Summer at the Pinacoteca
July Saturdays featuring music, theatre, and literature at the PIMAC in Montoro
About Summer at the Pinacoteca
Four Saturdays in July in the museum courtyard
Summer at the Pinacoteca is the cultural festival that the Municipality of Montoro, in the province of Avellino, dedicates to the evenings of July. The stage is neither a theatre nor a town square, but the space in front of the City of Montoro Art Gallery — the civic contemporary art museum known as PIMAC — in the San Bartolomeo district, along Via Maggiore Vincenzo Citro. The audience sits outdoors, in front of the exhibition halls, as the evening unfolds with live music, spoken word, and storytelling.
A simple formula: one Saturday, one language
The festival was born from a precise choice: every event changes register. It moves from opera to narrative theatre, from the anthropological tale of popular festivals to Argentine tango, so that within a month the audience traverses four different cultural worlds. It is a deliberately eclectic program, designed more to intrigue than to specialize, and which has found its natural dimension in the PIMAC courtyard: small, intimate, with no barriers between performers and listeners.
PIMAC, a cultural hub of Irpinia
The Contemporary Art Gallery of Montoro is not just the venue for the festival: it is the very reason for it. Active all year round with exhibitions, meetings, and educational events, the museum has established itself in recent years as one of the liveliest places in the Irpinia cultural landscape, capable of bringing an audience to San Bartolomeo that goes beyond municipal borders. Summer at the Pinacoteca is its summer extension: when the halls are no longer enough, the programming simply moves outdoors.
Organizers
- Municipality of Montoro — promoter of the festival
- ContemporaneaMente APS Cultural Association — artistic direction and organization of the evenings
- PIMAC — City of Montoro Contemporary Art Gallery, venue for all events
Montoro and the cultural summer in Campania
Montoro is a town of nearly twenty thousand inhabitants in the province of Avellino, in Campania, spread across fifteen districts, including San Bartolomeo. It is an area of Irpinia less frequented by major tourist flows, made up of scattered villages and a dense calendar of patronal feasts and summer food festivals. In this context, an entirely free art and music festival represents an unusual proposal: alongside local popular traditions, Summer at the Pinacoteca brings contemporary languages — opera, civil monologues, Argentine music — and makes them accessible to everyone, without a ticket.
Free admission, community spirit
All events are free and open to the entire community, as the organizers reiterate every year. There is no audience of insiders: there are local families, enthusiasts arriving from the nearby towns of the Irno Valley, and those passing by out of curiosity. The summer Saturday night formula, with the temperature finally dropping and the lights turned on in the museum courtyard, is likely the reason why the festival has grown from edition to edition to become a fixed appointment in the Montoro calendar.
Why it is worth visiting
- Completely free admission, no booking required
- Four evenings, four different artistic languages
- Outdoor setting in a contemporary art museum
- Regional and national level artists in an intimate context
- An opportunity to discover the PIMAC and the Irpinia hinterland
Summer at the Pinacoteca — edition 2026
The third edition
In 2026, Summer at the Pinacoteca reached its third edition, confirming the formula that led to its success: four Saturdays in July, four free events, four different disciplines. All events took place in the space in front of the City of Montoro Art Gallery, on Via Maggiore Vincenzo Citro, in the San Bartolomeo district.
A deliberately eclectic program
The festival opened on July 4th with an opera theme, featuring a recital of arias and romances from the early 20th century, before turning to Neapolitan civil theatre with Peppe Lanzetta on July 11th. July 18th was dedicated to anthropological reflection on popular festivals, while the closing on July 25th was entrusted to tango, with a full orchestra that retraced a century of the genre's history, from Canaro to Piazzolla.
A community festival
As in previous editions, admission remained free and open to the entire community. The initiative was promoted by the Municipality of Montoro in collaboration with the ContemporaneaMente APS cultural association, which handles the artistic direction.
Programme Summer at the Pinacoteca 2026
Saturday, July 4, 2026 — «Visions at the Dawn of the 20th Century»
Recital of opera arias and romances with soprano Valentina Iannone, accompanied on the piano by Marina Pellegrino. A journey through the operatic and chamber repertoire between the 19th and 20th centuries.
Saturday, July 11, 2026 — «The Poet of the Bronx»
Actor and writer Peppe Lanzetta brings his story of the dark side of Naples to the stage, between theatrical word and urban testimony.
Saturday, July 18, 2026 — «Festival Rhythms»
Monologue by anthropologist Paolo Apolito dedicated to the rhythms, sounds, and meanings of popular festivals in Southern Italy.
Saturday, July 25, 2026, 9:00 PM — «A Journey into Tango»
Concert by the Tangostress orchestra, presented by Milena Acconcia: a journey through the history of tango from the last century to the Avant-garde and Tango Nuevo, with music by Pugliese, D'Arienzo, Di Sarli, Triolo, Canaro, Rovira, and Piazzolla. Featuring Antonella Marletta (vocals), Lara Marino (alto sax), Shaady Mucciolo (violin), Andrea Ristàino (bandoneón), Rocco Zaccagnino (accordion), and Roberto De Prisco (piano).
All events took place in the space in front of the museum, on Via Maggiore Vincenzo Citro, San Bartolomeo district of Montoro.
Highlights Summer at the Pinacoteca 2026
- Peppe Lanzetta with «The Poet of the Bronx»: on July 11th, the most recognizable voice of Neapolitan civil theatre at the PIMAC
- Tangostress: on July 25th at 9:00 PM, an orchestra of six musicians for a century of tango, from Canaro to Piazzolla
- Paolo Apolito: the anthropologist tells the «Festival Rhythms» of the South, on July 18th
- Valentina Iannone and Marina Pellegrino open the festival on July 4th with «Visions at the Dawn of the 20th Century»
- Four outdoor evenings, all with free admission
Prices Summer at the Pinacoteca 2026
Practical information — Summer at the Pinacoteca
Location
PIMAC — City of Montoro Contemporary Art Gallery, Via Maggiore Vincenzo Citro, San Bartolomeo district, 83025 Montoro (AV). The performances are held in the outdoor space in front of the museum.
How to get there
By car: Take the Montoro exit on the A2 del Mediterraneo motorway (Salerno-Avellino junction), then follow signs for the San Bartolomeo district. Montoro is about twenty kilometres from both Avellino and Salerno.
By train: Montoro-Forino station on the Salerno-Avellino line, or Salerno and Avellino stations with onward travel by bus or taxi.
By plane: Naples-Capodichino airport, about an hour's drive away.
Tickets
Free and open admission to all events, subject to availability. No booking is required.
Practical tips
Performances generally start at 9:00 PM: it is advisable to arrive about twenty minutes early to find a seat. As these are outdoor events, a light jacket is useful for the second part of the evening. For updated information, you can contact PIMAC at +39 389 1629853 or consult the Municipality of Montoro website.
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Where does it take place — Summer at the Pinacoteca
PIMAC — Pinacoteca d'Arte Contemporanea Città di Montoro
Via Maggiore Vincenzo Citro, frazione San Bartolomeo, 83025 Montoro