Ravello Festival
Grand orchestras on the Belvedere of Villa Rufolo, overlooking the Amalfi Coast sea
About Ravello Festival
A festival suspended between sky and sea
The Ravello Festival is the longest-running and most prestigious musical event in Southern Italy. Every summer, the town of Ravello, perched on the heights of the Amalfi Coast in the province of Salerno, Campania, welcomes internationally renowned orchestras, conductors, and soloists to the famous Belvedere of Villa Rufolo, a stage overlooking the Gulf of Salerno that has become an icon recognized worldwide. It is not just a setting: the breeze, the scent of citrus fruits, and the changing light over the sea are part of the listening experience and make every concert unique.
From 1953 to today, seventy-four editions
The festival was born in 1953 in the spirit of Richard Wagner, a composer who remains a constant presence in the Ravello programs, and it has never stopped growing since. Today it is organized by the Ravello Foundation, chaired by Alessio Vlad, with general direction by Maurizio Pietrantonio and artistic direction by Lucio Gregoretti. The formula has remained faithful to itself: few events, all of the highest level, distributed over two months of summer, so that the public can experience Ravello calmly rather than consuming it in a rush.
The 2026 edition: from July 4 to September 5
The 74th edition features twenty-two events between July 4 and September 5, 2026. The program alternates large symphonic ensembles, concert-style opera, baroque repertoire on period instruments, piano recitals, chamber music, and three jazz evenings. Opening the program is the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino conducted by Daniele Gatti, with Wagner's Siegfried-Idyll and Beethoven's Eroica Symphony; closing it on September 5 is the Freiburger Barockorchester conducted by Simon Rattle with soloist Isabelle Faust in Schumann.
The big names of 2026
- Jordi Savall with Le Concert des Nations and La Capella Reial de Catalunya for Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (July 11, Italian exclusive)
- Kent Nagano with the Dresdner Festspielorchester and Concerto Köln for Wagner's Götterdämmerung on period instruments (July 31)
- John Eliot Gardiner with The Constellation Choir and Orchestra featuring Brahms and Mendelssohn (August 30)
- Philippe Jordan leading the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester in Wagner and Bruckner (August 29)
- The RAI National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Emmanuel Tjeknavorian (July 24) and pianist Jan Lisiecki with the World (of) Dance recital (July 19)
Jazz, chamber music, and the Dawn Concert
The first weekend of August is dedicated to jazz, with the Andrea Motis Trio, the Rita Marcotulli ensemble, and a tribute to Miles Davis by Rick Margitza, Jeff Ballard, and Dario Deidda. However, the most anticipated moment remains the Dawn Concert on August 11: at 5:15 AM, as the sun rises over the gulf, the Filarmonica «Giuseppe Verdi» of Salerno conducted by Alessandro Palumbo plays Bizet, Dvořák, and Liszt before an audience that has already sold out tickets weeks in advance. The Sala dei Cavalieri hosts the theatrical production Piccinni e Gluck, una corona per due with Sergio Rubini (July 29) and the complete piano works of Ravel performed by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (August 27).
The William Kentridge exhibition
The 2026 program is not just music. From July 3 to September 5, Villa Rufolo hosts an exhibition dedicated to William Kentridge, created in collaboration with the Lia Rumma Gallery: an artist for whom drawing, sound, word, opera, and theater are parts of a single creative process, and therefore perfectly in tune with the spirit of the festival. The exhibition is open daily from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
The venues
In addition to the Belvedere, the festival moves between the Sala dei Cavalieri of Villa Rufolo, the church of San Giovanni del Toro, and Piazza Duomo, where on July 10 five local marching bands will perform Luca Francesconi's Fresco with free admission. Before many concerts, "listening introductions" are held—free meetings with musicologists, with simultaneous translation into English for the large international audience.
Ravello and the Amalfi Coast
Attending a concert at the Ravello Festival also means discovering one of the most refined villages in Campania, between the Cathedral, the gardens of Villa Cimbrone, and the alleys that suddenly open up to the sea. Those arriving in summer should book well in advance: the Coast is crowded and seats on the Belvedere are limited.
Ravello Festival — edition 2026
A season between Monteverdi, Wagner, and great orchestras
The 74th edition of the Ravello Festival builds its program around two axes: the great symphonic repertoire and the philological recovery of baroque and Wagnerian opera. On one hand, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino with Daniele Gatti, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, the Filarmonica «George Enescu», and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester; on the other, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo entrusted to Jordi Savall and the Götterdämmerung restored by Kent Nagano on historical instruments, both in Italian exclusive.
Not just concerts
Alongside the music, the Ravello Foundation offers the William Kentridge exhibition in collaboration with the Lia Rumma Gallery, open from July 3 to September 5 in the halls of Villa Rufolo, and free listening introductions preceding many events, with simultaneous translation into English. On July 10, Piazza Duomo hosts five local bands for free for Luca Francesconi's Fresco, in the year of the composer's seventieth birthday.
Programme Ravello Festival 2026
July 2026
- Saturday, July 4, 8:00 PM — Belvedere of Villa Rufolo: Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino conducted by Daniele Gatti. Wagner, Siegfried-Idyll; Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 Eroica. Listening introduction at 6:00 PM. (€60)
- Sunday, July 5, 8:00 PM — Belvedere: ensemble Il Pomo d'Oro with Giovanni Sollima and Vanni Moretto, Zappa & Zappa project between Francesco Zappa and Frank Zappa. (€60)
- Friday, July 10, 7:30 PM — Piazza Duomo: five local marching bands in Fresco by Luca Francesconi. Free admission.
- Saturday, July 11, 6:00 PM — Church of San Giovanni del Toro: Risonanze d'Orfeo by Luca Francesconi, wind section. Free admission.
- Saturday, July 11, 8:00 PM — Belvedere: Monteverdi, L'Orfeo, with Le Concert des Nations and La Capella Reial de Catalunya conducted by Jordi Savall. Italian exclusive. (€60)
- Sunday, July 12, 8:00 PM — Belvedere: Bucharest National Opera Orchestra conducted by Daniel Jinga, violin Alexandru Tomescu. Enescu, Paganini, Tchaikovsky. (€60)
- Friday, July 17, 8:00 PM — Belvedere: ensemble Pygmalion conducted by Raphaël Pichon, baritone Stéphane Degout. Schubert Lieder and Brahms Symphony No. 1. (€60)
- Sunday, July 19, 8:00 PM — Belvedere: recital by pianist Jan Lisiecki, World (of) Dance. (€40)
- Friday, July 24, 8:00 PM — Belvedere: RAI National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Emmanuel Tjeknavorian. Khachaturian, suite from the ballet Gayaneh; Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition. (€60)
- Wednesday, July 29, 8:00 PM — Sala dei Cavalieri: Piccinni e Gluck, una corona per due, with Sergio Rubini, soprano Francesca Pia Vitale, and pianist Luca Gorla. (€20)
- Friday, July 31, 8:00 PM — Belvedere: Wagner, prologue and first act of Götterdämmerung, with the Dresdner Festspielorchester and Concerto Köln conducted by Kent Nagano, on period instruments. Italian exclusive. (€60)
August 2026
- Thursday, August 6, 9:30 PM — Belvedere: Andrea Motis Trio. (€40)
- Friday, August 7, 9:30 PM — Belvedere: Rita Marcotulli Ensemble, Under 29 but me. (€40)
- Saturday, August 8, 9:30 PM — Belvedere: Rick Margitza, Jeff Ballard, and Dario Deidda, Homage to Miles. (€40)
- Tuesday, August 11, 5:15 AM — Belvedere: Dawn Concert with the Filarmonica «Giuseppe Verdi» of Salerno conducted by Alessandro Palumbo. Bizet, suite from Carmen; Dvořák, Symphony No. 8; Liszt, Les préludes. Includes breakfast in the villa gardens. (€100)
- Wednesday, August 26, 7:30 PM — Belvedere: Filarmonica «George Enescu» conducted by Robert Treviño. Enescu, Rhapsody No. 1; Rachmaninoff, Symphony No. 2. (€60)
- Thursday, August 27, 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM — Sala dei Cavalieri: Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, complete works for solo piano by Ravel in two parts. (€20 per concert, €30 for both parts)
- Saturday, August 29, 7:30 PM — Belvedere: Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester conducted by Philippe Jordan. Wagner, prelude from Parsifal; Bruckner, Symphony No. 4. (€60)
- Sunday, August 30, 7:30 PM — Belvedere: The Constellation Choir and Orchestra conducted by John Eliot Gardiner. Brahms, Song of Destiny; Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 2 Lobgesang. (€60)
September 2026
- Saturday, September 5, 7:30 PM — Belvedere: Freiburger Barockorchester conducted by Simon Rattle, violin Isabelle Faust. Schumann, Violin Concerto and Symphony No. 2. Italian exclusive. (€60)
Exhibition
William Kentridge, Villa Rufolo, from July 3 to September 5, 2026, daily 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM, in collaboration with the Lia Rumma Gallery.
Highlights Ravello Festival 2026
- Jordi Savall conducts Monteverdi's L'Orfeo in an Italian exclusive, July 11 on the Belvedere.
- Kent Nagano continues the Wagnerian project on historical instruments with Götterdämmerung, July 31.
- The Dawn Concert on August 11 at 5:15 AM, with breakfast in the gardens of Villa Rufolo.
- Simon Rattle and Isabelle Faust close the festival on September 5 with the Freiburger Barockorchester.
- The William Kentridge exhibition at Villa Rufolo, included in the program from July 3 to September 5.
- Three consecutive jazz evenings from August 6 to 8 and the complete Ravel piano works with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.
Prices Ravello Festival 2026
Practical information — Ravello Festival
How to get there
By train to Salerno (high-speed Rome-Naples-Salerno line), then SITA Sud bus to Amalfi and connection to Ravello. In summer, sea connections also operate between Salerno, Amalfi, and Minori, followed by the bus to Ravello. By car, take the SS163 Amalfitana road: traffic is heavy from July to September and the historic center of Ravello is pedestrianized, so it is best to leave the car in paid parking lots at the entrance to the town. The nearest airport is Naples-Capodichino, followed by Salerno-Costa d'Amalfi.
Tickets
Online sales at ravellofestival.com and at the box office in Piazza Duomo (tel. +39 089 858422, [email protected]), open from July 1st, Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, and on concert days also from 5:00 PM until the start of the show. Tickets are non-refundable; in case of bad weather, some rows may be relocated.
Tips
The Belvedere is outdoors: bring a light jacket, as the temperature drops in the evening. For the Dawn Concert, you go up to Villa Rufolo in the middle of the night, with staggered access. Accommodation in Ravello, Amalfi, Minori, and Maiori fills up months in advance: booking your stay together with your ticket is the wisest choice.
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