The Festival not to be missed this summer in Tuscany

FLORENCE

MAY/JUNE

It's the month of the prestigious Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival, the oldest in Italy: thus begins an opera and symphony season with a great program of classical music and opera. Including from April 30 to May 12, Mozart's Don Giovanni, conducted by Zubin Mehta, and from May 20 to June 3, Verdi's Otello conducted by Zubin Mehta and directed by Valerio Binasco.

Kicking off on Sunday 7 at 9 p.m. is the eighth edition of the Baroque Festival Florence, the only Baroque music festival in Florence, which will feature more than 20 concerts until July 5 with great collaborations and musicians of international prominence, not only in the usual venue of the Church of Santa Felicita (Piazza di Santa Felicita, 3) and especially its Chapter House, but also in other places of great historical and artistic interest in the Tuscan capital.
On the 15th, at 9 p.m., one of the most beautiful events of the festival of sacred music O flos colende, organized by the Opera di San Maria del Fiore and directed by Gabriele Giacomelli, brings under Brunelleschi's dome, in Florence Cathedral, the concert Officium Florentinum (May 15, 2023, 9 p.m.) - a tribute to the great saxophonist Jan Garbarek crossover project expressly conceived for the festival, featuring the sax of Gavino Murgia and the voices of Marco Mencoboni's Ensemble Cantar Lontano (free admission, reservation required).

JUNE/JULY

June is Firenze Rocks on the Visarno Arena stage. The most anticipated rock festival of the year returns again this year. Who's playing. On June 17, The Who in a never-before-seen version with the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino orchestra, and on June 18, Maroon 5.

Opening the dances of the Florentine summer is the Ultravox space in Cascine Park. John Cale in concert on June 13, to be followed on June 14 by Tinariwen (Festival au Désert) and the likes of Nobraino (28 ), Kraftwerk (7 ), Carl Brave (July 10), Ernia (July 14) and Verdena (July 28).
Not only that, June sees the start of Estate Fiorentina and Estate Fiesolana, a jam-packed program of events, music and shows in Florence and Fiesole, and the traditional Calcio Storico tournament takes place, the final of which is fought to the death on June 24 (Florence's patron saint's day) in the beautiful Piazza Santa Croce.
From July 15 to 26 in Piazza della Santissima Annunziata the Musart Festival returns, which will feature: Roberto Bolle's grand ballet gala (July 15), the stainless duo Venditti and De Gregori (July 17), Stewart Copeland of the Police together with the Orchestra della Toscana (July 25), Paolo Conte (July 21), Drusilla Foer (July 20), Marco Masini (July 19), violinist David Garret (July 18), the talented Madame (July 24) and in closing the dawn concert with Simone Graziano's piano (July 26).
From Sept. 9 to 10, Decibel Open Air lands at Cascine Park with 3 nights of electronic music. It begins Saturday, Sept. 9, with Moderat, Boris Brejcha, I Hate Models and Nico Moreno. While on Sunday, September 10: Salmo, Lazza, Paul Karlkbrenner.

TUSCANY

AREZZO

Among the most anticipated festivals of the summer one is definitely the Men/Go Music Fest held in July in Il Prato Park in Arezzo. The evenings of July 4, 5, 6 and 9 are free admission, while the evenings of Friday, July 7 and Saturday, July 8 are ticketed. Among the first names announced are Lovegang 126 (July 4), Colla Zio and Rosa Chemical (July 5), The Zen Circus (July 6), Baustelle and Coma Cose (July 7), Salmo and Bassi Maestro (July 8), and Planet Funk (July 9).

LUCCA

The Lucca Summer Festival is one of the cult events of the Italian summer that every year offers a calendar of concerts featuring music legends and great performers along with the bands of the moment. From June 28 to July 28 it will be possible to see on the festival stage: Kiss and Kid Row (June 29), Simply Red (July 1), Generation Sex (July 4), Bob Dylan (July 6), Sigur Ròs (July 12), Placebo (July 13), Norah Jones (July 14), OneRepublic (July 16), Pat Metheny (July 17), Lil Nas X (July 20), Checco Zalone (July 21), Blur (July 22), The Chemical Brothers (July 23), Jacob Collier and Snarky Puppy (July 25), and Robbie Williams (July 28).
From July 20 to Aug. 22, the fourth edition of Mont'Alfonso under the Stars returns, the festival that will bring artists of international caliber between the Apuan Alps and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, surrounded by ancient fortresses and beautiful natural scenery. Among the guests on the calendar: Paolo Hendel (July 25), Gianni Morandi (Aug. 2), Marco Travaglio (Aug. 4), 40 Fingers (Aug. 7), Jonathan Canini (Aug. 10), Pink Floyd Legend (Aug. 12), Simone Graziano (Aug. 15), Edoardo Bennato (Aug. 16), Max Angioni (Aug. 17), Alice (Aug. 22).

PRATO

From June 29 to July 1 at Officina Giovani in Prato, the first announced name of the Off Tune Festival is Kurt Vile and The Violators, the iconic band of American alt-folk and psych-pop, on July 1.
From July 2 to 24, concerts return to Prato and the Prato hills with cult and out-of-the-mainstream artists. The Festival delle Colline will feature in concert: Michael Mcdermott and Scarlet Rivera (July 5), Meg and Michelle Gurevich (July 8), Daniel Norgren (July 12), Extraliscio and Jacopo Faglioli (July 19), and Frida Bollani Magoni (July 24).

Then it's the turn of Settembre Prato è Spettacolo. On stage in Piazza Duomo will be Article 31 (Aug. 31), Daniele Silvestri (Sept. 1), Giorgio Panariello and Marco Masini (Sept. 2), Edoardo Bennato (Sept. 4), while on Sunday, Sept. 3, comes the highly anticipated Editors concert.

PISTOIA

From July 5 to 12, Pistoia Blues returns, the historic festival that has been bringing big names in international music to the stage in Piazza Duomo since the 1980s. This year Pistoia Blues has invited to play: on July 5 Xavier Rudd, on July 7 Steve Hackett, on July 8 Baustelle, on July 9 Dirty Honey, Ana Popovic and Wolfmother, and finally on July 12 Damien Rice.