Pontino Music Festival
A month of chamber and contemporary music across Latina, Sermoneta, and the abbeys of the Pontine Plain
About Pontino Festival
A historic festival of the Pontine Plain
The Pontino Music Festival is one of the longest-running and most prestigious musical events in Southern Lazio. Established in the 1960s under the influence of the Caetani princes and nurtured by the tireless guidance of Riccardo Cerocchi, it is now organized by the International Campus of Music Foundation, based on Via Varsavia in Latina. In 2026, the Festival celebrates its 62nd edition, reaffirming its status as a landmark event for lovers of chamber music and contemporary research.
Latina and the region's iconic landmarks
The formula that makes the Festival unique is that of a diffused festival: concerts are not confined to a single hall but take place in the most evocative settings of the province of Latina, in the Lazio Region. The Caetani Castle in Sermoneta remains the historic heart of the event, joined by the Fossanova Abbey in Priverno and the cloister of the Valvisciolo Abbey. In the Municipality of Latina, the venue is the historic Circolo Cittadino Sante Palumbo, located in the city center, which hosts some of the most anticipated evenings of the program each year.
A program bridging tradition and modernity
The hallmark of the Pontino Festival is its openness to the music of our time. Alongside the great classical and romantic repertoire, the renowned International Meetings of Contemporary Music take center stage, having gathered composers, performers, scholars, and teachers in Sermoneta for decades for days of listening, debate, and premieres. The Foundation also preserves the manuscript collections of composers such as Goffredo Petrassi, a tutelary figure of the festival, to whom tributes and reinterpretations are regularly dedicated.
Young performers and international masterclasses
The Festival is inextricably linked to the educational activities of the Campus: every summer in Sermoneta, advanced courses and masterclasses are held by internationally acclaimed masters. The best students then take the stage in young artist concerts, often at nominal prices, and in chamber music ensembles where they perform side-by-side with their teachers. This is one of the reasons why the Festival is considered a breeding ground for talent in Italian chamber music.
What to expect from a Pontino evening
- Evening concerts, generally at 9:00 PM, in courtyards, cloisters, and historic halls
- A broad repertoire: chamber music, string quartets, harp, jazz, film music
- Guided tours of the Festival venues before select concerts
- Affordable tickets, designed to make great music accessible
- A loyal audience that blends music lovers, tourists, and local families
Why it's worth the trip
Attending a concert at the Pontino Festival means combining listening with the discovery of heritage: the medieval silhouette of Sermoneta at sunset, the Gothic-Cistercian silence of Fossanova, the contemplative atmosphere of the Valvisciolo cloister. Latina, the provincial capital and a city founded in the 1930s, offers an urban counterpoint with the elegant halls of the Circolo Cittadino. For those visiting the Pontine Plain in summer—between the seaside of Sabaudia and San Felice Circeo, the villages of the Lepini Mountains, and the Gardens of Ninfa—the Festival is the most beautiful way to end the day.
Pontino Festival — edition 2026
62nd edition — July 3-28, 2026
The Pontino Music Festival returns in summer 2026 with more than twenty concerts spread across the iconic landmarks of the province of Latina. The inauguration is on July 3 at the Caetani Castle in Sermoneta, with a program dedicated to brass music by Goffredo Petrassi, conducted by Marcello Panni. New this year: guided tours of the Festival venues before select concerts, in collaboration with Merav in collaboration with Meraviglia APS.
The Municipality of Latina takes center stage with two evenings at the Circolo Cittadino Sante Palumbo, while the International Meetings of Contemporary Music (July 9-13) bring the musical creation of today to Sermoneta.
Programme Pontino Festival 2026
Latina — Circolo Cittadino Sante Palumbo
- Wednesday, July 8, 9:00 PM — Trio Rinaldo (2025 Abbiati Prize for best emerging ensemble): Leonardo Ricci (violin), Rebecca Ciogli (cello), Lorenzo Rossi (piano). Works by Gabriel Fauré (Trio in D minor, Op. 120), Toru Takemitsu (Between Tides), and Maurice Ravel (Trio in A minor).
- Wednesday, July 22 — Dario Rogato Sextet, a tribute to American jazz of the 1960s and 70s.
Other events in the region
- July 2 — Preview concert with free admission, featuring a charity fundraiser.
- July 3 — Sermoneta, Caetani Castle: inaugural concert, tribute to brass music by Goffredo Petrassi, conductor Marcello Panni.
- July 9-13 — Sermoneta: International Meetings of Contemporary Music, with composers György Kurtág and Alessandro Solbiati and the Quartetto Maurice.
- July 14, 9:00 PM — Sermoneta, Caetani Castle: Quartetto Lyskamm, two Schubert quartets (No. 9 in G minor and the famous "Rosamunde") surrounding a tribute to Bach by Alessandro Solbiati.
- July 15, 9:00 PM — Valvisciolo Abbey, cloister: Quartetto Lyskamm, Webern's Six Bagatelles in dialogue with Schubert's "Death and the Maiden".
- July 16 — Concert in memory of Maria Teresa Cerocchi, with Ivos Margoni (violin) and Nicola Possenti (piano).
- July 19, 7:30 PM — Priverno, Fossanova Abbey: Jazzphony Sextet, "Tribute to Italian Opera".
- July 21 — Harp ensemble from the Respighi Conservatory.
- July 22-28 — Concerts by young international artists from the masterclasses and "Play with Masters" sessions alongside the teachers.
Evening concerts generally start at 9:00 PM. The full and updated program is published at www.campusmusica.it.
Highlights Pontino Festival 2026
- Trio Rinaldo in Latina (July 8): the ensemble awarded the 2025 Abbiati Prize performing Fauré, Takemitsu, and Ravel.
- Opening with Petrassi at the Caetani Castle, conducted by Marcello Panni.
- International Meetings of Contemporary Music (July 9-13) with Kurtág and Solbiati.
- Quartetto Lyskamm for two consecutive nights between Sermoneta and the Valvisciolo cloister.
- Jazz at the Circolo Cittadino with the Dario Rogato Sextet (July 22).
- Guided tours of the Festival venues before select concerts, a 2026 novelty.
Prices Pontino Festival 2026
Practical information — Pontino Festival
Getting there
Latina can be reached by train on the Rome-Naples line via Formia (Latina Scalo station, connected to the center by local buses) and by car via the SS148 Pontina road. The Circolo Cittadino Sante Palumbo is located in the center of Latina. A shuttle service is available upon request for concerts at the Fossanova Abbey.
Tickets
Concert tickets generally range between 5 and 15 euros, with discounts for young people, Carta Giovani holders, and Touring Club members. Promotional packages are available. Booking is recommended via WhatsApp at +39 329 7540544 or by email at [email protected].
Information
Fondazione Campus Internazionale di Musica, Via Varsavia 31, 04100 Latina — tel. +39 0773 605551 — [email protected] — full program at www.campusmusica.it.
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Where does it take place — Pontino Festival
Circolo Cittadino Sante Palumbo
Via Varsavia 31, 04100 Latina