Harmonies in the Villages of Breath

A musical journey through the villages of the Sirente-Velino Park

Harmonies in the Villages of Breath is a travelling piano recital series promoted by the Sirente-Velino Regional Natural Park, which brings classical music to the small mountain towns of the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, every summer. The initiative aims to showcase the park's villages through concerts that become special moments of sharing and reflection for local communities, taking great music out of traditional city theatres and into churches, squares, and ancient stone villages.

The Castel di Ieri stop

The Municipality of Castel di Ieri, nestled in the Valle Subequana at an altitude of about 500 metres, guards an ancient heritage: the historic village is dominated by its characteristic quadrangular tower with a pyramidal base, about twenty metres high, and preserves the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, as well as the nearby remains of the Italic sanctuary. In this setting, between the Sirente mountains and the silence of the L'Aquila highlands, the piano becomes the protagonist of an evening capable of merging nature, history, and great music.

Maria Gabriella Castiglione, the soul of the series

The common thread of the entire event is pianist Maria Gabriella Castiglione, a leading figure on the Italian piano scene. A graduate of the Pescara Conservatory and a specialist in sound engineering from Bologna, she boasts a career of around eight hundred concerts and has received the UNESCO Prize for her "significant contribution to the promotion of world musical heritage." Her intense and refined interpretation is the heart of every stop on the tour.

A widespread festival in Abruzzo

Each edition visits different communities in the Sirente-Velino Park, transforming churches, squares, and historic villages into open-air concert halls. The programme runs from late June to early September, involving different municipalities each time and offering the public the chance to discover lesser-known corners of the L'Aquila mountains. The project, curated with the support of the park's presidency, combines culture, environment, and the promotion of small communities.

Why attend

• High-level piano recitals in unique natural and historic settings
• An opportunity to discover Castel di Ieri and the lesser-known villages of the Sirente-Velino Park
• Intimate and evocative evenings, blending classical music with the Abruzzo landscape
• A project that unites culture, environment, and the promotion of small communities in the province of L'Aquila

In the heart of Abruzzo, among the mountains of the province of L'Aquila, Harmonies in the Villages of Breath represents a different and precious way to experience the mountains: through the notes of the piano and the silent beauty of the park's villages.