CRITA - Festival of the Arts

A festival travelling through the towns of Salento

CRITA - Festival of the Arts is a travelling festival dedicated to theatre, music, and dance, conceived and produced by the Ventinovenove cooperative under the artistic direction of Gabriele Polimeno, Mary Negro, and Giuseppe Bortone. Each summer, the festival traverses five towns in the Salento area of Lecce—Collepasso, Bagnolo del Salento, Cutrofiano, Galatone, and Maglie—transforming squares, historic palaces, and cultural spaces into meeting points between artists and local inland communities.

Collepasso and its Palazzo Baronale

Collepasso, a town of just over six thousand inhabitants in the province of Lecce, is a regular stop on the festival circuit and has even hosted the opening night in several editions. The preferred stage is the courtyard of the Palazzo Baronale, an elegant historic residence in the town centre, which becomes an open-air theatre on summer evenings for plays, comedy, and storytelling. The participation of Collepasso, along with the other partner towns, creates a widespread cultural network that brings contemporary theatre to even the smallest centres of Salento.

The name, the clay, and the water

The festival takes its name from creta (clay), the symbolic material of the nearby area of Cutrofiano and its ancient ceramic tradition: without water, clay remains dust. The themes of the various editions revolve around this image, interpreting culture as a flow capable of crossing and regenerating communities. The 9th edition in 2026 is dedicated to 'Flowing Water', a metaphor for a culture that unites towns just as a river joins its banks.

A network supported by the territory

CRITA is the summer programme of an annual project funded by POC Puglia 2021-2027 funds and carried out in partnership with the municipalities of Collepasso, Bagnolo del Salento, Cutrofiano, Galatone, and Maglie, with the support of Legacoop Puglia and numerous local cultural entities. The festival weaves together names from the national theatre and music scene with deep roots in Salento, offering the public an opportunity to discover the inland villages of Lecce through live performance.

Atmosphere

CRITA's evenings in Collepasso take place outdoors with an intimate and participatory format: the audience sits in the courtyard of the Palazzo Baronale and follows the festival as it moves from town to town, in an itinerary that combines art, conviviality, and the discovery of the southern Puglia territory. Admission is generally free with voluntary donations, often with reservations recommended.