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. Every summer, it brings classical music to the small mountain towns of the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo. The initiative was born with the goal of showcasing the park's villages—many of which belong to the "Villages of Breath" network for their air and environmental quality—through concerts that become special moments of sharing and reflection for local communities.

The Acciano and Beffi village stop

The Municipality of Acciano, overlooking the middle Aterno Valley, hosts one of the series' stops in the hamlet of Beffi, an ancient medieval village dominated by the famous Beffi Tower, which dates back to the 12th century and was restored in the nineties. In this setting, amidst stone walls and panoramas opening toward the Sirente massif, the piano becomes the protagonist of an evening that unites nature, history, and great music.

Maria Gabriella Castiglione, the soul of the festival

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, she has been the artistic director of the Musicarte nel Parco festival in Pescara for over twenty-five years and boasts around eight hundred concerts in her career. She has received the UNESCO Prize for "the significant contribution made to the promotion of world musical heritage," in addition to numerous awards from the Presidency of the Italian Republic.

A widespread festival in Abruzzo

Each edition touches different communities of the Sirente-Velino Park, transforming churches, squares, and historic villages into open-air concert halls. The series embraces the Abruzzo territory with a program that 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.

Why attend

• High-level piano concerts in unique natural and historical settings
• An opportunity to discover 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 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.