Portraits on Stage — Art in Motion

A festival wandering through the villages of the Aniene

Portraits on Stage — Art in Motion is a multidisciplinary festival and a contemporary creation laboratory designed to explore the bond between performing arts (theatre, dance, music, circus) and visual arts. Each edition unfolds like a journey: the performances are not confined to a single location but travel through squares, gardens, historic theatres, mansions, and museums across several municipalities in the Aniene Valley, within the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in Lazio.

The 2026 ninth edition

From June 6 to August 2, 2026, the ninth edition visits nine municipalities: Anticoli Corrado, Roviano, Arsoli, Marano Equo, Rocca Santo Stefano, Licenza, Gerano, Subiaco, and Cave. The bill includes 26 shows, with 5 national premieres and 12 Lazio premieres, along a path that weaves together dance, narrative theatre, music, and contemporary circus. The common thread is dedicated to history's outsiders: often forgotten figures, particularly female artists who transitioned from muses and models to creators. There is no shortage of international guests, with companies arriving from Spain, Croatia, and Argentina.

Anticoli Corrado, the village of painters

The Municipality of Anticoli Corrado, perched above the valley, has always been one of the festival's hearts. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the village was a destination for Grand Tour painters who found peasant models there; some of these women, such as Pasqualosa Marcelli or Margherita Toppi, became painters themselves. This artistic vocation makes Anticoli Corrado the ideal setting for a festival that explores the relationship between portraiture, image, and staging.

Stops in Anticoli Corrado

In 2026, two major events are scheduled in Anticoli Corrado. On July 10, Essere Solo l'Occhio (To Be Only the Eye) will be performed, a choreography by Samantha Montagna: a national premiere of contemporary dance inspired by photographer Vivian Maier, famous for her long-undiscovered street photography. On July 19, it is the turn of Balconate Liriche (Lyric Balconies) by the Teatro a Canone company, which transforms streets and squares into opera houses with masks and figures, in a reinterpretation of The Love for Three Oranges by Carlo Gozzi. The programme is accompanied by a fine arts exhibition at Villa Ulivella featuring works by students from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome.

Organisers

The festival is produced by the Settimo Cielo association under the artistic direction of Gloria Sapio, assisted by Maurizio Repetto and Giacomo Sette. The event is supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Lazio Region, and the involved municipalities, confirming its status as one of the most original summer cultural events in the area east of Rome.