Città di Marino Festival

A summer festival in the heart of the Castelli Romani

Marino, overlooking Lake Albano just a few kilometres from Rome, is one of the most well-known towns in the Castelli Romani, famous for its wine and the Grape Festival. For some years now, however, the Marino summer has found a second voice: the Città di Marino Festival, a series of live music and performance events that bring the July evenings to life in the Villa Desideri municipal park and, for select performances, on the panoramic terrace of the Belvedere Umberto Mastroianni.

Established in 2023, the festival has grown with each edition to become one of the most followed summer events in the area, promoted by the Municipality of Marino together with the Trousse Association, with the support of the Lazio Region. The artistic direction is entrusted to Giorgio Granito.

A deliberately eclectic programme

The hallmark of the festival is variety: within a few weeks, the programme shifts from opera to jazz, from traditional Roman folk songs to tributes to the great icons of Italian music, and even comedy theatre. It is a precise choice, designed for an intergenerational audience that arrives at the park on foot, as families, often without knowing in advance what they will find.

• Opera and chamber music — solo voices, harp, and operatic repertoire in intimate settings
• Jazz — quartets and ensembles from the Roman scene, often in double sets
• Italian music — recitals and homages to great songwriters, from tradition to contemporary pop
• Popular music — the Roman and Lazio repertoire, including traditional stornelli and tavern songs
• Theatre — brilliant comedies to close the festival

Villa Desideri, a natural stage

The Villa Desideri park is the true protagonist of the event. Mature trees, wide green spaces, and a layout that naturally lends itself to listening: shows begin at 9:00 PM, when the temperature becomes pleasant and the light fades over the Alban Hills. The Belvedere Mastroianni, named after the great sculptor, offers a more intimate and panoramic setting, usually reserved for jazz performances.

A local cultural project

The Città di Marino Festival is part of a cultural policy that the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital has seen grow in many Castelli towns: bringing high-quality live performance out of theatres and into public spaces, eliminating or minimizing ticket costs. The first editions featured a symbolic entry fee with discounts for over 65s and under 26s; the fourth edition has been announced with free admission.

The result is an audience that renews itself every evening and does not necessarily coincide with that of the winter theatre season at the Teatro Vittoria Colonna, of which the festival is, in a sense, the outdoor summer extension.

Marino beyond the festival

Those who head up to Marino for a festival evening will find a town that deserves a longer visit: the Fontana dei Quattro Mori in Piazza Lepanto, the Basilica of San Barnaba, the Roman-era Mithraeum, and, all around, the landscape of the Castelli Romani Regional Park. In autumn, the town transforms for the historic Grape Festival, but in July, it is music that sets the rhythm of the Marino evenings.