Grey Cat Jazz Festival

Jazz at the Rocca Pisana in Scarlino

The Grey Cat Festival is one of the oldest and most prestigious jazz festivals in Tuscany. Established in 1980 and organized by the Music Pool Association, it has been enlivening the summer of the Grosseto Maremma for over forty years with a widespread calendar touching a dozen municipalities in the province of Grosseto. Among the festival's historic venues, Scarlino holds a special place thanks to its Rocca Pisana, the medieval fortress that dominates the village and offers a spectacular view over the Gulf of Follonica and the Tuscan Archipelago.

The 2026 edition in Scarlino

For the 46th edition of the festival, the Rocca Pisana in Scarlino hosts two concerts of great international appeal. On August 8, 2026, the legendary Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu takes the stage with his Special Project, accompanied by top-tier musicians such as Rita Marcotulli on piano, Carlo Cantini on violin, and Giorgio Panico on double bass: a meeting of Indian rhythms, improvisation, and European jazz tradition. On August 14, 2026, it is the turn of the Stefano Cantini Trio, which welcomes French pianist Pierre de Bethmann as a special guest for an evening of elegant and refined jazz.

A unique setting

Attending a concert at the Rocca Pisana means experiencing music in an unrepeatable context: the castle walls, the Maremma sky, and the evening breeze provide the backdrop for world-renowned performers. This is the hallmark of the Grey Cat, a traveling festival that makes the Maremma landscape—fortresses, mines, cloisters, villages, and stretches of coast—its natural stage. The artistic direction has been entrusted for years to saxophonist Stefano "Cocco" Cantini, who has successfully built a recognizable identity capable of uniting international excellence with the Tuscan jazz scene.

Scarlino and the Maremma

A hilltop village in the province of Grosseto, in Tuscany, Scarlino combines history, nature, and the sea: from the medieval old town to the beaches of Cala Violina and the Gulf of Follonica, it is an ideal destination for those who want to combine great music with a holiday of culture and scenery. For the Municipality of Scarlino and the entire Maremma, the Grey Cat represents one of the summer's premier cultural events, capable of attracting jazz enthusiasts from all over Italy and abroad.