Festival dell'Appennino – tappa di Castignano

A travelling festival along the paths of the central Apennines

The Festival dell'Appennino is a travelling event that has enlivened the villages and mountains of the central Apennines for over fifteen years, combining guided excursions and live performances in a single day. The formula is simple and now recognisable: in the morning, we walk together along a trail, immersed in the landscapes of the inland areas; in the afternoon, upon reaching the destination, a concert or open-air performance takes place. This is the meaning of the event's historic subtitle, "Inclusivo di Natura" (Nature-Inclusive): culture and environment meeting far from the big stages, in places often off the traditional tourist routes.

The Castignano stop

In 2026, the festival stops in Castignano, a charming hilltop village in the province of Ascoli Piceno, in the heart of the Piceno area. Perched on a tuff spur between badlands and vineyards, Castignano is famous for its green anise (the Anìs), a local identity product, and for its medieval historic centre made up of alleys, stairways, and panoramic views of the Marche hills. The event is scheduled for Saturday 12 September 2026, with a concert by the Banda della Ricetta to close the day of walking, following the usual format of the festival that combines nature excursion and live performance.

The 2026 edition: the tenth anniversary of the earthquake

The 17th edition of the Festival dell'Appennino runs from 3 May to 31 October 2026, with 31 events spread across 29 municipalities in four regions – Marche, Abruzzo, Lazio, and Umbria. This year's theme is the motto "A due passi da te" (Just a stone's throw from you), a manifesto of proximity linked to an important anniversary: the tenth anniversary of the 2016 earthquake that profoundly marked the central Apennines. The festival is promoted by BIM Tronto and the Extraordinary Commissioner for Reconstruction, with artistic direction by Carlo Lanciotti.

Why it's worth it

The Castignano stop is not just a concert: it is an invitation to slow, sustainable, and participatory tourism, capable of bringing audiences and attention to a village in the Piceno area that preserves its food and wine traditions and unique landscapes. For those visiting the Marche region, a day like this is the perfect opportunity to combine nature, music, and the discovery of a community that continues to tell its story of rebirth.