Florence Maggio 2026 Summer Season Opens to Jazz and Cinema at the Cavea

The 2026 Summer Season of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino will run from 11 to 25 July at the open-air Cavea of the theatre, combining opera with jazz and cinema in a programme designed for both residents and summer visitors.

Alongside two major operas, the season includes a jazz reinterpretation of Puccini’s La bohème, a live-to-picture screening of a classic Italian western, and two evenings of theatre and reflection with writer Stefano Massini.

Rossini under the stars

The season opens on 11, 14 and 18 July at 9 p.m. with Il barbiere di Siviglia by Gioachino Rossini, in the production directed by Damiano Michieletto.

Originally conceived for outdoor performance at the Roman Theatre of Fiesole in 2005, the staging has become a regular feature of the Maggio’s repertoire. It focuses on physical comedy and vivid characterisation, drawing on elements of the commedia dell’arte.

On the podium will be Riccardo Bisatti, conducting the Orchestra and Chorus of the Maggio. The cast features several young singers trained at the Maggio Academy, including Alexandra Meteleva (Rosina), Min Kim (Figaro) and Marco Ciaponi (Count Almaviva).

Puccini meets jazz

On 16 July at 9 p.m., trumpeter Paolo Fresu presents a new project inspired by La bohème by Giacomo Puccini.

The concert, created with his Devil Quartet, reimagines Puccini’s score through a dialogue between jazz and opera. Fresu, together with Bebo Ferra (guitar), Paolino Dalla Porta (double bass) and Stefano Bagnoli (drums), will perform with the Orchestra of the Maggio, conducted by Paolo Silvestri, who also prepared the arrangements.

The project offers a contemporary reading of Puccini’s musical world, blending acoustic jazz instruments with the symphonic sound of the orchestra.

Cinema with live orchestra

The summer season closes on 23 July at 9 p.m. with a screening of Per un pugno di dollari by Sergio Leone, the first chapter of the so-called “Dollars Trilogy”.

The film will be shown in a restored version curated by the Cineteca di Bologna, with its score by Ennio Morriconeperformed live by the Orchestra and Chorus of the Maggio under the baton of Pietro Mianiti.

The event marks a further step in the theatre’s effort to connect music and cinema, presenting a format that has gained popularity in recent years: classic films accompanied by live symphonic performance.

Stefano Massini returns

The programme also includes two evenings, on 13 and 25 July at 9 p.m., with writer and playwright Stefano Massini.

After focusing on the theme of anger in 2025, Massini’s 2026 edition of “Liberamente… sotto le stelle” will centre on happiness. The project, developed in collaboration with the Teatro della Pergola, combines spoken word and music in an open-air setting that has proved popular with local audiences.

Practical information

All performances take place at the Cavea of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, located in the Novoli district of Florence, a short tram ride from the city centre.

Tickets and full details of the programme are available on the theatre’s official website.

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