Un paese ci vuole Festival

A festival of stories in the Modenese Apennines

"Un paese ci vuole" is the festival that animates the village of Montese every July, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilian Apennines on the border with Tuscany. Born in 2021, the event transforms the squares, streets, and historic buildings of the town into a large, widespread stage, where prominent guests take turns telling "stories of life and passions, music, and good cheer." It is a festival of stories in the fullest sense of the term: a place where words, memory, and music meet under the Apennine stars.

The link with the Gothic Line

Montese is no ordinary village: its territory was the scene of fierce fighting during World War II, along the Gothic Line. This memory runs through the village's identity, and the festival makes it one of its guiding threads, building an ideal dialogue between the places that were crossed by the front and the present of a community that continues to tell its story. The result is an event that combines cultural entertainment and reflection on 20th-century history.

The format and guests

The artistic direction, entrusted over the years to journalist and writer Vittorio Macioce together with TMT Media, brings well-known names from Italian journalism, literature, music, and entertainment to Montese. The evenings alternate dialogues, book presentations, concerts, and moments of comedy in an informal and familiar atmosphere.

• Meetings and talks with journalists and writers
• Book presentations and dialogues with authors
• Concerts and performances of music and words
• Moments of comedy and theater

In past editions, the festival has hosted, among others, singer-songwriter Enrico Ruggeri with his show "Musica e Parole," journalist Leo Turrini, and comedian Maria Pia Timo, as well as numerous musicians and storytellers who enlivened the four days of programming.

Discover Montese and Emilia-Romagna

Participating in "Un paese ci vuole" is also an opportunity to discover an authentic corner of Emilia-Romagna: the Modenese Apennines with its chestnut woods, hiking trails, the Castle of Montese, and a mountain gastronomy made of mushrooms, chestnuts, tortelli, and cured meats. The festival, with free admission, is designed for families and for those seeking a cultural summer away from the crowds, amidst nature, history, and conviviality.