Dialetto Sotto le Stelle

A twenty-year tradition

In the heart of summer in Matelica, a town in the upper Macerata area nestled between the Apennine mountains and the Verdicchio hills, Dialetto Sotto le Stelle returns, the dialect theatre review that in 2026 celebrates its 20th edition. Organized by the Associazione Pro Matelica, the review is now a classic of the town's summer: every Thursday evening in July, the courtyard of the School in via Spontini transforms into an open-air theatre, where the audience enjoys comedies performed in the Marchigiano dialect.

Dialect theatre, a language that endures

Here, dialect is much more than a means of expression: it is memory, identity, and an occasion for community gathering. The amateur theatre companies that take turns on stage come from various municipalities in the Marche region and perform brilliant comedies, farces, village stories, and portraits of popular characters that elicit laughter and applause. It is theatre made of passion, where non-professional actors give voice to an oral tradition that would otherwise risk being lost.

The featured companies

The programme brings together some of the best amateur theatre groups in the Marche region. Among the groups expected in the 2026 edition are the "Amici del Teatro" Company from Loro Piceno, the "I Gira…soli" Company from Castelfidardo, the Avenale Theatre Company, and the "Li tunni" Company from Montegiorgio, each with a different play ranging from farce to comedy of errors.

A summer evening in Matelica

Attending Dialetto Sotto le Stelle also means discovering Matelica, a small art city in the Province of Macerata famous for its Verdicchio di Matelica DOC and DOCG wines and for its elegant historic centre gathered around Piazza Enrico Mattei. Before or after the show, it's worth taking a stroll through the Renaissance palaces, churches, and wine bars of the town to fully experience the atmosphere of a summer evening in the Marche.