Racconti d'Estate - Open-Air Cinema

Cinema returns to light up the Castle of Lipari

Racconti d'Estate - Open-Air Cinema is one of the most beloved summer film festivals in the Aeolian archipelago. Every summer, the evocative Cortile dell'Addolorata, located within the Archaeological Park of the Castle of Lipari, turns into an open-air cinema where audiences can enjoy a selection of high-quality Italian and international auteur films under the starry Aeolian sky. The initiative was born to provide Lipari with a permanent cultural hub; the island has, in fact, been without a cinema since 1995.

An auteur film festival

The festival offers carefully curated titles, alternating between debut works, award-winning films from major international festivals, and classics of cinema history. The screenings are more than just viewings: before and after each film, meetings and debates with directors, actors, screenwriters, and scholars take place, guiding the audience through a deeper cultural exploration. International films are presented in their original language with subtitles, highlighting the auteur nature of the works.

The setting: the Castle and the Aeolian Islands

The festival is held in the heart of the Castle of Lipari, an archaeological and monumental complex overlooking the harbor, in collaboration with the Archaeological Park of the Aeolian Islands and the Luigi Bernabò Brea Museum. The Aeolian Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage site, have always inspired great cinema, from Roberto Rossellini to contemporary auteurs: a vocation that Racconti d'Estate celebrates every year by making the island itself the protagonist.

Organization and admission

The festival is organized by the Associazione Magazzino di Mutuo Soccorso - Eolie, a group of local young volunteers, with the support of the Municipality of Lipari, the Sicily Film Commission, and the Regional Department of Tourism, Sport, and Entertainment of the Sicilian Region. All screenings start at 9:00 PM and admission is free, confirming the popular and inclusive spirit of the event, which takes place in the Municipality of Lipari, in the Province of Messina (Sicily).