Lakescapes – Lake Maggiore Diffused Theatre

Theatre beyond the stage

Founded in 2015, Lakescapes – Lake Maggiore Diffused Theatre is one of the most original cultural events in the Piedmont region. The concept is simple yet powerful: take theatre out of traditional halls and scatter it throughout the most evocative locations in the area, turning historic villas, gardens, lakefronts, and hidden village corners into open-air stages. The project is created by Accademia dei Folli, a renowned music-theatre company from Turin, under the artistic direction of Carlo Roncaglia.

A network of seven lakeside municipalities

The 2026 edition, the twelfth, features eighteen events held between May and November across seven municipalities on Lake Maggiore: Briga Novarese, Colazza, Dormelletto, Lesa, Meina, Mergozzo, and Sesto Calende. The festival is much more than a simple calendar of shows; it is a cultural network that fosters dialogue between local authorities, tourism operators, and the community, enhancing the landscape and historical heritage of the Piedmontese shore of the lake.

Lakescapes in Dormelletto

In the municipality of Dormelletto, in the province of Novara, performances are held in two exceptional settings. Villa Donna Giusi and Villa Cucchetta host prose, musical cabaret, and new productions, utilizing their gardens and lake views as natural scenery. This is the quintessential spirit of diffused theatre: the spectator moves through the locations, rediscovers them, and the boundary between the stage and the audience becomes blurred.

Between revisited classics and new productions

The program alternates between reinterpreted classics, music-theatre performances, itinerant nights in villages, and original productions. For 2026, the Accademia dei Folli has announced several new creations, including an original adventure dedicated to Sherlock Holmes, which debuts right here on Lake Maggiore. The stylistic signature remains that of popular yet sophisticated theatre, capable of speaking to a wide audience without compromising on quality.

Why it's worth it

• Performances in historic villas and gardens with views of Lake Maggiore
• An immersive formula where the audience is part of the experience
• A festival spread across the entire season, from May to November
• Direction by a company with over twenty years of experience

Lakescapes is the perfect opportunity to combine an evening of theatre with a trip to the lake, discovering Dormelletto and the other villages in the network in an unusual and fascinating way.