Dormono... sulle colline

A theatrical journey among the tombstones

In Cinaglio, a hillside village in the Province of Asti in the heart of the Monferrato region, the local cemetery transforms for an evening into an open-air stage. "Dormono... sulle colline" is an itinerant performance by the Teatro degli Acerbi, an Asti-based company that has spent years bringing theatre to the landscapes of Piedmont. The work is born from the encounter between the Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters and the songs of Fabrizio De André, in a poetic dialogue between spoken word and live music.

How it works

The performance lasts about sixty minutes and is structured in "stages": actors appear and disappear among the graves, leading spectators in small groups along a path through the tombstones. The voices of the deceased from Spoon River, adapted by Pietro Giovannini, recount lives, work, loves, and regrets, while a guitar accompanies songs by the Genoese singer-songwriter. It is a delicate reflection on collective memory and the value of village cemeteries as guardians of history and beauty.

A tight-knit cast

The cast features Patrizia Camatel, Dario Cirelli, Fabio Fassio (who also directs), and Elena Romano, with live music by Tiziano Villata on guitar. The selection and adaptation of the texts are by Pietro Giovannini. The show, created and performed in various cemeteries across the Asti hills, chooses a new location each year: in Cinaglio, the staging plays with the light at different hours, from sunset to the night illuminated by oil lamps.

Cinaglio and the surrounding area

Cinaglio is a small municipality in the Asti area, nestled among the UNESCO-listed hills of Piedmont. The initiative is promoted by the Ecomuseo BMA and the I Love San Felice association, with the support of the Piedmont Region and the Fondazione CRASTI, as part of a cultural tourism project that highlights the territory's sites of memory.

Why attend

• A unique theatrical experience, far from conventional stages
• The poetry of Spoon River and the songs of De André in a highly evocative setting
• An intimate journey, in small groups, through the hills of the Monferrato astigiano