UILT Interregional Festival "City of Nettuno"
The amateur theatre festival of Central Italy at Teatro Studio 8
About City of Nettuno Award
A six-month festival
The U.I.L.T. "City of Nettuno" Interregional Festival is not just a weekend event; it is a full-scale competitive theatre season that kicks off in October and concludes with an awards ceremony in early March. Every performance takes place at Teatro Studio 8 in Nettuno, located on Via Nettuno-Velletri 8 in the southern part of the Metropolitan City of Rome, just a short walk from the Lazio coastline.
The format follows the tradition of the Italian Free Theatre Union (UILT): high-quality amateur theatre performed by companies driven by passion and craftsmanship, presented to a real audience and evaluated by a technical jury. The result is a festival that keeps the stage lights on throughout the cold season, when cultural life on the coast south of Rome typically slows down.
Five regions on the same stage
The interregional scope is the event's hallmark. The festival brings together and showcases companies from Lazio, Abruzzo, Marche, Tuscany, and Umbria—five regions of Central Italy with diverse theatrical traditions, dialects, and sensibilities that find a meeting point in Nettuno. The fifteen admitted companies, selected from about fifty applicants, come from cities large and small, each bringing their own unique repertoire.
A deliberately eclectic repertoire
The program alternates between great classics and modern writing. Recent editions at Teatro Studio 8 have featured Plautus's Miles Gloriosus in the Roman dialect translation by Pier Paolo Pasolini (Il Vantone), Molière's The Imaginary Invalid, Neil Simon's The Odd Couple (Female Version), and a rich selection of Eduardo De Filippo's works, including Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Christmas at the Cupiellos, and La fortuna con l'effe maiuscola. Alongside these, contemporary texts by authors such as Angelo Grieco, Francesca Giardiello, and Luca Orlandi are also featured.
- Greco-Roman classics and revisited Commedia dell'Arte
- The great Neapolitan repertoire of Eduardo De Filippo
- International brilliant comedy
- Contemporary Italian drama and rewrites
Youth at the heart
The festival has built its identity around the idea that theatre must speak to new generations. Each year, the "Il Girasole" International Artistic Centre awards two full annual artistic scholarships to the best actress and actor under 25 identified during the festival. Additionally, local schools are involved, with students participating as popular jurors—a concrete way to turn tomorrow's spectators into active critics of the performing arts.
Nettuno, a city that chooses theatre
The event is sponsored and supported by the Municipality of Nettuno, which has made the festival a cornerstone of its cultural policy. The organization is managed by the Liberi Teatranti & Teatranti A.P.S. association, chaired by Giampiero Bonomo, in collaboration with U.I.L.T. Lazio, chaired by Stefania Zuccari.
For those visiting the Roman coast, the festival is also an opportunity to discover Nettuno out of season: the medieval old town, the Forte Sangallo overlooking the sea, and nearby Anzio make for a perfect half-day itinerary to pair with an evening show. The city is a small centre of just under fifty thousand inhabitants, yet it boasts a surprisingly vibrant theatrical life for its size.
How the competition works
Performances are spread across two phases—an autumn phase (October-November) and a winter phase (January-February)—concluding with the awards night. Awards are given for Best Show, Best Direction, Best Set Design, and the Audience Choice Award, in addition to the scholarships for young performers.
City of Nettuno Award — edition 2026
A record-breaking second edition
The 2025/2026 season saw the U.I.L.T. "City of Nettuno" Interregional Festival firmly establish itself: fifty companies applied, fifteen were admitted to the competition for a total of sixteen shows spread between October and March. The regions represented were Lazio, Abruzzo, Marche, Tuscany, and Umbria.
The opening
The first scheduled event took place on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 9:00 PM with Molière's The Imaginary Invalid, brought to the stage by the Esperienza Teatro Aps company from Latina, directed by Alfredo Severino.
The winners
The final evening awarded the Best Show (ex aequo) prize to La fortuna con l'effe maiuscola by the Liberi Teatranti & Teatranti APS company of Nettuno, directed by Giampiero Bonomo, and to D.O.C. Avanti il prossimo by Le Mezze Facce APS of Macerata, directed by Fabrizio Romagnoli. La fortuna con l'effe maiuscola also won the Audience Choice Award, ahead of Christmas at the Cupiellos and Tre separati e mezzo. The two annual scholarships from the "Il Girasole" International Artistic Centre were presented by Dora D'Agostino to young Tuscan performers Gabriele Dell'Innocenti and Eleonora Pucci, from Teatro Res 9.
Programme City of Nettuno Award 2026
Festival structure
Sixteen competitive shows, fifteen companies, two programming phases at Teatro Studio 8 in Nettuno.
- First phase: October-November 2025
- Second phase: January-February 2026
- Awards ceremony: Sunday, March 1, 2026
Inaugural show
Saturday, October 11, 2025, 9:00 PM — The Imaginary Invalid by Molière, Esperienza Teatro Aps company (Latina), directed by Alfredo Severino.
Programmed titles
- Il Vantone (Plautus's Miles Gloriosus in the Roman translation by Pier Paolo Pasolini)
- The Imaginary Invalid by Molière
- The Odd Couple (Female Version) by Neil Simon
- Saturday, Sunday and Monday by Eduardo De Filippo
- Christmas at the Cupiellos by Eduardo De Filippo
- La fortuna con l'effe maiuscola by Eduardo De Filippo and Armando Curcio
- D.O.C. Avanti il prossimo — Le Mezze Facce APS (Macerata)
- Parcheggio a pagamento
- Tre separati e mezzo
- MentalMente (confusi) by Angelo Grieco
- A.L.D.I.L.À. by Francesca Giardi by Francesca Giardi Francesca Giardiello
- Cyrano de Bergerac. Nella bolla di un nome by Luca Orlandi
Times
Performances at 9:00 PM; Sunday matinees at 6:00 PM. Reservations at +39 351 3555384 and +39 351 3313926.
Highlights City of Nettuno Award 2026
- Best Show (ex aequo): La fortuna con l'effe maiuscola (Liberi Teatranti & Teatranti APS, Nettuno) and D.O.C. Avanti il prossimo (Le Mezze Facce APS, Macerata)
- Best Direction: Giampiero Bonomo, then Giampiero Bonomo and Fabrizio Romagnoli (ex aequo), followed by Roberto Becchimanzi and Pietro Romagnoli (ex aequo)
- Best Set Design: Giampiero Bonomo for La fortuna con l'effe maiuscola and Parcheggio a pagamento, Fabrizio Romagnoli for D.O.C. Avanti il prossimo
- Audience Choice Award: La fortuna con l'effe maiuscola, Christmas at the Cupiellos, Tre separati e mezzo
- Under 25 Scholarships: Gabriele Dell'Innocenti and Eleonora Pucci (Teatro Res 9, Tuscany), presented by Dora D'Agostino for the "Il Girasole" International Artistic Centre
- Popular juries composed of local students
- Technical jury member: director and actor Gianni Isaia
Prices City of Nettuno Award 2026
Practical information — City of Nettuno Award
Location
Teatro Studio 8, Via Nettuno-Velletri 8, 00048 Nettuno (Metropolitan City of Rome), Lazio.
Getting there
By train: FL8 line Rome Termini-Nettuno, get off at the Nettuno terminus (about one hour from Rome), then a short bus or taxi ride. By car: Via Pontina (SS148) or Via Nettunense from Rome, take the Anzio-Nettuno exit; parking is available near the theatre.
Times
Shows usually start at 9:00 PM; Sunday matinees at 6:00 PM.
Reservations
Booking is recommended by calling +39 351 3555384 or +39 351 3313926. The venue is intimate, and popular shows often sell out.
Tips
The festival takes place during the cold season: combining your theatre evening with an afternoon stroll through the medieval old town of Nettuno or a visit to Forte Sangallo is the best way to plan your day.
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Where does it take place — City of Nettuno Award
Teatro Studio 8
Via Nettuno-Velletri 8, 00048 Nettuno