Sperlonga Music Fest

Jazz and swing in the village of Ulysses

The Sperlonga Music Fest is the late-summer event that brings jazz to the heart of one of Italy's most beautiful villages. For five consecutive nights in mid-September, Piazza della Rimembranza transforms into an open-air stage featuring jazz quartets, swing orchestras, and projects blending Italian singer-songwriter music with global rhythms. Concerts begin at 9 PM and admission is free: a perfect way to extend Sperlonga's summer season, when the beaches clear out and the historic center rediscovers its most authentic pace.

A grassroots festival

The event is promoted by a group of local entrepreneurs—merchants, restaurateurs, and hoteliers—with the patronage of the Municipality of Sperlonga. This “grassroots” formula explains the spirit of the initiative: offering high-quality music to residents and visitors without an admission fee, while showcasing the businesses of the historic center. In 2024, the festival reached its sixth edition, confirming its status as one of the most anticipated musical events on the Pontine coast.

The music: from traditional jazz to new influences

The lineup focuses on classic jazz and swing, with forays into ethnic music and Italian traditions. Past editions have featured, among others, the Swing Valley Band led by maestro Giorgio Cùscito—one of the great interpreters of traditional Italian jazz, known for his musical journeys through the 1930s and 40s—the Maledettidettimale Quartet with its ethno-jazz reinterpretations of Italian classics, the Four Seasons Quintet balancing swing and pop, the Aristogattoni led by double bassist Renato Gattone, and the Ramon & Friends project, which weaves together African rhythms and violin.

More than just concerts: wine and local flavors

Alongside the music, the festival has embraced food and wine. In the 2025 edition, the “Tasting with the Producers,” hosted at the Antico Caffè Trani, brought seven wineries from across Italy to the village—from Angelo Negro to Velenosi, including Cincinnato, Pileum, Bortolotti, Pisoni, and Riccardi Reale—featuring guided tastings, DJ sets, and a jazz concert in the adjacent square. A marriage of wine, music, and taste that reflects the event's goal: to turn the historic center into a convivial lounge.

Sperlonga, pearl of southern Lazio

Sperlonga is one of the most famous seaside villages in Lazio: white houses perched on a rocky spur, alleys winding down toward the sea, and, just a few steps away, the Villa of Tiberius with its dramatic grotto and the National Archaeological Museum. The festival takes place in this unique setting in the province of Latina, on the Riviera di Ulisse, halfway between Rome and Naples. September is perhaps the best month to discover the town: the weather is still mild, the sea is inviting, and in the evening, the notes of jazz accompany a stroll through the narrow streets of the village.

Essential information

• Where: Piazza della Rimembranza, historic center of Sperlonga (LT)
• When: mid-September, five consecutive nights
• Time: concerts from 9 PM
• Admission: free
• Promoters: local entrepreneurs with the patronage of the Municipality of Sperlonga