Divine Music on a Festive Day. Music, Dance, and Spirituality at Religious Sites in Lazio.

“Divine Music on Festive Days: Sacred and Secular Melodies from the Renaissance to the Baroque” is set to begin. This new concert and theater series is presented by the Lazio Regional Directorate of National Museums as part of a call for proposals dedicated to promoting live performances at state-owned cultural venues, issued by the Directorate General for the Performing Arts of the Ministry of Culture.

Organized in collaboration with the Renaissance dance company “Tres Lusores,” the festival will feature a series of traveling concert-performances held at religious sites throughout Lazio, with performances featuring period instruments, historical costumes, and philologically reconstructed Renaissance choreography. The initiative aims to offer the public an immersive cultural experience that weaves together music, architecture, spirituality, and the history of these places, highlighting monumental spaces that are often lesser-known but deeply rooted in the identity of local communities.

The project stands out for the originality of its artistic vision and the quality of the historical reconstruction curated by the “Tres Lusores” ensemble, which is nationally recognized for the musicological and performative rigor of its productions dedicated to early music and dance. The performances will take the audience on a musical journey through the Renaissance and Baroque periods, alternating between sacred and secular repertoires by composers such as Claudio Monteverdi, Giulio Caccini, Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Girolamo Frescobaldi, and Andrea Falconieri.

Special attention will be given to the work of Fabrizio Caroso da Sermoneta, a central figure in Italian Renaissance dance, through a reenactment of “L’Arte del Ballare ò de i Balletti,” featuring historical dances performed according to original treatises from the 16th and 17th centuries.

The performances will be enhanced by the presence of a storytelling jester, played by actor Tito Vittori, who will guide the audience through music, storytelling, and period atmospheres. At some venues, the performances may also feature performers in historical costume, jugglers, and flag-wavers.

On Saturday, May 16, at 6:00 p.m., the first performance of the festival will take place at the Certosa di Trisulti in Collepardo (FR). The Renaissance dance company “Tres Lusores” will be accompanied by the music of the instrumental ensemble “Fanfarra Antiqua,” conducted by Maestro Carlo Vittori. Following the concert, a dessert reception featuring traditional recipes will be served, prepared by the “Jo Botto” Restaurant and the “Trifelli e Martuff” Biscuit Factory in Cori. The performance is free and included in the admission ticket to the Certosa.

The festival will take audiences on an evocative journey through the religious sites managed by the Lazio Regional Directorate of National Museums until October 2026, transforming them into venues for music, dance, and storytelling.

Here are the upcoming events scheduled through June 2026:

– Sunday,May 24, at 7:30 p.m., at the Basilica of San Francesco alla Rocca in Viterbo;

– Sunday, June 7, at 4:00 p.m., at the Abbey of Fossanova in Priverno (LT).