Crinali

The festival that walks the Apennines

Crinali is a widespread and travelling festival that, from the end of May to mid-October, brings music, theatre, dance, circus, and cinema along the paths and in the villages of the Bolognese Apennines. The formula is simple and original: participants meet at the starting point, walk a section of the trail accompanied by environmental guides, and at the end of the walk, the landscape transforms into a stage for a live performance. It is an invitation to rediscover the mountains slowly, where the real protagonists are the places, the views, and the artists who inhabit them for a day.

Gaggio Montano, a balcony over the Apennines

In the Municipality of Gaggio Montano (Metropolitan City of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna), the festival finds some of its most fascinating stages. The town stands on a ridge in the upper Reno valley, at the foot of Corno alle Scale, and is recognizable from afar by the Sasso di Rocca, the rocky spur topped by the Lighthouse, a monument to the fallen of the two world wars. All around are hamlets and mountain villages — Rocca Pitigliana, Bombiana, Pietracolora, Affrico, and Santa Maria Villiana — each with its own oratories, churches, and views, which become the natural setting for Crinali concerts.

Walks and concerts in the villages

The events in Gaggio Montano alternate walks suitable for families with more challenging hikes, always followed by a musical moment. The programme ranges from solo guitar to world music, from the electronic harp to sounds between the East and the Balkans, in a continuous dialogue between art and environment. Some walks have a thematic focus — naturalistic, historical, or archaeological — with guides and experts accompanying the public in discovering the territory.

• Guided walks with mandatory booking and limited places
• Live concerts in oratories, churches, and panoramic spots in the hamlets
• Widespread programme in 14 municipalities of the Bolognese Apennines
• Focus on environmental sustainability and slow tourism

A major territorial project

Crinali is promoted by the Municipality of Bologna and the Metropolitan City of Bologna, in collaboration with the Apennine municipalities and the Fondazione Bologna Welcome, and is part of the Bologna Estate programme. Over the years, it has become one of the flagship events of the Apennine summer, capable of combining landscape enhancement, slow tourism, and quality live performance.