When summer hits, Tuscany turns into a bona fide festival-goer smorgasbord. June through September, music fills the landscape, rocking the rolling hills with everything from beachside grooves to high-altitude piano performances. Don’t miss out on a chance to plan a road trip and cut your teeth on the region’s fun-filled events calendar.
June 21-24 / Surfer Joe Summer Festival
If you feel like taking a ride on an energy wave of epic proportions, head over to Livorno for the world’s number one surf music event! This beautiful stretch of Tuscan coast will become the setting of an intense four-day program of concerts, seminars and various attractions, all free of charge.
Surfer Joe Diner, Livorno
June 21-23 / Torrita Blues Festival
Have you ever enjoyed a blues dinner in a castle among the stunning hills near Pienza, Montepulciano and Montalcino? Could you imagine seeing guitar legend Popa Chubby in this setting? If this sounds like your jam, you’re in for a treat.
Piazza Matteotti, Torrita di Siena
June 23-July 26 / Lucca Summer Festival
Lucca Summer Festival 2016
This year’s stellar line-up features Queens of the Stone Age, supergroup Hollywood Vampires formed by Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp and Joe Perry, Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band, Gorillaz, Roger Waters, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Lenny Kravitz, Norah Jones and King Crimson.
Piazza Napoleone, Lucca
July 1-August 3 / Festival delle Colline
Grant Lee Phillips
Explore the fascinating villages and breathtaking scenery of the Prato province while taking in the music of Tucson-born alternative country gods Calexico, Brazilian folk guitar virtuoso Rodrigo Amarante and singer-songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips, former frontman of group Grant Lee Buffalo.
Various venues around Prato, Carmignano and Poggio a Caiano
July 4-15 / Pistoia Blues Festival
On occasion of its 39th edition, the stage at the Pistoia Blues Festival will be hosting international crowd-pleasers James Blunt, Graham Nash, Alanis Morissette, Steve Hackett and Mark Lanegan Band.
Various venues around Pistoia
July 18-22 / Naturalmente Pianoforte
The hills are alive with the sound of music! Every two years, the Casentino mountains offer a natural arena to a giant among instruments: the piano. Set in various locations, from Pratovecchio Stia to Poppi, Bibbiena and some of the most evocative corners of the Foreste Casentinesi, this year’s lineup features, among others, Omar Sosa, Uri Caine and Vinicio Capossela.
Various venues in the Alto Casentino area
August 30 – September 3 / Settembre – Prato è Spettacolo
Although the full lineup has still not been announced, this much-anticipated yearly event has already name-dropped The Darkness, Einstürzende Neubauten, Deus and Blonde Redhead.
Piazza Duomo, Prato
September 1-2 / Walden Festival
For its first edition, Walden Festival stems from the desire to showcase art and culture in one of its forgotten settings: the woods. The name recalls transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden, a reflection on man and nature.
Pista Ciclabile Bellosguardo, Cavriglia
September 5-9 / Live Rock Festival
The full program is still under wraps, but expectations are high, given that the first bands to be announced are Pere Ubu, the Bloody Beetroots and Italian rap sensation Myss Keta.
Giardini Ex Fierale, Acquaviva di Montepulciano
