Dramma Popolare of San Miniato

A festival that shaped the history of Italian theatre

The Dramma Popolare of San Miniato is one of Tuscany's most significant and long-standing cultural events. Founded in 1947 by a group of Catholic intellectuals led by Domenico Maselli and the local community, it is considered the oldest theatre production festival in Italy. Its hallmark is "spiritual theatre": works that focus on the ethical, spiritual, and civic dimensions of humanity, staged every summer in the scenic Piazza del Duomo, at the highest point of the medieval village of San Miniato, in the province of Pisa.

The 2026 edition: the 80th anniversary, dedicated to Saint Francis

In 2026, the Dramma Popolare reaches its 80th edition, an anniversary that coincides with the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. The headline production is "La ferita, la letizia" (The Wound, the Joy), a text by Davide Rondoni performed by Alessandro Preziosi, with original live music by Giacomo Vezzani, produced by the Teatro Stabile dell'Abruzzo. The play imagines an intimate and profound dialogue with the Saint of Assisi, portrayed not only as a spiritual figure but as a man of passions, doubts, faith, and poetry, exploring themes of love, ecology, and peace. Performances will be held in Piazza del Duomo from July 28 to 30, 2026, starting at 9:30 PM.

The Theatre Festival

Surrounding the main event is the Theatre Festival, a rich programme that in 2026 runs from June 25 to July 25, featuring world premieres, meetings, and performances hosted between the San Francesco Complex and the Giardino della Misericordia. Highlights include:

• Sui passi del giovane Francesco (June 25, San Francesco Complex)
• Riccardo III - quasi un'orazione civile (June 29, Giardino della Misericordia)
• Elementi per un'esperienza di pace (July 2)
• Nagai, dedicated to the Japanese doctor and the atomic bomb of Nagasaki (July 4)
• Alex, the life and death of Alexander Langer (July 7)
• Strada maestra (July 9) and Milite Ignoto - quindicidiciotto (July 13)

The programme culminates, before the main Dramma, with the concert "Torneremo ancora" by Simone Cristicchi and Amara, a tribute to Franco Battiato, taking place in Piazza del Duomo on July 25.

San Miniato and its open-air theatre

Walking through San Miniato during the Theatre Festival means experiencing the village at its most evocative. The Municipality of San Miniato, overlooking the lower Valdarno between Pisa and Florence, preserves medieval alleys, the Rocca di Federico II, and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, which serves as a natural backdrop for the stage. Supported by the Fondazione Istituto Dramma Popolare with the patronage of the Tuscany Region, the event combines high artistic standards, civic reflection, and a vibrant summer atmosphere, confirming itself as an unmissable appointment for lovers of great theatre in Tuscany.