Ritratti Festival
Classical music, arts, and local heritage in the heart of Monopoli
About Ritratti Festival
A festival of music, art, and landscape
The Ritratti Festival is one of the most refined musical events in Puglia and a cultural highlight of the summer in Monopoli, a town overlooking the Adriatic in the Metropolitan City of Bari. Established in 2005 and directed by pianist Antonia Valente, the festival offers a rich annual calendar of concerts ranging from classical and chamber music to opera, singer-songwriter tracks, and contemporary music, with the aim of fostering a dialogue between great performers and the region's historical and scenic heritage.
Festival venues
The strength of the Ritratti Festival lies in its choice of spaces: every concert becomes an encounter between music and place. The evenings take place in some of Monopoli's most evocative settings, including the Teatro Radar, the square of the Basilica Cattedrale Maria Santissima della Madia, the Cloister of Palazzo San Martino, and the natural space of Lama Sottile. The historic center, with its whitewashed alleys and sea-view terraces, provides the perfect backdrop for an experience that is both musical and scenic.
More than just concerts
Alongside the evening concerts, the program is enriched with side sections that engage diverse audiences:
- Ritratti Talk: meetings and conversations with artists and festival guests;
- Breakfast with Bach: morning appointments dedicated to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach;
- Ritratti Kids: creative workshops designed for children aged 6 and up;
- Il Camioncino - Musica in cammino: a traveling project that brings music to the city streets;
- Ritratti sui tetti - Find Me: a musical treasure hunt across the rooftops of the historic center.
A defining event for Puglia
With over twenty years of history, the Ritratti Festival has built a deep bond with the community of Monopoli and the entire Puglia region, becoming a model for festivals capable of combining high artistic quality, international openness, and local promotion. Each edition revolves around a theme that guides the programming, inviting the public to read music as a key to understanding art, history, and emotions. Every summer, the festival attracts enthusiasts, tourists, and curious visitors, contributing to making Monopoli one of the most vibrant cultural destinations on the Apulian Adriatic coast.
Ritratti Festival — edition 2026
Play Love - All the love that can be played
The 22nd edition of the Ritratti Festival in Monopoli, directed by Antonia Valente, revolves around the theme "Play Love - All the love that can be played". The program kicks off on May 23 with the preview "Di lume e di candela - tre modelle per Caravaggio," a monologue with live music directed by Carlo Bruni, and continues until July 19.
Main concerts
The official opening is set for June 21, on the occasion of the European Music Day, with a grand free symphonic concert on the square of the Basilica Cattedrale, featuring pianist Benedetto Lupo and conductor Giuseppe Mengoli, in collaboration with the "Nino Rota" Conservatory of Monopoli. Among the most anticipated events:
- July 4: the debut of the Quartetto Indaco with "Notturno Sensuale";
- July 6: Colombian soprano Betty Garcés, voice of the Colombian Pacific;
- July 13: cellist Giovanni Sollima with pianist Carlotta Maestrini in "Mirrors";
- July 19: Tosca Donati closes the festival with an evening dedicated to the female voice and creativity.
Side activities
Alongside the concerts, the festival offers Ritratti Talk meetings, Breakfast with Bach, the Ritratti Kids: Play workshop for children aged 6 and up, the traveling project Il Camioncino - Musica in cammino, and Ritratti sui tetti - Find Me, the musical treasure hunt across the rooftops of Monopoli's historic center.
Programme Ritratti Festival 2026
2026 Program
- May 23 - Preview: "Di lume e di candela - tre modelle per Caravaggio," monologue with live music (directed by Carlo Bruni)
- June 21 - Free opening symphonic concert, Basilica Cattedrale square: Benedetto Lupo (piano), Giuseppe Mengoli (conductor), Nino Rota Conservatory
- July 4 - Quartetto Indaco, "Notturno Sensuale"
- July 6 - Betty Garcés, soprano
- July 13 - Giovanni Sollima (cello) and Carlotta Maestrini (piano), "Mirrors"
- July 19 - Tosca Donati, closing evening dedicated to female creativity
Side sections: Ritratti Talk, Breakfast with Bach, Ritratti Kids: Play, Il Camioncino - Musica in cammino, Ritratti sui tetti - Find Me.
Highlights Ritratti Festival 2026
Prices Ritratti Festival 2026
Practical information — Ritratti Festival
How to get there
Monopoli can be reached by train on the Adriatic line (Monopoli stop), by car via the SS16 Adriatica, or by plane landing at Bari-Palese Airport, about 60 km away. The historic center, where many events take place, is pedestrianized.
Tickets
Tickets are available on the official website www.ritrattifestival.it, through the Vivaticket network, and on the ensemble05.it platform. Presale points in Monopoli are located at the Puglia Info Point in Piazza Garibaldi and the festival Info Point at the Church of Sant'Angelo in Borgo. Some events, such as the opening symphonic concert, offer free admission.
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Where does it take place — Ritratti Festival
Teatro Radar