Nettuno Music Lab

A music laboratory on the Roman coast

The Nettuno Music Lab has become a staple of the summer in Nettuno, a seaside town in the Metropolitan City of Rome, in the Lazio region. Created to provide visibility to emerging local musicians, the contest has grown with each edition to become one of the most followed showcases for young talent in the region. The formula is simple and direct, summarized by the slogan that accompanies the competition: a stage, an audience, and fifteen minutes to show what you are made of.

Three categories, one grand finale

The competition is divided into three categories that share the same stage and represent three different ways of performing live music:

• Songwriters — solo artists performing original tracks written by themselves;
• Soloists — vocalists who take on the repertoire of others, where tone, stage presence, and the ability to move the audience count;
• Cover bands — complete groups that reinterpret great classics and put their musical synergy to the test.

Each semi-final evening selects the contestants who advance to the grand finale, where the category winners and the overall winner of the edition are crowned.

A jury of professionals

The added value of the Nettuno Music Lab lies in its jury, composed of music industry professionals — producers, songwriters, record label executives, artists, and radio personalities — who evaluate the performances and, above all, provide participants with constructive feedback to help them grow. For many young artists, it is the first opportunity to engage with those who make music their profession, in a competitive yet supportive environment.

Behind the scenes

The organization is managed by the Pro Loco Forte Sangallo of Nettuno, chaired by Mario Lomartire, with the patronage and collaboration of the Municipality of Nettuno. The creative concept and artistic coordination are entrusted to Salvatore Vitiello, the event's long-time patron; the evenings are hosted by Carlotta De Cesaris, while the stage and backstage operations are managed by Giovanna Rinaldi and the Pro Loco team. It is a collective effort, typical of local associations, that allows the contest to remain accessible and deeply rooted in the community.

The atmosphere of the evenings

The Music Lab evenings have the rhythm of a seaside summer: they start at 9:00 PM, when the heat has softened, and continue late into the night with performances, guest appearances, comedic moments, and interludes that lighten the tension of the competition. The audience is never just a spectator: they cheer, participate, and often support their fellow citizens competing from home. It is a local festival disguised as a music contest, and perhaps that is the secret to its longevity.

Nettuno, between Forte Sangallo and the sea

Those who arrive for the contest will find a city worth spending a few extra hours in. The Medieval Borough of Nettuno, with its walls and alleys overlooking the sea, and the 16th-century Forte Sangallo — which gives its name to the organizing Pro Loco — are just a short walk from the seafront. Nearby is the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial, one of the most visited sites related to the Second World War in Lazio. All of this is less than an hour from Rome, in one of the most popular seaside resorts on the Lazio coast.

Why it is worth attending

The Nettuno Music Lab does not promise big names, and that is not the point. Instead, it offers something rarer: the chance to listen to live music played by those who are truly giving it their all, in free, open-air evenings by the sea. For those spending the summer on the Roman coast, it is a different and genuine way to spend an evening.