Grazia Franchi Ciancabilla Opera Gala

The Opera Gala in Villa Rosa di Martinsicuro

The Grazia Franchi Ciancabilla Opera Gala is a festival that, every late summer, transforms Piazza Don Salvatore Barbizzi in the heart of the seaside district of Villa Rosa di Martinsicuro into an open-air theater dedicated to opera. Promoted by the Municipality of Martinsicuro in the Province of Teramo (Abruzzo), the event traditionally closes the summer calendar of this coastal town overlooking the Tronto River, on the border with the Marche region.

A full-length opera, free of charge

The unique feature of this event is that it does not simply offer a concert of arias, but the performance of a full-length opera from the great repertoire, complete with soloists, narration, and musical accompaniment. Admission is free: a choice that reflects the municipal administration's stated desire to make high culture accessible to everyone, both locals and vacationers on the Teramo coast.

Artistic direction

The artistic direction of the festival is entrusted to Maestro Pierpaolo Salvucci, who is responsible for the artistic vision, musicological research, and the narration that guides the audience through the plot of the opera; musical direction and piano accompaniment are handled by Maestro Giuseppe Massimo Sabatini. An essential staging approach that allows the audience to appreciate the voices and drama even in a village square.

The editions

Founded around 2020, the Gala has grown with each edition to become, in the words of the Department of Culture, "a highly anticipated and heartfelt event for the community." Titles staged in Villa Rosa include Rossini's The Barber of Seville (2023, fourth edition) and Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème (2025, sixth edition). The naming of the event after Grazia Franchi Ciancabilla links the festival to the memory and cultural identity of the territory.

Villa Rosa and the Teramo coast

Villa Rosa is the seaside district of Martinsicuro, the northernmost municipality on the Abruzzo coast. The opera evening is part of a summer full of cultural, sporting, and musical events, offering beach tourists an unusual opportunity to experience Italian opera in an informal setting under the summer sky.