Bergamo Brescia Italian Capital of Culture: packed schedule of events kicks off with three days of festivities


Bergamo Brescia Italian Capital of Culture kicks off the rich schedule of events that will continue throughout 2023 with three days of inauguration: big celebration in both cities Jan. 20-22.

The institutional opening ceremony of Bergamo Brescia Italian Capital of Culture 2023 will be held on Jan. 20, opened by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who will be present in Brescia, and Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano, who will be present in Bergamo, with a simultaneous event. The initiative will also be kicked off by Lombardy Region President Attilio Fontana, Bergamo Mayor Giorgio Gori and Brescia Mayor Emilio Del Bono, Laura Castelletti, deputy mayor of Brescia with responsibility for Culture, Creativity and Innovation, and Nadia Ghisalberti, Bergamo’s Councillor for Culture. The January 20 ceremony will also unite the two cities: the inauguration will be held at Bergamo’s Teatro Donizetti and Brescia’s Teatro Grande, whose stages will be connected through large screens in order to share what is happening in one and the other city. The institutional event will be enriched by musical moments in both cities. The event will be broadcast live on Rai.

Following this, on Saturday 21, the squares and streets of the two cities will host a great celebration: thousands of people will attend a plurality of events and appointments with art and entertainment, which will transform the two city centers into widespread, open-air stages. Choirs of thousands of children will perform, followed by city bands and processions, reaching the large downtown squares in the afternoon. In Bergamo, the artistic direction of Francesco Micheli will bring to Piazza Vittorio Veneto the show I Nuovi Mille, a danced and animated choreography, which will be followed by a fireworks display created by the French group Groupe F. In Brescia in Piazza della Loggia, under the Artistic Direction of Massimo Bonelli, there will be a Gala-Concert hosted by Ambra Angiolini and attended by the main artists of the Brescian music scene (Francesco Renga, Fausto Leali, Frah Quintale, ComaCose, Mr.Rain and many others). In the evening, amonumental art installation curated by Groupe F will come to life in Piazza della Vittoria, followed by a Concertone with the best of Brescia’s alternative music scene, again in Piazza della Loggia.

Sunday, January 22, will be a day of extraordinary opening of cultural venues: theaters, museums, cinemas, foundations and many other entities will be open to the public and host exhibitions, conferences, performances. A moment of widespread culture that will begin a schedule of events that will then continue throughout 2023.

The opening event is supported through the Bergamo Brescia 2023 Committee by Intesa Sanpaolo and Brembo. The Bergamo Brescia Capital of Culture 2023 event sees Intesa Sanpaolo and A2A as Main Partner, Brembo as System Partner, and SACBO as Area Partner. The Ministry of Culture and Lombardy Region are institutional partners along with Fondazione Cariplo, Fondazione di Comunità Bresciana and Fondazione di Comunità Bergamasca. The ceremony is made possible by Fondazione Teatro Grande, Fondazione Teatro Donizetti, Centro Teatrale Bresciano and Groupe F, which is responsible for organizing the days of January 20 and 21.

The opening ceremony of Bergamo Brescia 2023 will be broadcast live on Rai 3 starting at 5 p.m.

Image: Brescia, Duomo Nuovo.

Bergamo Brescia Italian Capital of Culture: packed schedule of events kicks off with three days of festivities
Bergamo Brescia Italian Capital of Culture: packed schedule of events kicks off with three days of festivities


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