Festival Internazionale di Melfi

A festival that speaks the language of art

There is a Melfi that is not just ancient stone and Norman-Swabian castles: it is the Melfi that, for some years now, has lit up its historic halls with an event capable of bringing together poets, narrators, photographers, painters, actors, and directors from all over Italy and beyond. The Festival Internazionale di Melfi, organized by the association Officina Mediterranea of Avigliano, is precisely this: an event that makes contemporary creativity its beating heart.

The 'Sotto lo stesso cielo' competition

The central moment of the event is the awards ceremony for the artistic-literary competition 'Sotto lo stesso cielo' (Under the Same Sky), a competition open to numerous disciplines: poetry, narrative, short stories, essays, painting, illustration, artistic craftsmanship, photography, comics, theatre, monologues, performances, and short films. A very broad spectrum that reflects the multidisciplinary vocation of the festival and the desire to give voice to different languages under a single ideal horizon.

Frederick II and 'Stupor Mundi'

In a city so closely linked to Swabian memory, an homage to Frederick II could not be missing. The festival dedicates an in-depth look at the emperor's figure and his myth of 'Stupor Mundi', wonder of the world, intertwining historical reflection with contemporary artistic creation.

The Sala degli Stemmi

The choice of the Sala degli Stemmi of the Palazzo Vescovile is not accidental: it is a space that tells centuries of ecclesiastical and civil history of the diocese of Melfi, and which offers the awards ceremony a highly evocative setting. Admission is free, a sign of the organizers' desire to make culture accessible to all.

An event for the territory

Ideally supported by the Municipality of Melfi and part of the broader cultural ferment of the Province of Potenza, the festival helps to position the city of Vulture as a meeting place between art, memory, and contemporaneity. It is a precious opportunity for those visiting Basilicata in the summer and wanting to discover a less touristy and more authentic dimension of Lucanian cultural life.