From 9 June to 1 July 2026, Florence will host the 11th edition of Secret Florence, a festival dedicated to contemporary music, dance, film and performance that transforms historic and lesser-known locations into cultural venues across the city.
Part of the Estate Fiorentina summer programme, the festival will take place in sites ranging from the Complex of Santa Maria Novella and the Convent of Carmine to Cinema La Compagnia, Palazzo Neroni, Palazzo Marucelli-Fenzi and urban areas in western Florence.
Organised by Tempo Reale, which coordinates the project, together with Fabbrica Europa, Lo Schermo dell’Arte, Musicus Concentus and the National Dance Production Centre Cango/Firenze, the festival aims to create a dialogue between contemporary artistic practices and Florence’s architectural and urban heritage.
Unlike conventional arts festivals, Secret Florence develops each event in relation to the space that hosts it, encouraging audiences to experience familiar places through new forms of listening, observation and participation.
Opening with a tribute to Mimmo Jodice
The programme opens on 9 June at 9 p.m. at Cinema La Compagnia with a screening of Beyond the Border: The Images of Mimmo and Francesco Jodice, presented by Lo Schermo dell’Arte.
The documentary explores the work of Italian photographer Mimmo Jodice, who recently died, through archive material and conversations with his son, photographer Francesco Jodice. The film retraces more than five decades of photographic practice while reflecting on the relationship between two generations of artists.
Cycling through Florence’s soundscape
On 14 June, Tempo Reale will present Soundride | Firenze Ovest, an interactive bicycle route exploring the soundscape of western Florence.
Starting from Piazzale Vittorio Veneto at 6 p.m., participants will be guided through a collective listening experience focused on the relationship between sound, urban space and everyday perception.
Music, dance and site-specific performances
Among the festival highlights is Muta-Menti, a new performance by singer-songwriter Elena Romano, created specifically for the Cloister of the Convent of Carmine and presented by Musicus Concentus on 16 June.
Combining electronics, classical influences, jazz and pop elements, the performance invites audiences to move through the space as listening becomes a physical and immersive experience. Capacity is limited to 200 spectators.
Dance will play a central role throughout the festival. On 18 June, Palazzo Marucelli-Fenzi, a historic building that now houses university facilities, will host The Sun Will Rise, a choreographic project by choreographer Virgilio Sieni inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises. The work explores memory, friendship and collective experience through movement and live performance.
On 23 June, Fabbrica Europa will present two performances at the Complex of Santa Maria Novella. La Prima Danza by Italian choreographers Damiano Ottavio Bigi and Alessandra Paoletti will take place in the Cappellone degli Spagnoli, while Korean choreographer Ahn Aesoon’s The Butterfly Dream will be staged in the Chiostro Verde, bringing together architecture, dance and cultural traditions from different parts of the world.
Festival closes with migration archive project
The festival concludes on 1 July in the courtyard of Palazzo Neroni, home of the regional archival authority, with Live Archive: Migrant Sounds.
Presented by Tempo Reale, the performance combines archive recordings linked to migrant communities with live electroacoustic processing by sound designer Francesco Vogli and improvisations by jazz saxophonist Achille Succi.
Practical information
All events are free of charge.
The full programme and booking information are available on the festival’s official website, Secret Florence.
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