Piazze d'Armi e di Città Festival
Theatre, dance, and music between the Politeama and the Cassero of the Poggibonsi Fortress
About Piazze d'Armi e di Città
A festival that inhabits the city
For over twenty years, the Piazze d'Armi e di Città Festival has been the most anticipated cultural event of the summer in Poggibonsi, in the heart of the Valdelsa, in the province of Siena. Organised by the Fondazione E.L.S.A. CultureComuni around the Teatro Politeama, the festival accompanies the city from late spring until mid-July with a packed programme of theatre, dance, music, and performing arts. The festival's very name speaks to its vocation: taking performances out of traditional halls and returning them to the squares, the ramparts, and the urban spaces.
Two iconic venues
Performances are split between two very different yet complementary settings. On one hand, the Teatro Politeama, with its Main Hall and the outdoor terrace overlooking Piazza Rosselli, which hosts concert evenings and comedy-musical performances. On the other, the Cassero of the Medici Fortress, the imposing fortification that dominates Poggibonsi, where the bastion becomes a natural stage for more intense evening shows under the Tuscan summer sky.
The programme sections
The festival is essentially a container for long-standing series, each with its own identity:
- Atuttomondo — the section dedicated to auteur and experimental theatre, bringing renowned companies of the Italian scene to Poggibonsi.
- International Shadow Festival — one of the longest-running shadow and figure theatre festivals in Italy, featuring visual and poetic performances.
- Ballo Pubblico — the international contemporary dance festival in urban spaces, with short choreographies performed in succession between the terrace and the Politeama hall.
- Jazz Cocktail Estate and summer concerts — musical events ranging from singer-songwriter sets to jazz, world music, and experimentation.
A high-quality scene
What distinguishes Piazze d'Armi e di Città is the quality of its selection: the programme alternates under-30 companies with award-winning names (Premio Eolo, Premio UBU, Biennale College Teatro), dance solos, world premieres, and musical tributes. It is a festival designed for the audience, where shows often last about twenty minutes and can be followed in succession, and where many evenings conclude with an aperitif or a social moment with the artists.
Poggibonsi and the Valdelsa
Visiting the festival is also an opportunity to discover Poggibonsi and the Valdelsa, a land of hills, medieval villages, and fine dining between Siena and Florence. The Medici Fortress, the Poggio Imperiale Archaeological Park, and the proximity to San Gimignano and Colle di Val d'Elsa make the town an ideal base for those wanting to combine culture, theatre, and a holiday in the heart of Tuscany.
Piazze d'Armi e di Città — edition 2026
The 22nd edition of the Piazze d'Armi e di Città Festival, organised by the Fondazione E.L.S.A. CultureComuni, is divided into several series between late May and mid-July 2026. The preview is entrusted to Atuttomondo (27th edition), followed by the International Shadow Festival (30th edition) under the artistic direction of Marcella Fragapane, the 16th edition of Ballo Pubblico, the international contemporary dance festival in urban spaces directed by Francesca Lettieri, and a dense summer musical programme with the Jazz Cocktail Estate section. Performances take place between the terrace and the Main Hall of the Teatro Politeama, in Piazza Rosselli, and the Cassero of the Medici Fortress in Poggibonsi.
Programme Piazze d'Armi e di Città 2026
Atuttomondo (27th edition)
- May 28, 9:30 PM — Politeama terrace, Piazza Rosselli: "Avanzi di Balera", Giallo Mare Minimal Teatro with Maria Cassi and Leonardo Brizzi (comedy-musical show)
- June 4, 9:00 PM — Politeama terrace: Wunder Tandem, clown concert-show; opening (7:30 PM) with the talk "The world of the feminine in art"
- June 16, 9:00 PM — Cassero of the Fortress: "Veglia", Menoventi with Consuelo Battiston and Gianni Farina, music by Lorenzo Meazzini (MUNI)
- June 23, 9:30 PM — Cassero of the Fortress: "Il Mare nel Cassetto - La via di Franco Battiato", narration by Silvia Boschero, music by Giua and Anais Drago
- June 30 — Cassero of the Fortress, Bastion: "Qualcosa che per comodità chiameremo amore", Les Moustaches
International Shadow Festival (30th edition)
- June 9, 9:00 PM — Politeama, Main Hall: "Lo Specchio della Regina", Teatro la Ribalta - Kunst der Vielfalt, directed by Antonio Viganò (Premio Eolo)
- June 10, 9:45 PM — Cassero of the Fortress: "Golem - e fango è il mondo", Teatro del Drago, directed by Mariasole Brusa
- June 12, 9:45 PM — Cassero of the Fortress: "Ashes", Index/Muta Imago, directed by Riccardo Fazi (Premio UBU 2022)
Ballo Pubblico (16th edition) — contemporary dance
Artistic direction by Francesca Lettieri. Evenings of June 18 and 19 from 6:30 PM, between the terrace and the Main Hall of the Politeama, with solos and choreographies of about twenty minutes.
- June 18: "Ettore" (Ariella Vidach AIEP, with Carmine Di Pace), "Paysage après la bataille" (Compagnia Naturalis Labor), "She Screams" (Fondazione Egri per la Danza)
- June 19: "Lost Solos-Blu" (Compagnia ATACAMA), "Romantica" (Compagnia Bellanda), "Relitti" and "Coppia umana 174 x 155 cm", "Passages" (Adarte), followed by "Dinner with the artists"
Summer concerts and Jazz Cocktail Estate
- June 25 — Politeama terrace: "Storie Bestiali", AresTeatro
- June 26 — Cassero: Sinedades (contemporary tropicalism)
- July 2 — Politeama terrace: Sal Duende
- July 3 — Cassero: "Etna Calling", Femina Ridens
- July 7 — Cassero: Kety Fusco, "Bohème Tour" (harp and electronics)
- July 8 — Cassero: Lucia Socci, "La paga del sabato" (from Beppe Fenoglio)
- July 10 — Cassero: I Benvegnu', tribute to Paolo Benvegnù
- July 14 — Cassero: Vipera (Caterina Dufì), opening GAL
- July 17 — Cassero: Giovanni Benvenuti Reunion Trio (jazz)
- July 21 — Cassero: AKA5HA, electronic singer-songwriter
Highlights Piazze d'Armi e di Città 2026
Prices Piazze d'Armi e di Città 2026
Practical information — Piazze d'Armi e di Città
Where
Teatro Politeama (hall and terrace), Piazza Rosselli 6, and Cassero of the Medici Fortress, Poggibonsi (SI).
How to get there
By train: Poggibonsi-San Gimignano station on the Empoli-Siena line, a few minutes' walk from the centre. By car: take the Poggibonsi Nord or Sud exit from the Florence-Siena highway (RA3); parking is available near the historic centre.
Tickets
Ticket prices vary by performance (generally from 8 to 18 euros, with discounts for members and students). Several evenings on the terrace include a drink. Advance tickets are available online at anyticket.it and at the Teatro Politeama box office.
Contacts
Tel. +39 0577 983067 / +39 0577 985697 — [email protected] — [email protected]
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Where does it take place — Piazze d'Armi e di Città
Teatro Politeama e Cassero della Fortezza Medicea
Piazza Rosselli 6, 53036 Poggibonsi