First Traveling Theater Festival

A traveling theater festival for the inland areas of the Marsica

The First Traveling Theater Festival was born in the winter of 2025 as a shared cultural project between three municipalities in the Marsica region, in the province of L'Aquila: Lecce nei Marsi, Gioia dei Marsi, and Ortucchio. The idea is both simple and ambitious: to bring quality theater into the heart of Abruzzo's inland areas, encouraging audiences to travel between different villages and turning the stage into an opportunity for neighboring communities to meet.

The traveling format

The formula is that of a traveling festival: performances are not concentrated in a single theater but rotate across the three towns. In Lecce nei Marsi, the stage is the Casa della Cultura L. Spallone, while in Gioia dei Marsi, performances are held in the G. Moretti Cultural Club hall, and in Ortucchio, they take place in municipal spaces and at the Sanctuary of Santo Orante. This way, the audience moves from town to town following the schedule, and each village takes its turn in the spotlight.

The inaugural season's program

The opening season featured six performances, with a program largely entrusted to Abruzzo-based companies and nationally renowned performers. Among the titles and artists that defined the festival:

• the opening show by Max Paiella, held in mid-January;
• Gli anni rubati (The Stolen Years) by the TAMS Company, dedicated to the memory of Anne Frank, hosted in Lecce nei Marsi;
• Il Principe (The Prince) by the Teatro Lanciavicchio, also staged in Lecce nei Marsi;
• AGO. Capitano silenzioso (AGO. Silent Captain) by Ariele Vincenti, dedicated to Agostino Di Bartolomei;
• Madame Curie, elogio dell'invisibile (Madame Curie, In Praise of the Invisible), about the life of Marie Curie;
• the closing show Io sono Abruzzo (I am Abruzzo) by Federico Perrotta, which filled the cultural center hall in Gioia dei Marsi in March 2025.

Culture as "oxygen" for inland areas

From its inception, the festival has been described as an investment in the mountain communities of the Marsica. Collaboration between municipal administrations, support from the Abruzzo Region, and the involvement of local Pro Loco associations allowed for a high-level program even in small towns, which are often far from major theater circuits. The project is promoted by the Teatri dei Marsi Association, led by Maurizio Sacchetto.

An event to follow

The success of the first season has encouraged the administrators of the three municipalities to express their intention to continue the initiative. For those visiting the Marsica in winter, the First Traveling Theater Festival represents a unique way to discover Lecce nei Marsi and the surrounding villages: not just the nature and mountains of the Abruzzo National Park, but also a vibrant cultural life, made of shared theater and communities gathering around the stage.