InCanto - Oral Tradition Singing Festival

InCanto, the voice of popular memory in Sesto Fiorentino

Every spring, the Istituto Ernesto de Martino opens the doors of Villa San Lorenzo al Prato, in the municipality of Sesto Fiorentino (Florence province, Tuscany), for InCanto, a festival dedicated to oral tradition and new forms of musical expression. For over thirty years, this event has taken audiences on a journey through concerts, shows, book launches, and meetings, where folk songs, protest music, and singer-songwriters engage with the most current forms of expression.

An institute, a history, a community

InCanto was born and has grown within the Istituto Ernesto de Martino, an organization always dedicated to critical knowledge and the alternative presence of the popular and working-class world. The festival is more than just a series of musical events: it is a way to keep collective memory alive, collect sound recordings, showcase the Institute's archive, and connect the protagonists of its long history with younger voices. Each edition proposes a common thread linking tradition and modernity, from labor to resistance, and from migration to new identities.

Between folk singing and new sounds

The InCanto program stands out for its ability to blend genres and languages: folk choirs and bands, singer-songwriters, groups weaving Italian roots with world music, as well as civic theater, screenings, and in-depth discussions. The festival provides a stage for both historical figures of Italian folk music and emerging bands, with constant attention to social issues and public participation.

Villa San Lorenzo al Prato, a symbolic venue

The Villa San Lorenzo al Prato venue, located on Via degli Scardassieri, is an integral part of InCanto's identity: a place nestled in the greenery of the Florentine Plain, where listening to music also means sharing an afternoon or evening in community, among the lawn, the Institute's spaces, and its precious archive. The intimate and familiar atmosphere of the festival is one of its most beloved traits, in stark contrast to large commercial festivals.

Why it is worth attending

• A program that combines oral tradition singing, singer-songwriters, and new musical expressions
• Concerts, theatrical shows, book presentations, and meetings in a single calendar
• The evocative setting of Villa San Lorenzo al Prato in Sesto Fiorentino
• Events often free or at a symbolic price, for truly accessible culture
• An authentic experience of Tuscan and Italian popular and working-class memory

InCanto represents a precious appointment for those in Tuscany looking for a cultural proposal capable of combining artistic quality, civic commitment, and popular roots, far from the most commercial circuits.