78 Best Performing Arts Venues in Italy

This series of unforgettable concerts takes place throughout the year in otherwise inaccessible sites, like the 1st-century Teatro di Marcello. Music runs the gamut from classical to contemporary.

Incontri Musicali Sorrentini is the main cultural event of the year, offering a bevy of concerts and theatrical entertainments from the last week of August to the end of September, many held in the famous Moorish-style cloister of the church of San Francesco. There are several outdoor venues in Sant'Agnello nearby. Check with your hotel or the Sorrento tourist office () for schedules and information.

Every summer from June until September, the gorgeous open-air Cinema d'Isola di Tiberina hosts its own film festival on Tiber Island. The 450-seat Arena Groupama unfolds its silver screen against the backdrop of the ancient Ponte Fabricio, while the 50-seat CineLab is set against Ponte Garibaldi facing Trastevere. There's a mix of international films in their original languages, documentaries, and new Italian films as well as talks with cinematic greats. Screenings usually start at 9:30 pm; admission is €6 for the Arena Groupama, €5 for CineLab.

The daily Florentine newspaper La Nazione has movie listings. Note that most American films are dubbed into Italian rather than subtitled.

Schedule and ticket information for many local events, including the Opera Theater and Estate Musicale Lucchese festivals, are available at the Lucca Tourist Office.

In 2014, a new music hall opened in the area now called the Parco della Musica (Music Park), which was designed by Paolo Desideri and associates. Maggio Musicale Fiorentino has taken up residence there, and continues to hold forth at the Teatro Comunale ( Corso Italia 16, Lungarno North 055/287222). Within Italy you can purchase tickets from late April through July directly at the box office or by phone ( 055/277--9309). You can also buy them online.

Running for three weeks in September, this popular festival of classical music is held in a variety of venues around town. The program of performances and tickets becomes available in June each year.

This Italian-style multiplex is in the historical center of town, and shows films in their original language on Thursday nights.

On Tuesday and Friday nights in July and August, the Byzantine mosaic masterpieces at the Basilica di San Vitale and the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia are illuminated. To check, call the tourist office, which offers guided tours.

This magnificent art deco theater shows first-run English-language films throughout the week.

An in-person, cash-only ticket vendor, Orbis stocks a wide array of tickets for music, cultural, and performance events.

This orchestra performs various concerts of classical music throughout the year at Orsanmichele, the grain-market–turned–church.

The concert season of the Orchestra della Toscana runs from November to June.

September is a month of fairs and celebrations in Asti, and this horse race that runs through the streets of town is the highlight. First mentioned in 1275, this annual event has been going strong ever since. After an elaborate procession in period costumes, nine horses and jockeys representing different sections of town vie for the honor of claiming the palio, a symbolic flag of victory. The race happens on a Sunday at the beginning of September each year.

A human-scale chess game known as the Partita a Scacchi is acted out by players in medieval costume on the second weekend in September in even-number years. The game dates from 1454 and originated as a peaceful way of settling a love dispute for the hand of the daughter of the lord of Marostica Castle. The orders are still given in the local Veneto dialect. A game is presented on Friday and weekend evenings as well as Sunday afternoon. If you book an evening show and do not have a hotel reservation in Marostica, be sure you have a way of getting back afterward. Buses do not run late in the evening, and taxis, if you can find one, may hike up their rates. Tickets go on sale in February; the tourist office can help with bookings.

Orchestras from all over the world perform in city churches and theaters during this renowned music festival, which takes place in June and July, as well as during a few days at the beginning of November.

From June through August, various locations throughout Rome, including the massive Ippodromo, host rock's top acts from all over the world.

During February and March, when most of the almond trees are in blossom, Agrigento hosts the Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore, with international folk dances, a costumed parade, and the sale of marzipan and other sweet treats made from almonds.

The highlight of Liguria's festival of San Fortunato is held on the second Sunday of May each year. It's a crowded, colorful, and free-to-the-public feast of freshly caught fish, cooked outside at the port in a 12-foot frying pan.

On the last weekend of January, the streets of Aosta are brightened by an arts-and-crafts market that brings artisans from all over the Valle d'Aosta. All the traditional techniques are featured: wood carving and sculpture, soapstone work, wrought iron, leather, wool, lace, and household items of all kinds. Food and wine are sold at outdoor stands and wandering minstrels enliven the whole event.

On Easter Sunday, Florentines and foreigners alike flock to the Piazza del Duomo to watch as the Scoppio del Carro, a monstrosity of a carriage pulled by two huge oxen decorated for the occasion, arrives in the piazza after making its way through the city center. Using an elaborate wiring system, an object representing a dove is sent from inside the cathedral to the Baptistery across the way. The dove sets off an explosion of fireworks that come streaming from the carriage. You have to see it to believe it.

For those with knowledge of the Italian language, the TAM Tunnel has a solid program of cabaret and stand-up.

Sicily's famous festival takes place in late June.

Opened in 1957, the Armida stages folk and traditional Neapolitan musical-performance dinners, including the Tarantella Show and Sorrento Show. It also has a cinema featuring family-friendly movies in Italian.

A large, centrally located theater off Via Toledo, the Augusteo usually presents commercial Italian theater and concerts, but Bruce Springsteen did play here once in 1997.

A gilded Belle Époque theater, the Teatro Bellini presents plays and concerts of a more traditional flavor.

The World War II–ravaged opera house in Genoa's modern center, Piazza de Ferrari, was rebuilt and reopened in 1991 to host the fine Genovese opera company; its massive tower has been the subject of much criticism. Lavish productions of old favorites and occasional world premieres are staged from October to May.