Fridays at the Rocca

Fridays at the Rocca: The village's cultural summer

In the heart of the medieval village of Santa Maria a Monte, in the province of Pisa, the Fridays at the Rocca festival accompanies residents and visitors each summer on a journey of theatre, music, history, and memory. Promoted by the Municipality of Santa Maria a Monte, the event transforms the La Rocca Archaeological Area every Friday night into an open-air stage, where culture meets one of Tuscany's most fascinating urban landscapes.

The setting: The Rocca and the spiral village

The historic centre of Santa Maria a Monte is one of the most interesting examples of a Tuscan medieval village: the settlement developed on a hill in a spiral pattern, reminiscent of the three sets of walls that once enclosed the castle. The Rocca, the town's ancient defensive heart and the first stronghold of the Valdarno, is now an integral part of this evocative urban fabric. It is here, amidst archaeology and tradition, that the festival evenings take place.

A multidisciplinary programme

Each edition offers a cycle of weekly events, all starting at 9:30 PM, alternating between different genres and styles:

• Theatre: comedies and thought-provoking plays performed by local companies;
• Music and singing: evenings dedicated to singer-songwriters, revivals, and multidisciplinary performances blending music, dance, and acting;
• Historical and artistic lectures: meetings on the village's heritage, from the Collegiate Church to the Romanesque pulpit, and from historical archives to 20th-century events;
• Guided tours: paths to discover the underground city and hypogeal cavities, with mandatory booking.

The 2026 edition

The 2026 festival runs from Friday, June 5th to Friday, July 10th, featuring six evenings. It opens on June 5th with "The Night of the Archives," an event included in the national Archivissima calendar, dedicated to promoting the documentary heritage kept in the Civic Museum and the Municipal Historical Archive. This is followed by the comedy "Bianco su Bianco" by the L'Anello company, a lecture on the treasures of the Collegiate Church and the Romanesque pulpit, the "Emotions at the Rocca" evening, the "Underground City" guided tour, and, in closing, thought-provoking theatre with the Quint&ssenza company.

An event for everyone

Admission to Fridays at the Rocca is free (with mandatory booking for underground guided tours), confirming the festival's popular and inclusive spirit. It is a proposal that turns culture into a shared heritage and, year after year, tells the story of the identity of Santa Maria a Monte and the Lower Valdarno, nestled among the hills and villages of Tuscany.