Monte Pisano Art Festival — Calci evenings

A widespread festival across the Monte Pisano villages

The Monte Pisano Art Festival is an itinerant cultural event that, for ten days every July, transforms courtyards, squares, parish churches, and iconic locations across the Monte Pisano territory into open-air stages. Conceived by Officina dei Transiti and the Strada dell'Olio Monti Pisani, with the support of the Fondazione Pisa, the festival involves the municipalities of Pisa, San Giuliano Terme, Calci, Vecchiano, Vicopisano, Buti, and Capannori, in the Province of Pisa, Tuscany. The artistic direction is led by maestro Andrea Gottfried.

The Calci evenings at the Certosa

In Calci, a town at the foot of Monte Pisano famous for its Certosa — one of the most fascinating monumental complexes in Tuscany — the festival finds one of its most scenic backdrops. Performances are held at the Certosa di Pisa, on Via Roma 79, where the Baroque architecture of the cloisters and monastic quarters provides a stunning setting for evenings of opera and dance. It is a precious opportunity to experience Calci's heritage in a unique way, under the summer sky.

Opera, theatre, dance, and nature

The festival stands out for its varied program: ranging from opera to theatre, classical music to contemporary dance, it intertwines the performing arts with the discovery of the local area, its nature, and its flavours. Each evening is designed as an emotional narrative of Monte Pisano, a way to tell the story of the territory through the beauty of the performing arts. Alongside the main shows, a Fuori Festival program offers dinners, tastings, walks, and exhibitions dedicated to local products, starting with the extra virgin olive oil of the Monti Pisani.

Calci and Monte Pisano

Calci is a small town in the Province of Pisa nestled in the Valgraziosa valley, between olive groves and the woods of Monte Pisano. Beyond the famous Certosa, which also houses the Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa, the village is known for its olive-growing tradition. Hosting the festival evenings at the Certosa highlights one of the area's symbolic landmarks, offering the public the chance to discover, night after night, towns and spaces often off the beaten path of Tuscany's major tourist circuits.

How to participate

All Monte Pisano Art Festival performances, including the Calci evenings, require reservations. For information and to book your spot, please email [email protected] or visit the official festival website, where the full updated program is published.