Verde Smeraldo – Trees on the Move 2026 (Monte Barigazzo stage)

Walking in the woods with the trees

«Verde Smeraldo – Alberi in Cammino 2026» is a series of travelling performances held in the woods of Emilia, conceived and performed by actor and director Gabriele Parrillo and promoted by the Festival della Lentezza. The second stage of the series takes place on Sunday, June 14, 2026, on the slopes of Monte Barigazzo, at about 1,200 metres altitude, in the territory of the Municipality of Varsi, in the Province of Parma (Emilia-Romagna).

The Beech tree takes centre stage

Each event in the project is dedicated to a different tree from the Emilian landscape. In Varsi, the protagonist is the Beech tree, told through the beech forests that cover the slopes of Monte Barigazzo. There is no traditional stage: spectators walk in the woods alongside the performers, in an experience that mixes theatre, dance, music, and science. As the organisers explain, «it is not a nature walk, not a dance performance, not a botany lesson: Alberi in Cammino is all these things together».

Four languages around the tree

• Gabriele Parrillo — conception, acting, and texts, guides the walk with his voice;
• Cora Steinsleger — choreography and dance among the trunks;
• Daniela Savoldi — compositions and live music;
• Mauro Carboni — agronomist, introduces the species from a botanical and scientific point of view.

The idea behind the project is simple and almost ancient: trees have something to tell us and, to listen to them, «you have to walk beside them, return several times, in different seasons, with patience and with your whole body».

A four-stage series

The Varsi stage is part of a journey that, in 2026, crosses four locations in the Emilian territory dedicated to as many trees: the Cedar of Lebanon in the Carrega Woods in Sala Baganza, the Beech on Monte Barigazzo, the Oak at the LIPU Oasis of Bianello in Quattro Castella, and the Ginkgo Biloba in the Spaggiari Woods of Parma. Founded in 2021, the «Alberi in Cammino» project is now a recognised event on the cultural and environmental scene of the Emilian Apennines.

An outdoor experience

The event is free and takes place entirely outdoors, immersed in the woods of Monte Barigazzo. Participation requires mandatory booking, given the intimate and travelling nature of the performance. The Amici del Monte Barigazzo Association, custodian of this corner of the Parma Apennines, is involved in local collaboration.