Forestàte – The Landscape of Differences

A village that becomes a stage

Foresta is a tiny hamlet in the municipality of Tora e Piccilli, in the province of Caserta, nestled among the woods of the Alto Casertano within the Roccamonfina – Foce Garigliano Regional Park. For eleven months of the year, it is just a cluster of quiet houses; in summer, however, its square fills with chairs, lights, and audiences, becoming the heart of Forestàte – The Landscape of Differences, the music and theatre festival that has been showcasing the interior of Campania from an unusual perspective since 2021.

The idea is both simple and radical: to bring high-level performing arts to places they don't usually reach, making the landscape not just a decorative backdrop, but a dramaturgical element. The very title of the festival, The Landscape of Differences, declares its dedication to the encounter between different languages, generations, and backgrounds, summarized in the organizers' motto: «There are no strangers in art».

Six editions of cultural presence

Forestàte is a project by the PrimoPiano ETS Cultural Association, under the artistic direction of Antonio Maiorino and in collaboration with the artist Massimo Pastore. Over the years, the festival has received the patronage of the Municipality of Tora e Piccilli, the Roccamonfina Regional Park Authority, and the Monte Santa Croce Mountain Community, and has joined the circuit of the Campania Teatro Festival, the region's main international theatre event.

In 2026, the festival reaches its sixth edition and confirms the formula that has made it recognizable: one appointment per week, always on Friday evenings, from the beginning of July to the end of August, with a program that alternates contemporary composition and tradition, auteur theatre, and reinterpretations of the classical repertoire.

The 2026 program: nine evenings from July 3rd to August 28th

Nine events mark the summer of 2026 in the square of Foresta, starting at 9:00 PM:

• July 3rd – Paese Mio Bello #Suitenapoletana2, a journey through Neapolitan song with Lello Giulivo, Gianni Lamagna, Anna Spagnuolo, and Patrizia Spinosi, accompanied by Michele Boné and Paolo Propoli
• July 10th – L'Uomo Nuovo, based on a subject by Antonio Maiorino Marrazzo, directed by Luisa Guarro, in collaboration with the Campania Teatro Festival
• July 17th – Di corde e versi, concert-performance by the Trio Medeidae
• July 24th – Caipirinha, Caipirinha! with Sara Sole Notarbartolo
• July 31st – Concert by Amalinze
• August 7th – Piper Cimatti, based on a subject by Antonio Maiorino Marrazzo
• August 14th – Waiting for Ferragosto with Tartaglia Aneuro, at 9:30 PM
• August 21st – The Miser (L'Avaro) based on Molière, directed by Mario Autore
• August 28th – Mare di ruggine with Antimo Casertano

Ferragosto in the woods

As in previous editions, the evening of August 14th is the most anticipated moment of the program: the Waiting for Ferragosto event with Tartaglia Aneuro shifts the start time to 9:30 PM and turns the eve of the holiday into a night of music under the stars, with a dedicated ticket. It is the occasion when the village gathers its largest audience, including residents, emigrants who have returned for the summer, and visitors arriving from Naples and lower Lazio.

Around the festival: the volcano and the Ciampate del Diavolo

Those who travel to Foresta for a show can easily build a day around it. The territory of Tora e Piccilli preserves the famous Ciampate del Diavolo (Devil's Footprints), fossilized human prints imprinted in the tuff of the Roccamonfina volcano, among the oldest in the world, and the regional park's network of trails offers excursions among chestnut groves and ancient craters. In the nearby villages, you can find the tables of the Alto Casertano, with chestnuts, cheeses, and cured meats that define this less-traveled corner of Campania.

Foresta is easily accessible: about 25 minutes from Cassino, 45 minutes from Caserta, and just over an hour from Naples, a detail that has made it possible to grow a stable audience well beyond the borders of the municipality.

Tickets and reservations

The ticket for a single show costs 10 euros, with the exception of the August 14th evening, which is set at 12 euros; children up to 12 years old pay 6 euros, and the season pass for the entire festival is 70 euros. Reservations are highly recommended, given the limited capacity of the square: they can be made via WhatsApp (text messages only) at 351 8015422, or online on the ETES platform.