The Spirit of the Place – Rumi Meets St. Francis

The Lazio Regional Directorate of National Museums presents the fourth event in the series on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. The Spirit of the Place at the Church of San Pietro in Tuscania (VT).
Rumi Meets St. Francis takes the stage,featuringthe Pejman Tadayon Ensemble.
Two figures in world history who took an unparalleled mystical fervor to its extreme and forever changed the spiritual lives of their peoples: Rumi and St. Francis. Through the poetry of these two mystics, one can grasp the mysterious parallels that reveal the meaning of their devotion, while the music brings their inspiration to life through a universal language that bridges and unites traditions seemingly so far apart.
Pejman Tadayon, an Iranian musician and composer, has composed and selected the pieces for this performance using ancient and traditional instruments of Sufi culture such as the ney, oud, and saz, along with other medieval instruments like the vielle and flutes. The performance will feature original texts by St. Francis and Rumi, translated from Persian, highlighting the intersections, affinities, and common origin of their inspiration. Sufi dance performances will take place on stage at specific moments during the show.
The Festival The Spirit of the Place is a project promoted by the Lazio Regional Directorate of National Museums, with the support of the General Directorate for Performing Arts of the Ministry of Culture and in collaboration with the Municipality of Tuscania, which intertwines music, theater, and the promotion of cultural heritage.

Live performances, concerts, theater, guided tours, and art talks will take visitors on a journey that reveals the true essence of Tuscania—an open-air museum where over three thousand years of history come together amid Etruscan necropolises, medieval architecture, and cinematic imagery.

Through October 4, a packed schedule of events featuring prominent artists and performers, offering a journey across cultures, languages, and traditions—from medieval music to the sounds of the Mediterranean, and from epic theater to poetry and cinema.
Admission is free while seats last; reservations are recommended by emailing drm-laz.mutuscania@cultura.gov.it