Polysonica Festival
A Sonic Journey: four days of sound research at the Convent of Sant'Antonio Abate
About Polysonica
A sound research festival in the heart of the Prenestini Mountains
Polysonica – a Sonic Journey is a festival dedicated to sound research and the intersection of acoustic instruments and new technologies, held annually in Palestrina, in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio. The venue is no mere detail: the Convent and Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, located on Via del Carmine, offers natural acoustics that the organizers consider an integral part of the performances. The historic walls and vaults of the sacred structure become active elements of the performance, amplifying and modifying sound in ways no recording studio could replicate.
From a traveling project to an annual festival
Polysonica began as a traveling musical project by the Brain Community Monti Prenestini Aps association, developed through a long series of immersive events in historic and unusual spaces across the Prenestini territory. After over forty events, almost all with free entry, the project evolved in 2025 into a four-day annual festival. The core idea is the fusion of polyphonic tradition—fittingly, Palestrina is the city that gave its name to Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina—and the languages of ambient, experimental electronics, and contemporary music.
How a day at the festival is structured
The festival is divided into two complementary spaces with different access modes:
- Sound Garden — the ancient convent garden opens at 6:00 PM with free entry: sound installations, headphone listening sessions, DJ sets, and a food & bar area. It is the festival's social hub, open to everyone, where the public can come and go freely.
- Church Concerts — from 9:30 PM, the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate hosts a different concert each evening, with limited numbered seating (approximately 120 seats per night). This is where the most radical part of the programming is concentrated.
A research-driven program
The artistic direction favors projects that work on the fringes: guitar duos playing without loops or computers, strings treated with live electronics, Buchla modular synthesizers, magnetic tape, microtonal scales, and complex rhythmic structures. Alongside the concerts, video mapping and visual installations complete the multisensory experience within the sacred building.
The festival also represents a gesture of cultural decentralization: bringing avant-garde sound arts out of major urban centers and into a provincial context rich in historical heritage, while simultaneously enhancing the musical identity of Palestrina.
Palestrina, the city and its heritage
Just over thirty kilometers from Rome, Palestrina is famous for the Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia, one of the most impressive sanctuary complexes of ancient Italy, and for the National Archaeological Museum of Palestrina housed in Palazzo Colonna Barberini, which preserves the famous Nile mosaic. An evening at Polysonica is therefore perfect to combine with a visit to the historic center and the Prenestini Mountains, among villages, wineries, and local Lazio products.
Atmosphere and audience
The vibe is intimate and attentive: those arriving for the Sound Garden will find a relaxed and accessible environment, while the church concerts require silent listening and concentration. It is a festival suitable for those who love experimental music, ambient, contemporary music, and sound installations, but also for those who simply want to discover a historic site in a new light.
Polysonica — edition 2026
Polysonica 2026: four evenings between acoustic and electronic
From June 25 to 28, 2026, the Convent and Church of Sant'Antonio Abate in Palestrina transformed once again into an immersive listening path. The formula remained the one that made the festival recognizable: Sound Garden in the ancient convent garden from 6:00 PM, with installations, listening sessions, DJ sets, and a free-entry food & bar area, and concert in the church from 9:30 PM, with limited numbered seating.
The program featured four projects with different approaches but consistent in their research: a guitar duo deliberately renouncing loops and computers, a dialogue between cello and double bass built on sound erosion and silence, a multisensory ritual made of Buchla synthesizers and magnetic tape, and finally a solo project for violin, analog pedals, and electronics. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings, a free shuttle service connected the parking areas to the historic center.
Programme Polysonica 2026
Church concerts — 9:30 PM, limited numbered seating (approx. 120 per night)
- Thursday, June 25 — A Bad Day, guitar duo by Sara Ardizzoni and Egle Sommacal: intimate and radical atmospheres, played without loops or computers.
- Friday, June 26 — Hayalet, project by Flavia Massimo (cello) and Caterina Palazzi (double bass): nocturnal landscapes between sound erosion and silence.
- Saturday, June 27 — Gabriele Gasparotti and cellist Benedetta Dazzi with Tropismi, a multisensory ritual built on Buchla synthesizers and magnetic tape.
- Sunday, June 28 — Laura Masotto, violin, analog pedals, and synthesizers.
Sound Garden — from 6:00 PM, free entry
- Daily opening with Polysonica Sound at 6:00 PM, installations, and food & bar area.
- Thursday 25: Sonobe, live at 11:00 PM.
- Friday 26: Ipologica Takeover with PENTESILEA and Fabio Sestili.
- Saturday 27: Smokers Die Younger.
- Sunday 28: Andrea Ferrante.
Highlights Polysonica 2026
- Concerts in the natural acoustics of the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, with historic vaults as an integral part of the performance.
- Free Sound Garden in the ancient convent garden, with installations and DJ sets.
- A Bad Day: guitars without loops or computers, opening the festival.
- Tropismi by Gabriele Gasparotti and Benedetta Dazzi, featuring Buchla synthesizers and magnetic tape.
- Laura Masotto closing the event, with violin and analog electronics.
- Free shuttle service from Friday to Sunday, every 20 minutes from 6:30 PM to 1:00 AM.
Prices Polysonica 2026
Practical information — Polysonica
Location
Convent and Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, Via del Carmine 1, 00036 Palestrina (Metropolitan City of Rome).
How to get there
By car: from the A1 motorway, take the Valmontone exit or follow Via Casilina/Prenestina Nuova; Palestrina is about 38 km from Rome. By train and bus: from Roma Termini station, take a regional train to Zagarolo, then a connecting bus to Palestrina; alternatively, use Cotral bus lines from Rome Anagnina.
Shuttles
On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings, the festival operates a free shuttle service running every 20 minutes from 6:30 PM to 1:00 AM, connecting three parking areas to the historic center; from there, the venue is a short walk away. On Thursday, transport is independent.
Tickets
The Sound Garden is free to access from 6:00 PM. Evening concerts in the church are ticketed (around 10 euros) with limited numbered seating: advance purchase via the DICE platform is strongly recommended.
Accessibility
Organizers request that you contact them in advance for accessibility needs by writing to [email protected].
Tips
The convent spaces are made of stone: a light sweater is useful even on summer evenings. Arriving early allows you to enjoy the Sound Garden installations before the concert.
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Where does it take place — Polysonica
Convento e Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate
Via del Carmine 1, 00036 Palestrina