Jazzflirt Festival
Avant-garde jazz between archaeology and the sea on the Ulysses Riviera
About Jazzflirt
A jazz festival on the Ulysses Riviera
The Jazzflirt Festival is one of the most recognizable musical events in the town of Formia, in the province of Latina, in southern Lazio. Established in the early 2000s, it has become a benchmark for experimental jazz in lower Lazio, building a distinct identity: bringing high-level contemporary music to venues that are not concert halls, but archaeological sites, coastal gardens, and ancient Roman cisterns overlooking the Gulf of Gaeta.
The area is known as the Ulysses Riviera, the stretch of coast between Sperlonga, Gaeta, Formia, and Minturno that tradition links to the Homeric journey. This is no mere decorative detail: the festival has made this mythology its narrative thread, dedicating entire editions to the themes of travel, arrival, and cultural encounters.
Venues that make the difference
The heart of the festival is the Caposele Archaeological Area, where most evening concerts are held. However, Jazzflirt gladly steps beyond its boundaries to occupy other spaces in the Formia area:
- Roman Port of Gianola — an ancient landing site within the Riviera di Ulisse Regional Park, accessible on foot along the headland trails.
- Cistern of the Villa of Mamurra — an imposing Roman-era hydraulic structure with surprising natural acoustics, linked to the figure of Mamurra, the wealthy praefectus fabrum of Caesar who hailed from Formia.
- Falcone and Borsellino Hall — a civic space used for meetings, presentations, and indoor events.
A program that avoids the easy path
Jazzflirt is not a festival of standards. The artistic direction has always favored the contemporary drifts of jazz language: cross-pollinations with hip hop, house, and electronica, excursions into European improvised music, and forays into Mediterranean folk and world music. Over the years, the stage has hosted international names and cult figures of experimentation, alongside prominent Italian musicians.
Alongside the main concerts, the festival carries out the JazzFlirt Call for Artists, a creative residency reserved for young local musicians. The selected participants work for days under the guidance of an established artist and present an original project to the public: it is one of the few professional jazz training programs active on a continuous basis in this part of Lazio.
Trekking, archaeology, and music
A now-consolidated formula is that of experiential events: short guided walks in the Gianola Park, with historical and naturalistic insights along the way, concluding with a musical set at an archaeological site. The audience arrives on foot, often at sunset, and listens to the music while sitting among the ruins or by the seaside. This is the aspect that has most characterized the festival over the last decade and distinguishes it from other summer events on the coast.
Why it's worth the trip
Formia in summer is a lively city, with an excellent seafood gastronomic tradition and a fabric of events that, under the banner of the Estate Formiana, covers classical theater, folklore, and music. Jazzflirt is its most international highlight. Those who arrive for the festival will find an ideal setting to extend their stay: the beaches of Vindicio and Gianola, the historic center of Gaeta just a few kilometers away, the Grotto of Tiberius in Sperlonga, and the ferries to Ponza and Ventotene from the port of Formia.
Prices remain deliberately affordable — many events are free of charge — with a policy of discounts for young audiences. It is a festival that chooses the quality of the proposal and the beauty of the locations as its main form of attraction, without chasing large numbers.
Jazzflirt — edition 2026
22nd edition — in the footsteps of Odysseus and Mamurra
The 2026 edition of the Jazzflirt Festival in Formia builds its narrative around two figures linked to this stretch of the Lazio coast: Odysseus, the navigator par excellence of the Ulysses Riviera, and Mamurra, the Formian officer under Caesar remembered by Catullus, whose villa still preserves a monumental cistern today.
The program alternates international avant-garde with Mediterranean roots. It opens on July 20 at the Caposele Archaeological Area with the quartet of American cornetist and multi-instrumentalist Ben LaMar Gay, one of the most original voices on the Chicago scene, capable of moving between cosmopolitan blues, electronica, and radical improvisation.
On July 24, also at Caposele, the results of the JazzFlirt Call for Artists 2026 will be presented: eight young musicians selected via open call present I Viaggi di Odisseo (The Voyages of Odysseus), an original project built under the guidance of Neapolitan saxophonist and composer Daniele Sepe.
The final two stages take the audience into the Gianola Park, with an experiential formula that combines a short trek, cultural insight, and concert: on July 31, the duo Sea Crête (Domenico Vellucci on sax, Vittorio Iavarone on trumpet) plays at the Roman Port, while on August 8, Apulian saxophonist Francesco Massaro closes the festival with his solo performance Outline Maps in the Cistern of the Villa of Mamurra.
Programme Jazzflirt 2026
22nd edition program
- Monday, July 20, 9:15 PM — Caposele Archaeological Area: Ben LaMar Gay Quartet (cornet, vocals, synthesizers). Entry 10 euros.
- Friday, July 24, 9:15 PM — Caposele Archaeological Area: Daniele Sepe with the eight musicians of the JazzFlirt Call for Artists 2026, I Viaggi di Odisseo. Entry 10 euros, free for under 25s.
- Friday, July 31, 9:15 PM — Roman Port of Gianola: Sea Crête, with Domenico Vellucci (sax) and Vittorio Iavarone (trumpet). Free entry.
- Saturday, August 8, 5:30 PM and 6:45 PM — Cistern of the Villa of Mamurra: Francesco Massaro, Outline Maps, sax solo. Free entry, two sessions.
Some meetings and presentations take place at the Falcone and Borsellino Hall. The events in Gianola Park include a short walk with cultural accompaniment before the concert.
Highlights Jazzflirt 2026
- Ben LaMar Gay at the opening: one of the most recognizable voices of the US jazz avant-garde.
- Daniele Sepe leading eight young musicians selected via open call.
- Sunset concert at the Roman Port of Gianola, inside the Riviera di Ulisse Regional Park.
- Sax solo in the Cistern of the Villa of Mamurra, with its natural Roman-era acoustics.
- Two out of four events are completely free of charge.
Prices Jazzflirt 2026
Practical information — Jazzflirt
How to get there
By train — the Formia-Gaeta station is served by the Rome-Naples line via Formia, with frequent direct connections from Rome Termini (approx. 1h10) and Naples Centrale (approx. 1h). From the station, the Caposele Archaeological Area can be reached in a few minutes by local bus or taxi.
By car — take the Cassino exit on the A1 motorway and then the SS630 towards Formia, or the SS7 Appia along the coast. Parking is available near the sites; for Gianola Park, it is advisable to arrive early.
By plane — Rome Fiumicino and Naples Capodichino airports, both connected by train or bus.
Tickets
Admission to main concerts is around 10 euros, with subscription packages and discounts or free entry for those under 25. Events in Gianola Park and at the Villa of Mamurra are generally free, but with limited capacity: booking is recommended.
Tips
For trekking events, comfortable shoes and a flashlight for the return trip are needed. Outdoor evenings near the sea can be cool: it is better to bring a light sweater. Formia offers a wide choice of hotels and bed and breakfasts, but in high season it is advisable to book well in advance.
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Where does it take place — Jazzflirt
Area Archeologica di Caposele
Area Archeologica di Caposele, 04023 Formia