Il Terrenito 2025

From July 5th to 26th, 2025, the fourth edition of the summer event program at Il Terrenito took place, the independent cultural space coordinated by the Cultural Association La Guarimba, in the heart of Amantea (Via Mazzini 32).

Founded in 2022, Il Terrenito was created in response to the lack of gathering spaces in our town. Although it is a private space, it functions as a common good: it welcomes proposals, builds alliances, and gives back to the community a necessary place where we can imagine the present together.

The 2025 edition featured seventeen free cultural events, developed in collaboration with local associations, artists, and the Amantea community. The goal remains to strengthen social capital and improve quality of life through culture, connection, and participation.

The project has been supported since its inception by Caffè Guglielmo, the main sponsor who believes in our work and in culture as a tool for social transformation.

This fourth edition confirmed Il Terrenito as a vibrant and essential cultural hub, capable of generating relationships, beauty, and participation in a territory that urgently needs it.

In this edition, Il Terrenito also inaugurated a new 8-meter mural by Sardinian artist La Fille Bertha, visible from the street even when the space is inactive, bringing art and color into the everyday life of the city. A new screen was also installed to enhance the audience experience and continue cultivating beauty—even in technical details.

THE EVENTS OF JULY 2025

THE PAINTING CONTEST AND THE OPENING CONCERT

The program began on Saturday, July 5th with a day dedicated to art and music. In the morning, 37 painters from Amantea and Cleto, of all ages and skill levels, took part in the “Aldo Bruno” plein air painting event, including renowned figures of the local art scene such as Pedrito Bonavita, Filippo Vita, and Francesca Montuoro. They were joined by younger participants, including many children from Amantea who enthusiastically contributed their creativity.

A special moment came from the girls of the Feminist Reading Club at La Piccola Biblioteca di Amantea, who created a collective painting inspired by the books they read throughout the year—turning words and reflections into imagery.

The canvases, completed within a few hours, were exhibited in the afternoon in an open-air gallery that brought the Terrenito to life until evening, opening the program with an atmosphere of beauty, memory, and shared participation.

At 9:30 PM, the stage welcomed the Orchestra di Fiati Mediterranea – Città di Amantea, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Alongside the Senior Ensemble, the young musicians of the Junior Orchestra also performed, confirming the association’s strong commitment to musical education for new generations.

Under the baton of Maestro Giuseppe Gloria, three educational projects took the stage: the Starter Band, with musicians at the beginning of their journey; the Youth Orchestra, composed of more experienced young players; and the Senior Ensemble, made up of musicians who have been part of the town’s orchestra for years.

The concert opened with a performance by the children from the MUSICanto workshop, organized by La Piccola Biblioteca di Amantea, bringing the energy and freshness of their musical journey to the stage.

The evening was sold out: among the families of the musicians, classical music lovers, and local association members, Il Terrenito was filled with applause, attentive listening, and joyful participation.

At the end of the concert, certificates of participation were awarded to all the children from the Starter Band and the MUSICanto course, in recognition of their commitment and the journey they embarked on with passion. In a gesture of friendship and mutual respect, the Orchestra di Fiati Mediterranea also presented a plaque to artistic director Giulio Vita, celebrating the fourteen-year bond of collaboration and shared vision between the orchestra and La Guarimba.

FILM SCREENINGS

Curated by the Cultural Association CinemAmbulante, this summer Il Terrenito hosted the fourth edition of its Film Series, structured into three distinct programs designed to engage cinema lovers of all ages.

The series was organized as follows:

Tuesdays were dedicated to Classic Cinema, with a tribute to the actor Gian Maria Volonté;
Thursdays featured Modern Cinema, with works highlighting identity and urgent contemporary themes;
Saturdays were for Children’s Cinema, with films aimed at introducing younger audiences to art and culture.

CLASSIC CINEMA

The Classic Cinema cycle took place every Tuesday and focused on the figure of Gian Maria Volonté, a symbolic actor of socially committed Italian cinema. The program featured three iconic films:

  • Uomini Contro by Francesco Rosi, a powerful and dramatic condemnation of the absurdity of war;

  • La Classe Operaia va in Paradiso by Elio Petri, a political cinema masterpiece portraying the alienation of factory work with stark realism and irony;

  • Sbatti il Mostro in Prima Pagina by Marco Bellocchio, an intense and timely thriller about the power of the press and the manipulation of public opinion.

These three evenings sparked a vibrant dialogue between past and present, offering critical tools to interpret today’s reality through the lens of the big screen.

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MODERN CINEMA

The Modern Cinema program opened on Thursday, July 11th with Lux Santa by Matteo Russo, an intimate film exploring the tradition of the Santa Lucia bonfires in the Crotone area, presented in person with actor and co-screenwriter Carlo Gallo.

On July 18th, the program continued with No Other Land, a documentary by Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, and Hamdan Ballal, winner of the 2025 Oscar. This powerful work offers an insider’s perspective on the Palestinian people’s struggle against Israeli occupation, weaving together moments of conflict and daily life with striking visual sensitivity.

Finally, on July 25th, the series closed with Reading Lolita in Tehran by Eran Rikis, based on the autobiographical novel by Azar Nafisi. The film recounts the story of seven students in 1990s Tehran who secretly gather to read Western literature, defying the restrictions of the Islamic Republic and creating a clandestine space of cultural resistance.

CHILDREN’S CINEMA

The children’s cinema series was a resounding success, drawing an unprecedented number of young viewers. Each screening was preceded by moments of play, drawing, and shared activities.

On July 6th, we screened E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, chosen to honor Carlo Rambaldi on the centenary of his birth. The film was presented by Cristina Rambaldi, granddaughter of the renowned artist and special effects master, who was warmly welcomed by both children and families.

On July 13th, we showed An American Tail by Don Bluth, a heartfelt adventure about migration and hope.

Finally, on July 20th, we closed both the film series and the entire Terrenito program with The Land Before Time, also by Don Bluth—a timeless animated classic that continues to move audiences across generations.

PERFORMING ARTS

The first evening dedicated to performing arts took place on July 7th with the theatrical performance of Occhi a Perdere, staged by the local company La Buffa – Agitatori Culturali from Amantea. This original and intense piece wove together dreamlike visions inspired by the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex, the case of the Jolly Rosso ship, and the fate of Captain Natale De Grazia, a key figure in one of Calabria’s darkest environmental scandals. Blending classical references and contemporary mysteries narrated by Carlo Lucarelli, the performance was a powerful invitation to “open our eyes again” to a future we too often choose not to see.

The real novelty of this year was the first edition of the Open Mic, organized in collaboration with Francesca Mazzagatti: an open stage for citizens eager to share their talents. Each participant had four minutes to perform freely—ranging from stand-up comedy to music and dance—in front of an attentive and engaged audience, who voted for their favorite act at the end of the night.

Adding a symbolic touch, each performer brought a book with them, building a collective “book mountain” that was awarded to the winner. The evening’s top prize went to Gabriele Casaburi (Gabrix SHB), just 10 years old, a young artist already comfortable on stage. With great generosity, he chose to donate his book to La Piccola Biblioteca di Amantea.

The other participants in this first edition were: Antonio Salituro, Thomas Baldanza, Fatima Pati, Davide Scerra, Eugenio Mannarino, Leonardo Morelli, Francisco Rousset, and Marta Miceli.

On July 19th, we hosted the Festa del Vintage, a market organized by Vintage Market Calabria. The event was followed by the experimental workshop “Let’s Play Fashion?”, led by Maria Dolores—an activity designed to raise awareness among new generations about the environmental impact of fast fashion and the importance of reuse. Both the workshop and the market preceded the evening’s children’s film screening.

On July 20th, Il Terrenito welcomed the musical performance War, Peace and Other Nonsense, curated by the group La Casa del Vento. Through electronic sounds, poetry, and provocation, the show tackled urgent themes such as the role of media in numbing our sensitivity to pain, with a particular focus on the war in Gaza. A political and artistic act, the performance urged the audience not to remain indifferent, but to reclaim their right to empathy and justice.

On July 25th, it was the turn of the dance company Al Mantiah Ballet, which brought to the stage the performance Minor Danze: a choreographic journey through the minority cultures that have enriched Calabria’s social and symbolic fabric for centuries. During the performance, mannequins dressed in traditional costumes accompanied the dancers, creating a visual bridge between past and present. Al Mantiah Ballet is also a dance school, offering young people the opportunity to approach this discipline with dedication and continuity.

Finally, for the fourth year in a row, Il Terrenito hosted the Amantea stop of the Peperoncino Jazz Festival, one of the most important cultural events in Calabria. Headlining the evening was the Giuseppe Santelli Trio, featuring Giuseppe Santelli (piano), Alessio Lorio (bass), and Simone Ritacca (drums). The trio presented L’Uomo del ‘900, a concept album blending modern jazz, Latin rhythms, classical music, and oriental sounds. A refined and immersive sonic journey that elegantly closed the performing arts programme.

PROJECT IMPACT AND RESULTS

The cultural programme of Il Terrenito concluded with a total of 986 attendees across the 17 events offered, marking an 18% increase compared to the previous year. This is a particularly significant figure considering that this edition took place during a period of low tourist activity in Amantea, within a city context offering few active cultural alternatives.

The project is the result of a collective effort, carefully built in collaboration with local associations, artists, and cultural operators, demonstrating how community participation is essential not only to strengthen social capital but also to generate lasting cultural value.

The audience spanned all age groups, from children to the elderly, showing that a diverse and accessible cultural offering can truly engage an entire community. From live music to theatre, from auteur cinema to children’s activities, Il Terrenito confirmed itself as a vibrant, open, and necessary space, capable of nurturing imagination, dialogue, and a deep sense of belonging.

MEDIA IMPACT

To promote the 2025 cultural programme, La Guarimba Association coordinated an integrated communication strategy, combining traditional tools, digital media, and direct involvement of partner associations.

A total of 2,000 printed brochures were distributed throughout the town, featuring the complete calendar of events, organized by date and category. Distribution took place through a widespread local network including shops, cafés, libraries, private homes, and public spaces, ensuring broad visibility in the area.

In parallel, digital communication played a central role. All event information was published on La Guarimba’s official website and promoted daily through Instagram and Facebook. For each event, graphic posters were designed in both vertical and horizontal formats, making them easy to share among partners, the public, and the press.

The entire programme was also documented through photography, creating a visual archive that captures the highlights of each event. These photos were shared with the audience and participating associations, helping to strengthen a shared sense of belonging and collective memory.

Media coverage was another key factor, giving visibility to the project across various regional and thematic outlets, both online and in print. Among the articles published:

This widespread presence in local media significantly contributed to enhancing the public visibility of the project, increasing participation, and solidifying Il Terrenito as a cultural landmark in the region.

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