Words and Music in the Villa

A review of music, words, and historic villas

Words and Music in the Villa is a summer concert series held in the historic villas of the Budrio area, a municipality in the plain east of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. The initiative, promoted by the Pro Loco of Budrio together with the Accademia dei Notturni, offers several evenings between late June and July dedicated to classical music, bel canto, and the interplay between music and words, enhancing the noble residences and their parks as evocative listening venues.

The featured villas

The common thread of the review is the link between the musical repertoire and Budrio's architectural heritage. The evenings are held in various historic residences in the area, including:

• Villa Ranuzzi Cospi, home of the Accademia dei Notturni, in Bagnarola di Budrio;
• Villa Certani Vittori Venenti, in Vedrana di Budrio;
• Villa Montefano, also in the hamlet of Vedrana;
• the Park of Villa Zambeccari (Paolucci delle Roncole), in the Riccardina area.

Each concert is preceded or accompanied by short stories about the history of the villa and the musical context, so as to blend listening, memory, and architecture into a single experience.

The 2026 program

The 2026 edition opens on June 24th at Villa Ranuzzi Cospi with a concert by Laura Marzadori, first principal violin, and Eugenio Silvestri, viola, from the Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. On July 2nd, in the park of Villa Zambeccari, it's the turn of solo piano by Martina Sighinolfi, with pieces by Schubert, Mascagni, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, and Liszt. On July 9th, at Villa Certani Vittori Venenti, the Corale V. Bellini presents an evening dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata. Finally, on July 20th, at Villa Montefano, a lyrical concert is dedicated to the figure of Quirico Filopanti, an illustrious citizen of Budrio.

Atmosphere and audience

Words and Music in the Villa is designed as an intimate and high-quality event, far from large crowds and close to the contemplation of listening. The evenings, with a limited number of seats, generally require booking and are aimed at lovers of classical and operatic music, those curious about historical heritage, and those seeking a different way to experience summer evenings in the Bolognese countryside.

Budrio and its territory

Budrio, also known as the homeland of the ocarina, is a municipality rich in agricultural and cultural history in the Metropolitan City of Bologna. Its villas and hamlets—from Bagnarola to Vedrana, up to Riccardina—preserve a fabric of historic residences that the review helps to make known and keep alive, combining territorial promotion and cultural offerings.