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 Bologna Apennines. The festival's formula is simple and original: often you meet at the starting point, walk a stretch of path accompanied by environmental guides, and at the end of the walk, the landscape transforms into a stage for a live performance. Alongside the walk-concerts, the programme also includes musical evenings in the village squares, as happens in Vergato.

Vergato, gateway to the upper Reno valley

In the Municipality of Vergato (Metropolitan City of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna) the festival chooses the heart of the town: Piazza Capitani della Montagna, the space in front of the Town Hall designed by architect Adolfo Natalini, which has become a symbol of the town. Nestled along the Reno valley and crossed by the historic Porrettana road, Vergato is one of the main centres of the Bologna Apennines, a reference point for the surrounding mountain villages and hamlets. Here, on summer evenings, the square fills with the public for Crinali's free concerts.

A series of free concerts

In Vergato, Crinali's programme takes the form of a veritable season of evening concerts, all with free admission, spanning different musical genres and traditions. It ranges from Latin jazz that blends Italy and Colombia to symphonic music made accessible and participatory, from Balkan and Fellini-esque sounds to author tango and unplugged author songs. A curated programme, designed for a wide audience and to make the square a place of meeting.

• Free evening concerts in Piazza Capitani della Montagna
• Widespread programme in 14 municipalities of the Bologna Apennines, with over 60 performances
• Different musical genres: jazz, symphonic, world music, tango, author songs
• Focus on sociality, slow tourism, and territorial enhancement

A great territorial project

Crinali is promoted by the Municipality of Bologna and the Metropolitan City of Bologna, in collaboration with the Apennine municipalities and local cultural organisations, and is part of the Bologna Estate programme and the regional Montagna Mia 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, bringing renowned artists to the village squares like Vergato.