Per Via Circus Festival (Castello Tesino leg)

A circus festival in the heart of the Tesino

The Per Via Circus Festival (also known as the Per Via Buskers Festival) is a contemporary circus and street arts event that has been enlivening the Tesino plateau in the upper Valsugana, in the province of Trento, since 2017. For an entire weekend in July, over thirty artists—including circus performers, jugglers, musicians, and buskers—fill the streets and squares of the three Tesino municipalities with shows, roving performances, workshops, and markets.

The Castello Tesino leg

The municipality of Castello Tesino is one of the three stages of the event, alongside Pieve Tesino and Cinte Tesino. The Castello Tesino Theatre traditionally hosts the gala show that opens the festival on Friday evening: an evening event that marks the start of a long weekend of festivities spread across the plateau. Over the years, the local theatre has hosted circus-theatre companies and opening shows that are highly anticipated by both locals and visitors.

A festival born from an ancient tradition

The festival is more than just an entertainment event; it is deeply rooted in the history of the Tesino region. Since the 17th century, the inhabitants of the plateau ventured along the roads of Europe as peddlers, selling first flints and later the famous popular prints produced by the Remondini printing house. The theme of the wayfarer and the street merchant, already evoked in the name Per Via and in the Per Via Museum of Pieve Tesino, is the common thread running through the entire event.

Program and atmosphere

The program spans the entire weekend and includes:

• the inaugural gala show at the Castello Tesino Theatre;
• evening circus and music shows in Cinte Tesino;
• circus arts workshops for adults and children, open even to absolute beginners;
• markets, artisans, and roving street performances through the streets and squares of Pieve Tesino;
• convivial moments, such as the afternoon snack offered to the public at the Per Via Museum.

Organization

The event is the result of a collaboration between the Pro Loco of Pieve Tesino, the Bolla di Sapone Circus School of Trento, and the Fondazione Trentina Alcide De Gasperi, which manages the Per Via Museum. The festival takes place in Trentino-Alto Adige and represents one of the most characteristic summer events in the Tesino valley.