Summer Solstice Festival
Culture, music, and nature in the mountain villages of Upper Versilia
About Summer Solstice
A festival scattered across the mountains of Upper Versilia
The Summer Solstice Festival is a cultural event that brings the small mountain villages of Pruno, Volegno, and Cardoso—hamlets within the municipality of Stazzema in the heart of Upper Versilia (Province of Lucca, Tuscany)—to life every June. For a few days around the summer solstice, the stone alleys, squares, and trails of the Apuan Alps become the stage for a rich program blending music, live performance, visual arts, nature, and civic engagement.
The double sunrise of Monte Forato
The symbolic heart of the festival is the famous double sunrise phenomenon: during the days around the solstice, the sun rises, disappears behind the natural arch of Monte Forato, and then reappears, offering a second sunrise to those watching from the villages. This natural event is the backdrop for dawn concerts, guided hikes, and moments of contemplation that make the Solstice a unique appointment in the Tuscan landscape.
Music, performances, and street arts
The festival program features dawn and town square concerts, theater and street art performances, breathtaking aerial shows, and world music acts. Highlights include performances suspended in mid-air on the bell tower of Pruno, musical evenings in the village squares, and the fire and pyrotechnic shows that mark the festival's finale.
Lectures, exhibitions, and excursions
The Summer Solstice is also a festival of ideas and territory. Each edition offers lectures and round-table discussions with nationally renowned guests, photography exhibitions set up in the alleys, workshops for all ages, and hikes along the Apuan trails, often focusing on the area's historical memory and climbing, with street bouldering events held among the village houses.
The San Giovanni bonfire
The event traditionally concludes with the grand Baldoria di San Giovanni (St. John's Bonfire) at the Ancient Washhouses of Pruno: a large propitiatory fire accompanied by music and festivities that anchors the festival to the peasant and folk roots of the Apuan community.
A community event
Organized by the I Raggi di Bèlen Association in collaboration with the Municipality of Stazzema, the Summer Solstice Festival is an experience deeply rooted in the land and its people. Far from the major tourist flows of the Versilia coast, it offers an authentic and free way to experience the Tuscan mountains, through culture, nature, and tradition.
Summer Solstice — edition 2026
The 27th edition of the Summer Solstice Festival takes place in Stazzema, between the hamlets of Pruno, Volegno, and Cardoso, from June 18 to 23, 2026. The theme chosen this year is water and the memory of the 1996 flood that devastated Upper Versilia, a reflection on the relationship between man and the mountain territory.
The event opens in Volegno with an afternoon round table and an official inauguration in the evening, followed by hikes, lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and dawn and square concerts. Among the highlights, on Saturday, June 20 at 9:30 PM, the aerial show Les amants du ciel by the Mattatoio Sospeso company will be performed on the bell tower of Pruno (free admission).
The festival closes on Tuesday, June 23 with the traditional Baldoria di San Giovanni at the Ancient Washhouses of Pruno, accompanied by a fire show and music.
Programme Summer Solstice 2026
2026 Program (selection)
- Thu, June 18 — Opening in Volegno: afternoon round table and official festival inauguration in the evening
- Thu 18 to Tue 23 June — Guided hikes in the Apuan Alps, lectures, workshops, exhibitions in the alleys of Pruno and Volegno
- Double sunrise — Observation of the sun passing through the Monte Forato arch
- Sat, June 20, 9:30 PM — Les amants du ciel, aerial show by the Mattatoio Sospeso company on the bell tower of Pruno (free admission)
- Tue, June 23 — Baldoria di San Giovanni at the Ancient Washhouses of Pruno with fire show and music, closing the festival
The full program is published on the official channels of the I Raggi di Bèlen Association and the Municipality of Stazzema.
Highlights Summer Solstice 2026
- 27th edition dedicated to water and the memory of the 1996 flood
- The aerial show Les amants du ciel on the Pruno bell tower
- The natural phenomenon of the double sunrise on Monte Forato
- The Baldoria di San Giovanni with a fire show for the finale
Prices Summer Solstice 2026
Practical information — Summer Solstice
Getting there
The villages of Pruno, Volegno, and Cardoso can be reached by car from the Versilia coast (Pietrasanta or Forte dei Marmi) by driving up towards Stazzema along mountain roads. The nearest train station is Pietrasanta, on the Tyrrhenian line; from there, you can continue by car or local transport. The reference airports are Pisa and Florence.
Admission and tips
Most events are free to attend. Comfortable clothing and hiking shoes are recommended for excursions and navigating the stone alleys. Advance registration may be required for guided hikes and certain workshops. Always check the updated program on the official channels of the I Raggi di Bèlen Association.
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Where does it take place — Summer Solstice
Borghi di Pruno, Volegno e Cardoso