Nestled in the low lying hills of southern Puglia, in the area more commonly referred to as the ‘heel of Italy,’ is the small town of Martina Franca, which every year plays host to a major opera festival, the Festival della Valle D’Itria, which specializes in presenting works from the Italian bel canto tradition. I am here for five days, and shall be reviewing some of this year’s offerings and interviewing some of the artists, who make the festival one of the opera calendar’s most delightful events. Each day I will write a short diary in attempt to give readers a flavor of the festival, in an attempt to convey its intimate atmosphere, along with its many attractions.

The town, characterized by its small narrow streets, which have the habit of ending in a dead-end or suddenly opening up into a piazza, is dominated by the Palazzo Ducale, which plays host to the main operas in its courtyard every evening, and by its baroque churches, which are also used for the smaller-scaled works. A recent production, from 2015, of Monteverdi’s “L’incoronazione di Poppea,” and recalled with particular affection, was beautifully staged in the atmospheric cloister of the church of San Domenico. During the evenings the town’s historical centre comes alive, as locals, festival-goers and visitors throng the streets. Both before and after the performances, the bar, cafés and restaurants are enlivened with the festive atmosphere, awash with entertainment and exhibitions.

Tomorrow I shall be interviewing one of Italy’s up and coming conductors, Sesto Quatrini, who is making quite a name for himself, since debuting at the festival last year in a production of Verdi’s “Un giorno di regno.” Whilst in the evening I shall be attending a production of Alessandro Scarlatti’s rarely performed, and only comedy opera, “Il trionfo dell’onore.”