F(u)ocus Days
A week of financial education, culture, and memory in the village of the Fire Horse
About F(u)ocus Days
A Festival That Lights Up the Village
The F(u)ocus Days were created to accompany the community of Ripatransone, in the province of Ascoli Piceno (Marche), towards one of the most cherished moments of its calendar: the Fire Horse, a pyrotechnic display recognized as a territorial identity heritage. Promoted by the Banca di Ripatransone e del Fermano, the festival offers a week of events that intertwine financial education, economic reflection, historical memory, and artistic research.
A Multidisciplinary Program
The common thread is the wordplay between the "fire" of tradition and the "focus" of knowledge. The meetings are held in the heart of the historic center, primarily at the Luigi Mercantini Theatre and at the Bank's headquarters, with a particular focus on younger audiences, parents, and adults.
- Financial education talks in a popular and accessible format;
- Economy and culture meetings with directors, journalists, and experts;
- Screenings of recovered and restored archive materials;
- Contemporary art exhibitions and conferences dedicated to the photographic and religious heritage of the village.
The Link with the Fire Horse
The festival finds its meaning in its connection to the week of Madonna di San Giovanni and the Fire Horse, the event that has illuminated the walls of Ripatransone for generations. Through rediscovered documentaries, vintage images, and reflections on local confraternities, the F(u)ocus Days rediscover the community's roots and tell its story with a new perspective.
Ripatransone, the "Belvedere City of Piceno"
Perched on a ridge between the Tronto and Menocchia valleys, Ripatransone is one of the most evocative villages in the Marche region, known for its panoramas and rich historical-artistic heritage. The F(u)ocus Days offer an opportunity to discover the town during a period of great cultural vitality, when tradition and contemporaneity dialogue in the most representative spaces of the center.
F(u)ocus Days — edition 2026
The 2026 edition of the F(u)ocus Days intertwined knowledge and tradition over four days, accompanying Ripatransone towards the Fire Horse.
- Wednesday, April 8, 6:00 PM (Mercantini Theatre): "Choose What I Want", a financial education talk by Taxi 1729 with Paolo Canova, aimed at young people, parents, and adults.
- Thursday, April 9, 9:15 PM (Mercantini Theatre): "Economy and Happiness. Numbers That Burn, Numbers That Ignite", a meeting with Vito Verdecchia, director of the Bank, moderated by journalist Vittorio Bellagamba.
- Friday, April 10, 9:15 PM (Mercantini Theatre): screening, curated by the Visioni d'Archivio association, of a documentary from the early eighties about the Fire Horse, found and restored.
- Saturday, April 11 (Bank headquarters): in the morning, inauguration of the exhibition "Where the Earth Remembers" by Eleonora Cutini, curated by Alex Urso; in the afternoon, at 4:00 PM, the conference "The Confraternities of Ripatransone through the photographs of Alessandro Bruti Liberati".
Programme F(u)ocus Days 2026
Wednesday, April 8
6:00 PM, Mercantini Theatre: "Choose What I Want", financial education talk by Taxi 1729 with Paolo Canova (repeated on April 9 at the Fazzini-Mercantini Institute in Grottammare).
Thursday, April 9
9:15 PM, Mercantini Theatre: "Economy and Happiness. Numbers That Burn, Numbers That Ignite", with Vito Verdecchia and Vittorio Bellagamba.
Friday, April 10
9:15 PM, Mercantini Theatre: "The Fire Horse in the Eighties, a Found Documentary", screening by Visioni d'Archivio.
Saturday, April 11
11:00 AM, Bank headquarters: inauguration of the exhibition "Where the Earth Remembers" by Eleonora Cutini, curated by Alex Urso. 4:00 PM: conference "The Confraternities of Ripatransone through the photographs of Alessandro Bruti Liberati".
Highlights F(u)ocus Days 2026
- Financial education talk "Choose What I Want" with Paolo Canova (Taxi 1729)
- Meeting "Economy and Happiness" with the Bank's director Vito Verdecchia
- Screening of the rediscovered documentary on the Fire Horse from the eighties
- Art exhibition "Where the Earth Remembers" by Eleonora Cutini
- Conference on the confraternities of Ripatransone with photographs by Alessandro Bruti Liberati
Prices F(u)ocus Days 2026
Practical information — F(u)ocus Days
How to Get There
By car: From the A14 motorway, take the Grottammare-San Benedetto del Tronto exit, then follow signs for Ripatransone (approx. 15 km). By train: Grottammare or San Benedetto del Tronto station on the Adriatic line, with onward travel by bus or taxi to the village.
Event Venues
The meetings mainly take place at the Luigi Mercantini Theatre and at the Banca di Ripatransone e del Fermano headquarters, in the historic center.
Admission
The festival events are generally free to enter; reservations may be required for some events. It is advisable to check details on the official channels of the Banca di Ripatransone e del Fermano and the Municipality.
Festival-goer photos
No photos yet. Share yours!
Share your photos
5 photos max, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Noticed an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Every proposal is verified by our team before publication.
Festival-goer reviews
No rating yet — be the first!
No comments yet. Be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community.
Where does it take place — F(u)ocus Days
Teatro Luigi Mercantini
Piazza XX Settembre, 63065 Ripatransone