Il Respiro del Mare

Il Respiro del Mare: A week of performances in Ustica

Il Respiro del Mare is a theatre and live music festival held on the island of Ustica, in the province of Palermo, Sicily. The inaugural edition, held in 2025, transformed the Municipal Auditorium into a vibrant stage, drawing in residents, seasonal workers, school groups, and visitors for an intense week of cultural events.

A cultural project for the island

The festival is a collaboration between the Municipality of Ustica and the Agricantus Cultural Social Cooperative of Palermo, supported by the Sicilian Regional Government through the Regional Department of Tourism, Sport, and Entertainment. The artistic direction is led by Vito Meccio, director of the Teatro Agricantus in Palermo. The goal is to celebrate the island's beauty and cultural identity by bringing high-quality live entertainment to a setting often far from major theatrical circuits.

Theatre, comedy, and music

The program blends diverse genres, appealing to audiences of all ages. Highlights of the first edition included the comedy of Marco Manera, Sofia Muscato’s Sicilian-verse interpretation of the Divine Comedy, a humorous look at school and work life by Ernesto Maria Ponte and Clelia Cucco, and monologues by Antonio Pandolfo. The festival also catered to younger audiences with children's theatre, culminating in a final concert by Peppe Servillo and Cristiano Califano dedicated to the great classics of Neapolitan song.

An off-season experience

Scheduled in autumn, outside the peak beach season, the festival offers a unique way to experience Ustica: a compact, deeply maritime island where live performance becomes a meeting point for the local community and those visiting during the low season. It is an event aiming to become a staple of the Sicilian cultural calendar.