With a lineup that's all about capturing the vibe of our time through sounds and productions that are changing the game in contemporary music, the VIVA! Festival has established itself as one of Italy's most important festivals, also thanks to its international reputation. With its alternative vibe and a niche audience of young but aware consumers, the festival, held in Valle D'Itria (Puglia, Italy), confirms itself as a significant cultural event, capable of looking beyond and speaking to its audience.

**Scenes from the *VIVA! Festival* capture the vibrant cultural festivities in Valle D'Itria, Italy.**

Starting from August 2nd, the VIVA! Festival kicks off with a massive lineup: on stage, there will be Air celebrating their debut album “Moon Safari,” along with producer Godblesscomputers, pianist Dardust, and Giulia Tess, bringing a unique fusion of leftfield sounds and percussive music. Closing the night will be The Blaze, a French duo renowned for their audio-visual performances, interpreting the new sound of urban jungles. On Saturday, August 3rd, the veterans Underworld will hit the stage, preceded by the "New Bianchini Sound System" by Whitemary, an Italian musician with techno and analog influences. There will also be Venerus, Logic1000, and Nooriyah, an artist who has spent the last decade championing the sounds of the diaspora. Before Underworld's performance, there will also be Shygirl, introducing her new album “Club Shy.”

Deeply rooted in the vibrant heart of southern Italy, the VIVA! Festival represents more than just a music event: it's a synchronized heartbeat, an ecosystem where every element coexists in dynamic harmony, reflecting a perfect blend of nature, music, art, and humanity. The valley, with its natural beauty, becomes the vibrant stage for a collective experience, where the land nourishes and is nourished by the energy of every participant, fostering continuous interaction and a profound connection with it. In 2024, the Valle d'Itria Arena will be built adjacent to the ancient village of Locorotondo, at the heart of this natural sanctuary and in the most picturesque landscape. This renewed proximity to the city will allow a reconnection with the village, through a constant dialogue of events that will reverberate throughout the days.

We had a chat with Giuseppe Conte, member of Turnè, VIVA! festival organization. Born (to stay) in a territory rich in cultural heritage yet undervalued by Italy itself, the event proposes itself as a moment of reconciliation with the surrounding environment; an immersive festival where participants are neither tourists nor consumers - rather, they become true locals ready to dive into a full-on 360-degree journey.

"What you're saying is the core of our festival; the intimate part becomes its focal point. Maybe in past years, we struggled a bit to bring it out, but that's what VIVA! is all about. VIVA! was born because it aims to connect our territory with musical experiences somewhat foreign to this kind of area or context. We've indeed produced electronic music events spanning various genres such as jazz, hip-hop - basically, how old musical languages have embraced new technologies, this is the basis of VIVA! - but all of it is set within a very distinctive context, which is the Valle d’Itria. Concerts are our strength but they are not held in an arena or a stadium; we set up in an area that has nothing but vineyards, trulli. Locorotondo serves as the backdrop of the festival, and this year we’re even closer. This tighter connection to the area allows us to carry out activities within the village itself (called EXTRA VIVA, like talks, DJ sets) that will allow people - whether they come to see the musical show or not - to breathe and perceive the atmosphere of the festival. This way, people can sense that something vibrant is happening, and this triggers a stimulation process in the younger components of the local community. Another strength is our collaboration with other activities in the area; we aim to stimulate and enhance them, while also benefiting from their expertise in organizing certain things, so we team up and do it together.”

Southern Italy is a wonderful territory. As a Neapolitan, I'll defend it with all I've got, but I also recognize the challenges in creating something fresh due to the lack of opportunities and infrastructure support. However, this redevelopment effort is incredibly important, particularly because Puglia has an incredible potential, given its significant heritage. Therefore, one of the festival's goals is to make Valle d’Itria one of the fundamental poles in terms of music and culture in the southern territory.

“Our goal is precisely to activate an experience for those who come here. We strongly encourage people to get the full pass because this allows them to stay here for 3/4 days, despite all the challenges. This area is kinda unique, and it is the blessing and the curse of Valle d'Itria; there are no big hotels, but at the same time, this allows you to have significant micro-hospitality, so a person can find themselves 1/2 km away in a beautiful place surrounded by nature. We know it can be really complicated, but this is our path: to give people an experience. This year, by piecing together lots of stuff, we'll try to get ahead of things by sending all subscribers a list of activities they can do during those days - even through local associations. For example, there’s a local stone workshop: they teach you how to build a dry wall, or take a cooking class; things in which we are not involved at all, but we still offer it as part of the package - an opportunity for those who want to feel part of something and really experience the territory. Or at least, a piece of the territory's story. Because we also have to break away from the typical folklore, you know, like Puglia = Taranta (with all the beauty of the Night of the Taranta, no hate). It's tough to move away from that specific angle because then everyone expects that, but Puglia is also something else, young people are also something else: there are other vibes, and we need to build something that blends tradition with innovation, giving it also a different angle, a different perspective.”

With the gentrification of the south, we are finally moving away from the schemes and stereotypes associated with the territories that characterize it, and one of the festival's key objectives is to make people assimilate all the facets of the territory. It is not merely a music festival; it is a true cultural event that seeks to include artistic realities.

"We handle this whole off-festival part where we set up talks and DJ sets. We have always organized the talks independently, but this year, we teamed up with this series going on in Locorotondo throughout all summer. We joined forces because they're really good at what they do and got a solid community. It's been a bit challenging communicating the talk thing to those who are part of our community since it is predominantly a musical community, so we're trying to broaden our reach a bit. We tried to strike up a collaboration with a photo festival in Monopoli called PHEST, they deck out the city with exhibits and do really beautiful things, but we couldn't quite find the funds to activate it. Nonetheless, the artistic director will be present at the festival, so we'll have a chat. In fact, the festival becomes (especially behind the scenes) also a place to build relationships with various partners to set things up for the following years. We're always on the move, seeking out people to collaborate with; the idea is to connect many things that exist in the area and almost put it on display, so the experience doesn't just start at eight in the evening and end at two in the morning with the concert. It becomes something bigger that lasts 24 hours a day for four days straight.”

The concept of festival has indeed evolved; nowadays it's starting to be seen, also in Italy, as a sort of retreat, a moment of aggregation that transcends everything else. It's about immersing oneself, becoming an integral part of something. The music selection also plays an important role, as the VIVA! line-ups lend themselves very well to creating special atmospheres in which to get lost - the desire to linger in such a place almost comes naturally. The direction of VIVA! is somewhat more experimental compared to other festivals configured as mainstream and commercial, and it's not an easy choice as line-ups of this kind require a lot of research and awareness.

"That kind of music is here because it is innovative or has been innovative; AIR is not a brand new group but they have marked an era and have told something important outside the usual norms. I'm not a person who dislikes pop, on the contrary, I have a 16-year-old daughter, so you can imagine - all sorts of music play in my house. However, that seemed like the right angle of the story. For the evening of August 1st, new names will also be announced for a new format that speaks to Gen Z with even fresher and more innovative groups, a bit off VIVA!'s radar. This year, we managed to achieve gender parity, which was a bit complicated but it was something we really wanted to push for; it's our commitment to give space to female figures and research. Giulia Tess, for example, is really cool. I'm also very curious to see Shy Girl, who has a very strong and provocative image, among Venerus and Underworld. We always try to create some artistic and musical artistic frictions as well, let's see how it goes. The most beautiful thing about festivals is finding something unexpected, discovering artists there without knowing them, being swept away by a breath of freshness. So, the line-ups are about personal tastes + what seemed absolutely more in line with the territory, with the idea of the experience we want to give. It is also a matter of audience, of course. Ours is a different audience: very informed, needs to be stimulated, has more capacity to be receptive to experiences unlike perhaps an audience that uses the concert as a consumption and that's it, it's all over after the show.”

Beyond the vibrant activities rooted in Puglia's folklore, VIVA! is committed to bringing forth a selection of topics to engage and expand its community. The festival (and its additional activities) therefore configure themselves as an event that implements an exchange: the community offers its immense human capital to the festival bringing beauty, tourism, and color - while the festival also becomes a center of cultural enrichment.

"The talks (and all that extra part) were born as my experiment during the second edition of VIVA!. I was trying to see if the festival's community could also be extended to that part not purely interested in the musical side but perhaps interested in other pieces of the story. I wanted to bring elements of debate, discussion, elements different from those “cheap talks” - perhaps fresher and closer to the younger generations. So, we started doing a talk with Luca Sofri because we've been friends for a long time, and it went well. Therefore, from the following year, we structured it differently. This year, we will have talks that will bring to Locorotondo topics that I am also interested in. There is a need to create debate; some things need to be listened to, they must have citizenship. We mix everything up; we don't give ourselves a common thread: there will be Jennifer Guerra, who wrote a book called “Il femminismo non è un brand” and it's a topic that interests me a lot because new feminism is complicated for me to understand. I come from a tradition of militancy, so I'm very interested in it, and I realize that there's a need to be up to date, so basically, that's the first thing that came to my mind. Then there will be the rector of Bocconi University, who wrote a great book on how the Italian school system should be revolutionized; there will be something related to music, and much more. Piero Trellini wrote a great book about Renault, starting from its birth to the Renault 4, which brought Moro to Via Caetani - so he mixes small stories with big stories, and it's a way of storytelling that I really like. We'll have a talk on the experience economy; we invited two very young girls who wrote their theses on VIVA!, and I want to highlight their work by putting them alongside Puglia Promozione (the regional tourism agency) and the president of the local bank. This is because I would like to make it clear that this stuff brings here economy, brings jobs, brings very high-level professionalism - since everything related to art is still not considered 100% a real profession. So the idea is always to create new things and open it up to different slices of the audience that take VIVA! to heart as a piece of the country, of the territory. VIVA! must become a hub where there are more activities and where young people are motivated to propose their activities too. The core is the music festival, but it expands, becoming a kind of agora in its own right.”

VIVA! is therefore not just an event; it is a living organism that breathes, evolves, and grows thanks to the shared and interconnected energy of artists, audience, and supporters. It not only offers an eclectic and innovative lineup but also commits to creating deep connections; it is not just a temporary event but a cultural hub in constant evolution, aspiring to become a reference point not only for music but also for innovation, reflection, and exchange of ideas. A collective experience ready to leave its mark in the hearts of those who take part.

VIVA! Festival

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