Fanny Mendelssohn International Music Festival — Cascina and its Romanesque Music

A festival weaving together music, art, and local heritage

The Fanny Mendelssohn International Music Festival is one of the most refined cultural events in the province of Pisa, Tuscany. Now in its 13th edition in 2026 (running from March 27 to May 21), the festival features fifteen concerts across Pisa and its surrounding municipalities—San Giuliano Terme, Cascina, Vicopisano, and Pontedera—hosted in museums, historic villas, ancient palaces, and parish churches. Organized by the Fanny Mendelssohn Musical Association under the artistic direction of Sandra Landini and Francesca Amato, the event is dedicated to promoting female composers who have long remained on the margins of music history.

The "Cascina and its Romanesque Music" project

A key feature of this year's edition is the Municipality of Cascina, which takes center stage with the "Cascina and its Romanesque Music" project: three concerts bringing world-class chamber music into the area's Romanesque churches. It is a unique way to showcase lesser-known architectural gems, pairing each performance with a guided tour beforehand.

The three Cascina events

• Sunday, April 12, 2026 — Church of Santi Andrea e Lucia in Ripoli (a hamlet of Cascina). Afternoon concert preceded by a guided tour of the church.
• Sunday, April 19, 2026 — Accordion concert in the Romanesque churches of the Cascina area, accompanied by a guided tour.
• Friday, May 8, 2026 — Pieve di San Casciano. Featuring the Smetana Trio, a prestigious chamber ensemble from the Czech Republic, with a program pairing Haydn's Trio No. 39 "Gypsy Rondo" and Felix Mendelssohn's Trio No. 2, Op. 66. Guided tour of the church at 8:15 PM, followed by the concert at 9:00 PM.

An international festival

The 2026 program hosts performers from numerous countries—including Croatia, Spain, Kazakhstan, Germany, the Czech Republic, Finland, and Switzerland—confirming the event's international scope. Each concert is designed as a complete experience, where listening to music blends with discovering the art-filled venues and, in many cases, tasting local products.

The setting: Cascina and the Province of Pisa

Located along the Via Francigena, just a few kilometers from Pisa, Cascina preserves a rich heritage of Romanesque architecture scattered throughout the town and its surrounding hamlets. The parish churches that frame these concerts tell centuries of Tuscan history: hosting high-level live music here means restoring these spaces to their original purpose as places of community and shared beauty.