Italy set the stage for much of the cultural and artistic history that has gone on to shape Europe’s cultural landscape. The Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities is coordinating the national celebration of “Arts and Entertainment” heritage for this September’s European Heritage Days. Un due tre... Arte! Cultura e intrattenimento - "One two three ... Art! - Culture and entertainment " is the theme for the festival,  taking place on 21 and 22 September.

Some of the most remarkable art collections, entertainment venues and cultural monuments will be on display throughout Italy to promote the heritage of arts and entertainment. Thousands of activities including guided tours, exhibitions, dedicated lectures and concerts will be available to visitors during the festival.

Some highlights of the festival are -

Following the Trails of Famous Italian Artists in Naples

Villa Bruno, or the “Palace of Vesuvian Culture" in San Giorgio, near Naples, is hosting a series of events throughout the festival weekend. As a cultural hub of San Giorgio, the villa has hosted various concerts and cultural events for several years. One of the most significant events the villa will be home to this year at European Heritage Days is an exhibition dedicated to Luca Giordano. The works of contemporary artists that participated in the exhibition "S.Giorgio in Pittura" will be dedicated to one of the greatest Italian late Baroque painters, representative of the Neapolitan ‘600.

In the Naples of Luca Giordano, a short film by a famous Italian director Mario Martone, that highlights the Neapolitan dimension of the painter through his works, will feature at a public screening during the festival weekend.

Visitors to Villa Bruno and Villa Vannuchi will also have the unique opportunity to explore the spirit of the Neapolitan tradition through an exhibition dedicated to the traditional Neapolitan crib.

Alongside the guided tour of the villas and the painting and handicraft exhibition, visitors will be able to learn more about another famous Italian artist. A guided tour dedicated to Massimo Troisi, a famous Italian actor, screen writer and director born in San Giorgio, will provide an insight into the times in which the artist lived and created. 

A book presentation, a harp and violin concert and a theatrical piece will also be included in the villa’s event programme to highlight the remarkable value of arts and entertainment to local and European cultural heritage.

Event Highlights in Other Regions

European Heritage Days (#GEP2019) 2019 will be widely celebrated at cultural venues across other regions as well.

Lazio, particularly the capital Rome, will host a presentation titled From "Animated Books" to Endless Texts at The Centre for the Book and Reading (Cepell) on 21 September.  A new take on jazz music, Italy meets Cuba - Vivaldi and Other Follies, will be presented at a concert at the Central Institute for Sound and Audio-Visual Heritage on the same day. Vibrant jazz tunes will demonstrate the harmony created by diversity and the power of art to connect different cultures.

More than 11,000 manuscripts and 4,500 original prints of books will be available for visitors to explore during a guided tour of the architectural masterpiece created by Michelangelo at the Laurentian Library in Florence. On 21 September guests will be able to visit the spectacular Library of Michelangelo and the exhibition The books of the Grand Duke Cosimo I de 'Medici.

Corciano before Corciano, a guided tour of the necropolis of Fosso Rigo in Strozzacapponi on 21 September will encourage visitors in Perugia to discover the Etruscan origins of the territory. The Antiquarium Museum of Corciano will offer free admissions for archaeology enthusiasts especially for European Heritage Days. 

The full programme will be available on the official website of the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities.

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