient Abbey of Santa Mustiola, a Benedictine monastery of Vallombrosan origin founded around the mid-11th century and first mentioned in 1071. The cloister, perfectly preserved on all four sides, is considered the only one in Tuscany to have maintained its original Romanesque features intact. It is a square measuring about eleven meters on each side, surrounded by three superimposed tiers of arches: the first in bichrome stone, the second in terracotta, and the third in wood, added between the 14th and 15th centuries. It is a setting of rare beauty, immersed in the silence of the Val di Merse, where music takes on an almost sacred dimension.

2026 Edition: "Islands"

The Torri recital is part of the 12th edition of the Chigiana International Festival, titled "Islands" and scheduled from July 7 to September 1, 2026, under the artistic direction of Nicola Sani. It is a monumental edition featuring over one hundred performances, more than eight hundred artists, and over forty compositions, organized into seven thematic sections and dedicated to the centenary of the birth of Hans Werner Henze. The festival weaves together major symphonic concerts in the center of Siena with intimate, widespread appointments across the territory, of which the evening at the Chiostro di Torri is one of the most successful examples.

Great performers in an intimate setting

The "Off the Wall" section is the realm of chamber music and solo recitals, entrusted to internationally acclaimed performers who visit the Sienese villages every year. At the Chiostro di Torri, the piano is the protagonist, in evenings that range from the great Romantic repertoire to 20th-century masterpieces. The limited number of seats and the architectural backdrop make this concert a particularly intense and close-up listening experience, far from the spectacular scale of large events.

A summer evening not to be missed

Attending a concert at the Chiostro di Torri means combining great live music with the discovery of a little-known and precious corner of Tuscany. Before or after the show, it is worth strolling through the tiny hamlet, visiting the nearby Pieve di Santa Mustiola, and breathing in the timeless atmosphere of the Val di Merse, among woods, medieval towers, and ancient mills along the river. An event that perfectly captures the soul of the Chigiana Festival: bringing great music to the most beautiful places in the Sienese territory.

• Where: Chiostro di Torri, hamlet of Torri, Sovicille (SI)
• When: July, as part of the Chigiana International Festival
• What: Evening piano recital in the "Off the Wall" section