"Vincenzo Errante" Theater Festival

Theater returns to Piazza Duomo in Pettineo

The "Vincenzo Errante" Theater Festival is the summer highlight that turns the charming Piazza Duomo of Pettineo—a small village in the Nebrodi mountains near Messina (Sicily)—into an open-air stage. Launched in 2024, the event takes place every year between July and August, offering a program of amateur comedy theater that attracts troupes and audiences from across the island.

A tribute to a forgotten playwright

The festival is dedicated to Vincenzo Errante, an actor, director, and playwright originally from Castelbuono who lived in Pettineo in the early 17th century. A figure long forgotten and rediscovered by historical research, Errante is now also honored with a street named after him in the village. The event bearing his name seeks to restore dignity to this legacy and connect it with the vitality of contemporary theater.

The troupes and performances

Every year, the Municipality of Pettineo selects at least four theater companies from various provinces of Sicily. The festival is not designed as a competition, but rather as "an opportunity for visibility for all those companies that create theater with love, commitment, and professionalism." Evening performances are held in the setting of the historic center, where the audience enjoys the shows under the summer sky.

• Evening performances of amateur comedy theater
• Educational workshops for young people on the conscious use of dialect and the study of classic texts
• Study days with theater historians
• Launch of a multimedia digital archive to catalog and preserve the performances

Awards and recognition

A jury of experts presents awards for best direction, best actor and actress, best set design, and best supporting roles. Among the symbolic prizes is an olive tree, chosen to represent "the unbreakable bond between art and the life of the community."

A village that becomes a stage

The event is part of the municipal administration's vision to transform Pettineo into a "diffused museum," capable of attracting quality tourism and offering professional spaces for Sicilian theatrical excellence. The initiative is carried out in synergy with the Regional Department of Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity, confirming the cultural value the festival has achieved in its first years.