Elba Musical Island of Europe Festival – Concert in Porto Azzurro
The major international classical and jazz music festival of Elba Island stops in Porto Azzurro, at the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Monserrato
About Elba Musical Island of Europe in Porto Azzurro
The festival that makes Elba Island sing
The Elba Musical Island of Europe Festival is one of the most important classical and jazz music events in all of Tuscany. Born in 1997 from the meeting between artistic director George Edelman and Russian violist Yuri Bashmet, the festival transforms Elba Island every summer into a large, widespread stage, where dozens of world-class soloists and chamber ensembles perform in venues that combine landscape beauty with high-quality listening. The festival involves all the municipalities of Elba—Portoferraio, Capoliveri, Marciana, Marciana Marina, Marina di Campo, Rio, and Porto Azzurro—with the Teatro dei Vigilanti in Portoferraio as its main venue.
The Porto Azzurro stop
In the municipality of Porto Azzurro (province of Livorno), the festival chooses one of the island's most beloved settings: the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Monserrato, a small 17th-century church nestled among the red rocks of a lonely valley behind the town. To reach it, the audience is invited on a true musical trek: you leave your car and walk up the path leading to the sanctuary, where a top-tier concert awaits the hikers, to be enjoyed outdoors amidst the silence of the Mediterranean scrub and the morning light.
World-renowned artists
The overall program brings together over seventy musicians from more than twenty different nations every year. Recurring guests include names like Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, and Mario Brunello, joined by emerging young talents. Mario Brunello himself, one of the greatest Italian cellists, is the star of the Porto Azzurro day: the solo cello trekking formula, designed for the Monserrato sanctuary, combines the physical experience of the hike with the spiritual experience of listening.
A unique experience on Elba Island
- An outdoor concert at the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Monserrato, a hidden gem in the hinterland of Porto Azzurro
- A musical trek that brings the audience closer to the nature of Elba
- Internationally renowned soloists in an intimate and secluded setting
- Free admission subject to availability
The festival is organized by the Opus 110 Association with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Tuscany Region, and the municipalities of Elba, and for nearly thirty years, it has been a landmark for lovers of great music vacationing on Elba.
Elba Musical Island of Europe in Porto Azzurro — edition 2026
30th edition — the Porto Azzurro concert
The 2026 edition celebrates thirty years of the Elba Musical Island of Europe Festival with a program spread across the entire Island of Elba from August 28 to September 13. The Porto Azzurro stop is entrusted to one of the greatest Italian cellists, Mario Brunello, who will lead a musical trek to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Monserrato.
Friday, September 11 — 11:00 AM, Sanctuary of the Madonna di Monserrato
After a walk along the path leading up to the sanctuary, Mario Brunello will perform a solo cello program that weaves together centuries of music: from the anonymous 17th-century Passacaglia to Johann Sebastian Bach's Suite No. 1 BWV 1007, from Valentin Silvestrov's Two Serenades to contemporary pieces by John Cage and Aileen Casarrubios. Brunello's day continues in the evening at the Teatro dei Vigilanti in Portoferraio.
Admission
The concert at the sanctuary has free admission subject to availability. The meeting point and departure time for the trek are communicated by the organization shortly before the event.
Programme Elba Musical Island of Europe in Porto Azzurro 2026
Friday, September 11 — 11:00 AM · Sanctuary of the Madonna di Monserrato (Porto Azzurro)
Mario Brunello • Solo Cello Trek
- Passacaglia — Anonymous (17th century)
- John Cage — Cheap Imitation I (1969)
- Johann Sebastian Bach — Suite No. 1 in G major BWV 1007
- Valentin Silvestrov — Two Serenades for violin (version for cello)
- Aileen Casarrubios — Seven (2020)
The meeting point and departure time for the trek to the sanctuary are communicated by the organization close to the event. The concert is part of the overall program of the 30th edition (August 28 – September 13, 2026), spread across all Elba municipalities with artists such as Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, and Mario Brunello. Full program at www.elba-music.it.
Highlights Elba Musical Island of Europe in Porto Azzurro 2026
Prices Elba Musical Island of Europe in Porto Azzurro 2026
Practical information — Elba Musical Island of Europe in Porto Azzurro
How to get there
Porto Azzurro is located on the eastern coast of Elba Island, in the province of Livorno. You can reach Elba by ferry from Piombino to Portoferraio (about an hour's sailing); from Portoferraio, continue by car towards Porto Azzurro (about 15 km). The Sanctuary of the Madonna di Monserrato is located in a valley northwest of the town: the last stretch is covered on foot along the path, following the musical trekking formula.
Tickets
The concert in Porto Azzurro has free admission subject to availability. The meeting point and departure time for the trek are communicated by the organization shortly before the event. Information: tel. +39 392 3815400, [email protected]. Main festival ticket office at Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 1 in Portoferraio.
Tip
Wear hiking shoes and bring water: the path to the sanctuary requires an uphill walk. It is advisable to arrive early to secure a spot.
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Where does it take place — Elba Musical Island of Europe in Porto Azzurro
Santuario della Madonna di Monserrato