Emilia Romagna Festival — Concerts at the Bagnara Fortress

The Emilia Romagna Festival in Bagnara di Romagna

The Emilia Romagna Festival (ERF) is one of the most important classical and contemporary music festivals in Central-Northern Italy. Founded in 2001 and directed by flutist Massimo Mercelli, it hosts dozens of concerts every summer in over twenty locations across the provinces of Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena, Bologna, and Ferrara. Among these, the Municipality of Bagnara di Romagna, in the Bassa Romagna area of the province of Ravenna, hosts some evenings each year in the heart of its historic center, within the evocative medieval fortress.

The Fortress, a unique setting in Romagna

The concerts in Bagnara are held in the cellar and courtyard of the Fortress, one of the very few quadrangular fortresses remaining intact in Italy, with its keep, moat, and drawbridge. This intimate and historically impactful setting creates ideal acoustics and atmosphere for chamber music, offering spectators an experience that combines architectural heritage and close-up listening to the performers.

A program between classical and contemporary

The hallmark of ERF is the dialogue between classical repertoire and new languages. In Bagnara di Romagna, this translates into essential and refined chamber ensembles: duo of voice and harp, voice and piano, programs ranging from 19th-century French songwriting to the musical theatre of Kurt Weill. These are evenings designed for a curious audience, capable of appreciating great performers and niche projects in an intimate context.

• Genre: classical, chamber, and contemporary music
• Location: Rocca di Bagnara, Piazza IV Novembre, historic center
• Period: summer, generally between August and September
• Ensembles: duos and small ensembles (voice, harp, piano, sax)

Bagnara di Romagna and the territory

An Orange Flag recipient from the Touring Club, Bagnara di Romagna is one of the most characteristic villages in Emilia-Romagna: a medieval castrum enclosed within walls, with the Sforza fortress dominating the square. The Emilia Romagna Festival evenings are the perfect opportunity to discover this corner of the Bassa Romagna, with its local food and wine, village hospitality, and surprisingly well-preserved historical heritage.

Why participate

For the symbolic ticket price and the artistic quality of the program, the ERF concerts at the Bagnara Fortress are among the most recommended cultural events of the Romagna summer: excellent music, extraordinary locations, and an atmosphere rarely found in large concert halls.