Music and Dance Festival in the National Museums of Pisa and the Certosa di Calci

When music enters the museums

The Music and Dance Festival in the National Museums of Pisa and the Certosa di Calci is a cultural project that brings concerts, dance, theatre, and visual arts into heritage sites. The underlying idea is simple yet fascinating: to create a dialogue between the exhibited artworks and live music and movement, restoring the museums' vocation as living, shared spaces. The performances take place during regular opening hours, turning a visit to the collections into an emotional and sensory experience.

Four venues, one journey

The festival is spread across four venues managed by the National Museums of Pisa: the Palazzo Reale Museum, the San Matteo Museum, the Museum of Ancient Ships in Pisa, and the majestic Monumental Certosa di Calci, in the municipality of Calci, in the province of Pisa. The latter, nestled in the Valgraziosa at the foot of Mount Pisano, is one of the most impressive monastic complexes in Tuscany: its churches, cloisters, and Baroque rooms provide an extraordinary setting for musical and dance events.

The 2026 program

The 2026 edition, the second of the festival, runs from June 13 to October 22 with a total of eighteen performances, including concerts and choreography. Five highly evocative events are scheduled at the Certosa di Calci:

• June 26, 4 PM — Francesco è vivo, with the choir of the Papal Basilica of Assisi and the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina;
• July 29, 10:30 AM — Homage to Mozart, with the soloists of Toscana Classica;
• September 11, 10:30 AM — L'utopia nascosta di Francesco, a theatrical performance;
• October 7, 10:30 AM — Concert by the Duo Saccone, soprano and piano;
• October 22, 5 PM — Stabat Mater, a poetic encounter between sacred music and contemporary dance.

In the other Pisan museums, the program ranges from the Cameristi del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino to a tribute to Pinocchio with actor Paolo Hendel, and the augmented reality dance performance Into the Echo at the San Matteo Museum.

Who organizes the festival

The initiative is promoted by the National Museums of Pisa together with the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, conducted by Maestro Giuseppe Lanzetta, and the Consorzio Coreografi Danza d'Autore, led by Flavia Bucciero. The project is co-funded by the General Directorate for Performing Arts of the Ministry of Culture and the Fondazione Pisa. The first edition, in autumn 2025, attracted over 1,650 spectators, confirming the success of a formula that combines art, music, and the local territory.

A cultural experience between Pisa and Mount Pisano

Participating in the festival means discovering the most authentic Tuscany: from the halls of Pisan museums to the frescoed vaults of the Certosa di Calci, every performance is an invitation to explore the artistic and landscape heritage of the province of Pisa. An opportunity to experience culture in a new, accessible, and deeply moving way.