Diorama Festival

A traveling festival through the villages of inland Abruzzo

Diorama Festival is an event dedicated to sophisticated music, visual arts, and contemporary culture, conceived and directed by Paolo Cicalini. Designed as a traveling event, the festival visits different locations across the Abruzzo region each year as part of the 'L'Aquila City-Territory' initiative and the City-Territory Festival, in synergy with the project that led L'Aquila to become the Italian Capital of Culture 2026.

The stop at Lake Campotosto

For two consecutive years, in 2024 and 2025, Diorama Festival chose the setting of Lake Campotosto, in the municipality of the same name in the province of L'Aquila. The artificial lake, the second-largest basin in Abruzzo, is nestled among the peaks of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park and represents one of the most fascinating natural landscapes in the Central Apennines. The festival days were held at Agricampeggio Cardito, with free admission and on-site camping available.

Music, talks, and visual arts

The program for the Campotosto stop weaves together moments of reflection and high-quality artistic offerings. The morning is traditionally dedicated to the 'Futuro Interno' (Inland Future) talk, a meeting on culture as a lever for the development and regeneration of inland areas, featuring economists, professors, and local collectives. The afternoon features video-performance screenings, DJ sets, and live concerts ranging from electronic to nu-jazz, bringing artists from the independent Italian scene to the stage overlooking the lake.

An experience between nature and culture

In addition to the artistic programming, Diorama Festival offers food and wine stands with typical local products and guided walks along the lake shores, allowing visitors to fully experience the landscape and traditions of the Abruzzo mountains. The event is supported by the Municipality of Campotosto and the L'Aquila area, with the aim of promoting small villages and inland communities through art and culture.

Campotosto and its surroundings

Located at an altitude of over 1,300 meters, Campotosto is one of the highest municipalities in Abruzzo and a favorite destination for lovers of nature, trekking, and outdoor sports. The Diorama Festival stop helps raise awareness of this corner of the Apennines, in the province of L'Aquila, combining landscape discovery with a cultural proposal of national significance.