Note Narranti Festival

A festival of music and words in the heart of Alta Irpinia

Note Narranti Festival takes place in Nusco, in the municipality of the same name in the Province of Avellino, Campania. The setting is Piazza De Sanctis, the village's open-air living room overlooking the valleys of Alta Irpinia: here, on an August evening, the stage hosts live music, readings, debates, and testimonials. The subtitle chosen by the organizers perfectly captures the spirit of the event: music and words in the name of inclusivity and cooperation between peoples.

This is not just a music festival. Note Narranti is a hybrid format where the evening concert is preceded by a moment of cultural and civic reflection, featuring guests from the worlds of activism, journalism, and literature. This choice makes the event stand out from the many summer evenings in Irpinian towns and has quickly made it a recognizable appointment.

From its origins: a charity concert turned festival

It all began on August 24, 2024, when a charity evening organized by the spontaneous committee Hug for Future, founded in Nusco, took place in Piazza De Sanctis. The stage featured pianist Lorenzo Savarese with a Chopin repertoire, the piano and saxophone duo of Mario Pascale and Raffaele Saviello, and guitarist Diego De Simone; video messages from writer Dacia Maraini and Father Luigi Merola were also presented. The goal was to raise funds for sixty orphans in Burundi cared for by the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The journey continued with a Winter Edition on December 30, 2024, hosted in the former church of San Rocco and dedicated to gender-based violence and human trafficking. In 2025, the initiative scaled up, taking the form of a proper festival promoted by the Nusco Youth Forum with the Rotary Club Hirpinia-Goleto, under the patronage of the Diocese of Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi and the Municipality of Nusco.

The 2025 edition: Giorgio Poi and the debate on Gaza

On August 16, 2025, Piazza De Sanctis hosted the first edition in its festival format. At 6:00 PM, the meeting «When the world sleeps» opened, dedicated to the situation in Gaza, with Tina Marinari, coordinator of national campaigns for Amnesty International Italy, and a remote connection with Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories. At 9:00 PM, it was time for music, with a concert by indie singer-songwriter Giorgio Poi and performances by local artists Faia and Pergola.

Nusco, one of Italy's most beautiful villages

The festival cannot be understood without its home. Nusco is known as the «balcony of Irpinia» for its panoramic position at over nine hundred meters above sea level, with its historic center gathered around the Cathedral of Sant'Amato and a maze of stone alleys. It is part of the circuit of the most beautiful villages in Italy and is one of the symbolic places of Alta Irpinia, the inland area of Campania marked by the 1980 earthquake and now engaged in a slow process of cultural and economic reconstruction.

• Where: Piazza De Sanctis, historic center of Nusco (AV)
• When: In the heart of summer, traditionally mid-August
• Format: Cultural meeting in the late afternoon, concert in the evening
• Admission: Free of charge in all editions held so far

Solidarity: the project in Burundi

The common thread of all editions is the fundraising for the self-sufficiency agricultural project of the orphanage managed in Burundi by the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The idea came to Nusco thanks to doctor Antonio Ebreo, originally from Nusco, who periodically volunteers at the congregation. The artistic direction is entrusted to Alessandro Ebreo, who leads the local Youth Forum.

What to expect

Those who arrive at Note Narranti will find an evening designed for the local public and the many Irpinians returning to the village in August: a crowded square, a nationally acclaimed musical guest, space for local artists, and a moment of collective reflection on themes that rarely make it into summer programs. For visitors, it is also an opportunity to discover the village, its cathedral, and the cuisine of Alta Irpinia, including Podolico caciocavallo cheese, chestnuts, and the wines of the Taurasi area.