Pergolesi International Festival

The festival bringing Pergolesi back to Pozzuoli

The Pergolesi International Festival is a Baroque music event that the Municipality of Pozzuoli, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, dedicates to Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (Jesi 1710 – Pozzuoli 1736). The bond between the composer and this Phlegraean city is deep and well-documented: it was in Pozzuoli that the young master, already ill, spent the final months of his short life, having left behind such monumental works as the Stabat Mater and La serva padrona. The first edition of the festival was held in the summer of 2025 with a clear goal: to become an annual fixture in the cultural calendar of the Campania region.

Who organizes the festival

The festival is promoted by the Accademia Reale Cultural Association, under the artistic direction of maestro Giovanni Borrelli, in partnership with Pro Loco Puteoli and the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Pozzuoli, led by Deputy Mayor Professor Filippo Monaco. The project was born as part of the municipal summer program and aims to grow beyond mere concerts: organizers have announced plans to complement the musical performances with an international academic conference and operatic productions dedicated to the composer from the Marche region and the 18th-century Neapolitan school.

The music: period instruments and historical practice

The musical heart of the festival is the Accademia Reale Baroque Ensemble, a group that performs using period instruments and historical tunings, adhering to the principles of historically informed performance. The repertoire is not limited to Pergolesi: alongside his cantatas and sacred works, the program features composers who were his masters, rivals, or contemporaries in Naples, from Leonardo Vinci to Nicola Porpora, and from Riccardo Broschi to Leonardo Leo. The soloists—sopranos and contraltos specialized in the 17th and 18th-century repertoire—bring to life the virtuosic writing intended for the Neapolitan singers of the era.

The venues: Baroque settings and historic gardens

• Church of San Raffaele Arcangelo, on Via Guglielmo Marconi in the center of Pozzuoli: a Baroque building that hosts sacred and chamber music concerts, with intimate acoustics that enhance the small ensembles.
• Villa Avellino: the internal courtyard and the belvedere of this historic residence, now a public park overlooking the gulf, host the evening open-air concerts.

Both venues are located just a short walk from the harbor and the Rione Terra, allowing visitors to naturally combine the music with a stroll through the historic center of Pozzuoli.

The context: the Phlegraean Fields

Pozzuoli is the gateway to the Phlegraean Fields, the volcanic area west of Naples where the Flavian Amphitheatre, the Macellum (the so-called Temple of Serapis), the Solfatara, and Lake Avernus coexist. Hosting a Baroque festival in this setting creates a dialogue between two layers of the same city: the Roman layer, visible on the surface, and the 18th-century layer, tied to the golden age of the Neapolitan conservatories. For international visitors, it is the most direct way to understand why Naples was considered one of the musical capitals of Europe in the 1700s.

Who it is for

The festival appeals both to early music enthusiasts and to the public enjoying the Pozzuoli waterfront during the summer. Programs are designed with concise pieces, spoken introductions, and an agile structure, making them accessible even to those approaching the Baroque repertoire for the first time. Events typically take place between the second half of June and the first ten days of July, always in the evening when temperatures on the gulf become more pleasant.

A project looking to the future

With only one edition behind it, the Pergolesi International Festival is still a young event, but the decision to link it permanently to Pergolesi’s name and the city that preserves his memory gives it a distinct identity within the Campania region. Those planning a stay in the Phlegraean Fields between June and July should check the calendar: it is one of the few opportunities in the province of Naples to hear 18th-century Neapolitan music performed on period instruments in the very places where it was born.