Sipario Aperto

Open-air theatre in Riposto

Every summer, as the season hits its stride, Piazza San Pietro in Riposto transforms into an open-air stage. This is the home of Sipario Aperto, the summer theatre festival hosted by the Municipality of Riposto, located on the Sicilian Ionian coast at the foot of Mount Etna. Six evenings of drama, held every Friday, accompany residents and tourists through the heart of summer with a mix of witty comedies and popular Sicilian repertoire.

A highlight of the city's summer calendar

Sipario Aperto is a core component of Riposto's vibrant summer programme, which spans music, theatre, dance, art, and local flavours, reaching from the historic centre to the picturesque seaside village of Torre Archirafi. The festival is promoted by the Riposto Municipal Administration and organized in collaboration with the Compagnia Teatrale Jonica, directed by Giovanna Criscuolo. Various Sicilian theatre companies take the stage, presenting a programme designed for a wide summer audience.

The spirit of popular and dialect theatre

The festival's common thread is accessible, entertaining theatre: European comedy classics reimagined in a Sicilian key, witty scripts, and everyday life stories told with irony. It is no coincidence that the editions often open with titles like Molière's The Imaginary Invalid, adapted into a dialect version by the Compagnia Teatrale Jonica. It is popular theatre in the noblest sense: designed to bring the community together in the square, under the starry sky of the Ionian coast.

Piazza San Pietro, the heart of the city

The choice of location is no accident. Piazza San Pietro, named after Riposto's patron saint, confirms itself year after year as the pulsing heart of the city's cultural life, as the municipal administration loves to highlight. Sitting here on a summer evening, with the sea breeze rising and the scent of Mediterranean scrub in the air, is an experience in itself. The festival is a highly anticipated event in the Riposto summer calendar, drawing a loyal local audience and the many holidaymakers who flock to the Catania coast in July and August.

Information on the 2026 edition

Sipario Aperto is a recurring event in Riposto's summer calendar. Dates and the detailed programme for the 2026 edition have not yet been officially announced: we recommend checking the official channels of the Municipality of Riposto and the Compagnia Teatrale Jonica page for updates.