Emilia Romagna Festival — Concerts at the Abbey of Pomposa

A festival in the heart of the Po Delta

The Emilia Romagna Festival is one of the most important music events in the region and every summer transforms castles, abbeys, cloisters, and historic gardens of Emilia-Romagna into stages for great music. Among the most evocative venues is the Abbey of Pomposa, in the Municipality of Codigoro, province of Ferrara: a Benedictine monastic complex of ancient origins, famous for its Romanesque bell tower, its fresco cycles, and its connection with the monk Guido d'Arezzo, who here contributed to the development of modern musical notation.

The venue: the Abbey of Pomposa

Singing and playing at Pomposa means making music in a place that holds a thousand years of history. In 2026, the abbey celebrates the millennium of its consecration, and the festival pays homage to this anniversary with some of its most important events. The setting, immersed in the Po Delta countryside, offers a secluded and solemn atmosphere, ideal for high-level listening under the summer sky of the Bassa Ferrarese.

A program between classical and contemporary

The philosophy of the festival, summarized in the motto 'the classical is contemporary', proposes a constant dialogue between historical repertoire and new languages. At the Abbey of Pomposa, great orchestras, chamber ensembles, and multidisciplinary projects that intertwine music, dance, and words alternate. The audience can listen to pieces from the Baroque and Classical repertoire alongside 20th-century and contemporary scores, in a program designed to showcase both masterpieces and musical research.

International level performers

The artistic direction, entrusted to the flutist Massimo Mercelli, brings internationally renowned soloists, choirs, and orchestras to Pomposa. Among the protagonists of recent editions are ensembles like the Cameristi della Scala, choral academies, and chamber orchestras, as well as numerous guest soloists. Overall, the Emilia Romagna Festival's program includes dozens of concerts and over six hundred artists involved each summer.

Why it's worth attending

• Classical and contemporary music concerts in one of Italy's most beautiful abbeys.
• Venue of great historical and artistic value, in the Municipality of Codigoro and in the Po Delta area.
• Quality programming with internationally renowned performers and orchestras.
• Several free admission events, making great music accessible.

Attending an Emilia Romagna Festival concert at the Abbey of Pomposa is an opportunity to combine the discovery of a Romanesque architectural masterpiece with listening to great music, in a fascinating and still little-known corner of Emilia-Romagna.