Fuori Luogo
A month-long community laboratory at Parco Frank Zappa in Grottaminarda
About Fuori Luogo
A park returned to the city
Parco Frank Zappa is one of those places that every town holds in its collective memory: for generations, it was the meeting point for the youth of Grottaminarda, before slowly slipping into neglect. Fuori Luogo was born precisely from this, from the idea that a municipal green space could once again become the open-air living room for an entire community. For a month, from morning until late at night, the park is inhabited once again: people study, play, discuss, perform music, and eat together.
Nine associations for a community laboratory
The festival has no artistic director nor a top-down program: it is the result of a collective effort carried out by nine local associations — Socrates, Incontri dall'interno, Ecomunera, Pro Loco di Grottaminarda, GrottaFree, Insieme si può, Anpas, Cryptaminarda, and Hoo.Lab. Each contributes skills, volunteers, and ideas, giving life to what the organizers themselves define as a true laboratory of public space self-management. The project coordination is handled by Rossella Famiglietti, while the musical direction is entrusted to Paolo Picone.
What happens at Fuori Luogo
The rhythm is that of a long, continuous day where everyone can stay as long as they like without spending a penny. The daily program combines:
- Open-air study hall and coworking, with fixed workstations and a reading area;
- Grassroots sports: volleyball, soccer, and games for children and teenagers;
- Yoga and wellness meetings during the cooler hours of the day;
- Creative labs and workshops on various artistic disciplines;
- Debates and book presentations with writers, activists, and university professors;
- Concerts and jam sessions, with five or six musical events plus evenings open to visiting musicians;
- Shared dinners and collective gardening days, including an Irpinian-Burkinabé evening and the Italian school festival.
National and international guests
Despite its intentionally local and informal nature, Fuori Luogo brings high-profile names to Grottaminarda. The park stage has hosted the sound and narrative project Rodari Connection by Valentina Fin and Federica Furlani, the band Babajim with traditional Greek and Anatolian music from the island of Lesbos, and Japanese guitarist Kenta Hayashi with his psychedelic soundscapes. On the discussion front, sociologist Gennaro Ascione presented Napoli Balla, while the UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese closed the festival with her book La luce del risveglio.
A free and self-financed festival
All activities are free to attend. The economic model is intentionally light: the Municipality of Grottaminarda covered the copyright (SIAE) costs, artists participate for a reduced or symbolic fee, and the associations provided an initial fund, with proceeds from the bar and merchandising used to compensate the musicians. This choice is in itself a political message: quality culture does not necessarily have to be paid for, and a well-maintained public space can thrive on the direct commitment of those who use it.
Grottaminarda and the Ufita Valley
We are in the town of Grottaminarda, with about nine thousand inhabitants in the province of Avellino, a hub of the Ufita Valley along the A16 Naples-Canosa motorway and now at the center of construction for the Hirpinia high-speed rail station. This is an inland Irpinia that has been dealing with depopulation and the exodus of its youth for years: for this reason, Fuori Luogo takes on a value that goes beyond the summer calendar of Campania. It is not a festival that brings in crowds from outside, but an attempt to stitch a community back together around a forgotten piece of the city, imagining — as the organizers write in their manifesto — a cultural identity in motion, open to dialogue and creative conflict.
Fuori Luogo — edition 2026
A month at Parco Frank Zappa
From June 20 to July 19, 2026, the Parco Frank Zappa in Grottaminarda remained open and lively from morning to night. No expensive stages, no tickets: just a municipal green area returned to the city thanks to the volunteer work of Socrates, Incontri dall'interno, Ecomunera, Pro Loco di Grottaminarda, GrottaFree, Insieme si può, Anpas, Cryptaminarda, and Hoo.Lab.
Music, books, and debates
The musical direction of Paolo Picone featured five or six concerts and several jam sessions, with guests such as Babajim from Lesbos and Japanese guitarist Kenta Hayashi. Alongside the music, a program of meetings on grassroots soccer, migration, rearmament, and Palestine, with writers, activists, and university professors. The local producers' fair on July 12 and the community lunch tied everything to the farming supply chain of the Ufita Valley.
Closing with Francesca Albanese
On Saturday, July 18, in front of a crowded park, Francesca Albanese presented La luce del risveglio in dialogue with Antonio Cammisa, closing the experiment with a simple message: another world is possible, and it is built in the space of everyday life.
Programme Fuori Luogo 2026
Daily activities (June 20 to July 19, 2026)
- Open-air study hall and shared coworking space, with reading area
- Grassroots sports: volleyball, soccer, and games for children and teenagers
- Yoga and wellness talks
- Creative labs and artistic workshops
- Collective gardening days, shared Irpinian-Burkinabé dinners, Italian school festival
- Bar open every day from 5:00 PM
Main events
- Tuesday, June 23, 6:30 PM — Presentation of the magazine Il mondo è tondo come un pallone, with Calcio e Rivoluzione and Socrates Carpignano: a debate on the lost grassroots soul of soccer
- Saturday, July 11, 9:00 PM — Rodari Connection live, a sound and narrative project by Valentina Fin and Federica Furlani inspired by Gianni Rodari's Favole al telefono; followed by Babajim, traditional Greek and Anatolian music from the island of Lesbos
- Sunday, July 12, 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM — Local producers' fair and community lunch, with artisans, winemakers, and artists; live set by Buglione World Selecta and Papa Lele
- Tuesday, July 14, 7:00 PM — Concert aperitif with Kenta Hayashi, Japanese guitarist of immersive and psychedelic soundscapes; 9:00 PM open jam session
- Wednesday, July 15, 9:00 PM — Gennaro Ascione presents Napoli Balla, a journey into Neapolitan subcultures, in dialogue with Michele Fornaro
- Thursday, July 16, 6:30 PM — From Irpinia to Gaza: debate on Palestine, with Tony La Piccirella, Giso Amendola, Michela Arricale, and Basem Kharma
- Saturday, July 18, 7:00 PM — Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, presents La luce del risveglio with Antonio Cammisa: closing evening of the festival
Highlights Fuori Luogo 2026
- A month full of free activities in a public park reopened to the community
- Nine associations from Grottaminarda united in a public space self-management laboratory
- International concerts with free admission: Babajim from Lesbos, Kenta Hayashi from Japan
- Open-air study hall and coworking, open to students and workers for the duration of the festival
- Local producers' fair with community lunch on July 12
- Closing evening with Francesca Albanese and her book La luce del risveglio
Prices Fuori Luogo 2026
Practical information — Fuori Luogo
Where it takes place
All activities are held at Parco Frank Zappa, a public green area in the town center of Grottaminarda (AV), in Campania.
How to get there
By car: A16 Naples-Canosa motorway, exit Grottaminarda, then follow signs for the center; from Avellino, about 35 km along the SS 90 road. By train: the reference stations are Ariano Irpino-Montecalvo and Benevento, then connected by bus lines. By bus: Grottaminarda is served by Air Campania routes from Avellino, Benevento, and Naples.
Admission and hours
Free admission to all activities, for all ages. The park is active from morning to night; the bar opens daily at 5:00 PM. Meetings and debates usually start at 6:30 PM, and concerts at 9:00 PM.
Tips
Bring a mat or a folding chair for the busier evenings, and a water bottle: much of the program takes place outdoors. For calendar updates, it is best to follow the Fuori Luogo social media channels, where the associations publish event posters as they are scheduled.
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Where does it take place — Fuori Luogo
Parco Frank Zappa
Parco Frank Zappa, 83035 Grottaminarda