Manduria "TWENTY EVENTS AT 8:20 PM"

It is positioned a little laterally compared to the traditional summer programming “ Twenty events at 8.20pm ”, which can be read in one breath “ventieventialleventieventi”, a review that takes place from Saturday 8th to Monday 31st August with the artistic direction and organisation of Ferdinando Arnò , composer, arranger and record producer, the patronage of the Municipality of Manduria and supported by the Duc Manduria Urban Commerce District .

The initiative, which should be considered a first edition, comes from the city and takes place where the city lives, in its most unexpected places. It is rich, original, and fun, breaking the mold by bringing to the Messapian town a format that aims to be an attempt, a first taste, an "amuse-bouche," to reclaim and restore to the community many unexplored or closed places of cultural and popular heritage, such as the Ideal cinema, suburban squares, the astronomical observatory in the Uggiano Montefusco hamlet, and the outdoor spaces of the iconic Angelè pub, which welcomed generations of young men and women between the 1990s and 2000s, not to mention the sustainable use of the marinas. The time, a game, but also that moment when the day is drawing to a close and the summer night is still long.

" The festival is made up of events that last one evening, some of which would be wonderful to continue for years ," says Ferdinando Arnò . " The festival is an experiment, it points to a direction, a possibility, to provide a change of direction and to avoid boredom, restore confidence and bring joy to citizens. This is how the future begins: with something that wasn't there before in a place we thought we knew ."

The packed program premiered on Friday, July 31st with "Che cozze vuoi?" (What Mussels Do You Want?), an invitation to restaurants in the city center to interpret a dish featuring Taranto mussels, a Slow Food Presidium since 2022. The marathon runs from Saturday, August 8th to Monday, August 31st, featuring music, dance, cinema, exhibitions, performances, and laugh-out-loud encounters and events, such as a tribute to 1970s Italian sex comedies and "La notte dei conspirativi" (The Night of the Conspiracy Theories), which pokes fun at contemporary fears. There will also be elegant musical performances closely tied to the venues hosting them.

" We enthusiastically welcome the series of events proposed by Maestro Arnò ," says Mayor Domenico Sammarco , " first of all because we are confident it can help bring all the spaces where the events will be held to life and be more popular, with a positive impact on commerce and neighborhood activities in general. It also represents a concrete demonstration of the concrete possibility of working together, beyond political affiliations, for the good of the city we love. We therefore thank Maestro Arnò for his great contribution of talent, ideas, and passion. He is the true 'father' of this wonderful initiative and deserves all the credit for the success we are sure it will enjoy among our citizens ."

All events are free to attend.