In the Valley of Tales – Torto Valley Festival

A widespread festival in the Torto Valley

The Torto Valley Festival, officially titled In the Valley of Tales – Torto Valley Festival, is a traveling event held every summer across a group of small towns in the Torto Valley, in the hinterland of the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily. In Aliminusa, the symbolic lead town of the event, and in the neighboring villages, the festival brings art and performance to places that usually remain on the fringes of major cultural circuits.

History and Vision

The first edition took place in 2020. The festival was born from an idea by Salvatore La Tona and developed around the Nella Valle dei Racconti association, with artistic direction by Totò Nocera. The stated goal is to transform the valley into a "widespread village of the arts," where artists from different regions and countries meet local cultural operators to build exchanges, residencies, and shared performances.

The Villages Involved

The traveling nature is the hallmark of the event: appointments move from town to town along the valley. Among the municipalities that have hosted the festival over the years are:

• Aliminusa
• Sciara
• Montemaggiore Belsito
• Lercara Friddi
• Valledolmo
• Cerda
• Roccapalumba
• Alia

Squares, courtyards, deconsecrated churches, and open-air spaces become scattered stages that enhance the heritage of these small towns.

The Arts Program

The festival is explicitly multidisciplinary. Throughout the days, the program features:

• Music: live concerts spanning various genres
• Theater and performances, often in unconventional locations
• Cinema and screenings
• Publishing and book presentations, meetings with authors
• Workshops: artistic and educational, conferences, and seminars

The various editions have gathered over 150 artists from Sicily, the rest of Italy, and abroad, with participants from Campania, Sardinia, France, and Belgium. Admission to the events is free, thanks to the support of the involved municipalities and funds dedicated to artists.

A Staple of the Sicilian Summer

Usually held in July, the Torto Valley Festival has become a reference point for those seeking an alternative and widespread cultural experience in the Palermo hinterland. It is also an opportunity to discover villages and landscapes of the Palermo province far from the beaten tourist paths, experiencing Sicily through its communities and their stories.