The Romantic Night of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages – June 20, 2026
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MORRO D’ALBA, A TREASURE CHEST OF ART, MUSIC AND WINE FOR THE ROMANTIC NIGHT OF ITALY’S MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES
The national event celebrating love in all its forms reaches its eleventh edition this year and involves approximately 230 villages throughout Italy, under the theme “Love for Memories.” Among them is Morro d’Alba, the village of Lacrima wine, ready to open its squares, artistic venues, and above all its famous La Scarpa Covered Walkway, a panoramic covered path running around the entire perimeter of the castle. This quintessentially romantic setting preserves ancient stories of lovers and passionate romances that unfolded within its walls.
The rich program on Saturday, June 20, begins in the morning at 10:00 a.m. with a romantic musical walk along the La Scarpa Covered Walkway, offering breathtaking views stretching from the mountains to the sea. The experience will become even more enchanting in the evening thanks to new elegant lighting and artistic light installations that enhance the village’s unique atmosphere.
Those captivated by a love of art will be able to enjoy four different cultural experiences. The permanent exhibition of Enzo Cucchi, a leading figure of the Transavanguardia movement and a native of Morro d’Alba, will be open free of charge from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Town Hall Art Gallery. In the underground chambers of the Utensilia Museum, visitors can admire the photographic collection of Master Mario Giacomelli (opening hours: 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 3:30–6:30 p.m.).
On Saturday morning at 10:15 a.m., the Church of San Gaudenzio will host the presentation of the book “The Church of San Gaudenzio in Morro d’Alba. Arcangelo Vici, Architect in Eighteenth-Century Marche,” attended by authors Carlo Vernelli, Mauro Gastreghini, Lucia Zannini, and Sofia Boesh, with Stefania Copparoni moderating. Already presented at the Turin Book Fair, the volume is part of the Quaderni del Consiglio Regionale delle Marche series. This will be an important opportunity to discover the richness of Morro d’Alba’s historical and artistic heritage.
At 5:00 p.m., in the exhibition halls of the Santa Teleucania Auditorium, the exhibition “Emotions” by Master Mauro Graziani, sponsored by the Municipality of Morro d’Alba, will be inaugurated. Admission is free. A toast offered by Vicari Winery, sponsor of the event, will follow.
AperiTiAMO – The Aperitif Hour
From 5:30 p.m. onward, some of the region’s finest producers will take center stage. The Morro d’Alba Wine Bar, together with sommelier Giuliano Mazzarini, welcomes visitors to the outdoor area in Piazza Romagnoli. Bar Monica, in Piazza Tarsetti, will offer a romantic corner for guests wishing to enjoy a glass of wine and a charcuterie board.
Morro’ Pizzeria will dedicate its special heart-shaped “Innamorata” pizza to the evening of lovers, making the village even more welcoming for tourists and loyal customers alike (reservations: +39 0731 712288).
Local wineries will welcome wine lovers to discover the excellence of Lacrima di Morro d’Alba and Verdicchio Classico dei Castelli di Jesi through tastings. Participating wineries include:
- Antica Cantina Sant’Amico: 4:00–7:30 p.m.
- Mancinelli Winery: 3:00–7:00 p.m.
- Marotti Campi Winery: 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 3:30–7:00 p.m.
- Ronconi Winery: 3:30–8:00 p.m.
Just outside the historic center, Vicari Winery will celebrate love from 7:00 p.m. with an Aperitif in Music, featuring an accordion concert. Wines paired with a tapas menu will accompany the performance of artist Federico Paolinelli (information and reservations: +39 0731 63164).
Music at Sunset
At 7:00 p.m., sunset at the Teodorico Tower will become even more magical with the concert “Musical Inspirations”, featuring soprano Eleonora Senesi, Paolo Lucchetti (saxophone), Davide Novelli (oboe), Giovanni Pellegrini (trumpet), and Raniero Romagnoli (piano).
Organized by the Town Band, the concert is free of charge and also celebrates World Music Day (information: +39 347 3094182).
Love for Memories
This year’s theme is Love for Memories. Every village offers views that evoke emotions and sensations, while food and wine at Italian tables accompany important moments that become engraved in memory, together with faces and smiles.
For this reason, visitors are invited to participate in a Romantic Dinner, offered in various forms throughout the village.
Dinner in Barcaroli Square
Starting at 8:00 p.m., the most intense emotions will be experienced under the stars by candlelight, with a special love-themed menu organized by the Town Band Association (information and reservations: +39 347 3094182).
Dinner in Village Restaurants
From 8:00 p.m., unforgettable culinary experiences await guests at:
- Dal Mago Restaurant (+39 0731 63039)
- Vin’Canta (+39 0731 63252)
- Osteria DeGustibus (+39 340 568 5419)
“Your Portrait in Three Voices”
After dinner, couples and visitors alike can enjoy the original performance “Your Portrait in Three Voices” by Trio d’Aria (Barbara Cardinali – visual arts; Silvia Candelaresi – texts; Riccardo Bottegal – violin), held at the Santa Teleucania Auditorium.
The performance is entirely improvised. One person from the audience is chosen as the inspiration for a portrait expressed through three artistic languages: image, poetry, and music. Each performance is unique, unprepared, and based on immediate and profound human interaction.
At the end, the artwork is presented to the selected participant, and a toast with wines from local wineries will be offered to all attendees.
Two performances are scheduled at 9:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.. Admission: €10. Information and reservations: +39 338 6148163.
Guided Tour with Wine Tasting
At 10:00 p.m., visitors wishing to combine culture, romance, and gastronomy can join a guided walking tour with wine tasting.
This original experience introduces participants to Morro d’Alba, its hidden treasures, its wines, and the legends of love associated with the village.
Guests, equipped with a wine glass and holder, will visit the most charming locations in the historic center while tasting three local wines. Stops include:
- The Mario Giacomelli exhibition at the Utensilia Museum
- The Enzo Cucchi exhibition in the Town Hall Art Gallery
- The Church of San Gaudenzio
- The “Emotions” exhibition by Mauro Graziani
- The recently restored La Scarpa Covered Walkway
The guided tour with wine tasting costs €8 per person, including exhibition admissions and wine tastings. Participation in the guided tour only costs €5.
Reservations are mandatory by Saturday, June 20 at 3:00 p.m. by calling +39 328 5487491 (Department of Culture and Tourism).
The Midnight Kiss
At midnight, the traditional kiss shared by all the villages participating in The Romantic Night of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages will take place.
The romantic atmosphere will extend throughout the historic center, featuring a lovers’ bench, a kissing sign, and a “Talk to Me About Love” corner where visitors can leave romantic messages for their loved ones.
Together with the La Scarpa Covered Walkway, these installations will provide extraordinary backdrops for selfies to share on social media using the hashtags #notteromantica2026 and #notteromanticamorrodalba.
The full Romantic Night program for Morro d’Alba can be downloaded from the Municipality’s website and from the Facebook page Morro d’Alba – Eventi nel Borgo and Instagram profile Visit Morro d’Alba.
For information and reservations, the Department of Culture and Tourism can be reached at +39 328 5487491.
Morro d’Alba, the village of Lacrima wine and home to the most evocative covered walkway in the Marche region, is the perfect place to create new memories during the Summer Solstice celebration of the Romantic Night of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages 2026.
Alessandra Boldreghini
Councillor for Culture, Tourism, Cinema and Performing Arts, Productive Activities and Public Works
Municipality of Morro d’Alba
Self-taught, Enzo Cucchi initially explored conceptual art before moving toward figuration, becoming one of the main figures of the historic core of the Italian Transavanguardia, as theorized by Achille Bonito Oliva. In his canvas works, often accompanied by numerous drawings and sometimes introduced by poetic texts written by the artist himself, he reclaims myth, art history, and literature with a visionary gaze (e.g., Cani con lingua a spasso, 1980; Eroe senza testa, 1981; Sia per mare che per terra, 1980), creating compositions of great symbolic intensity, in which the world is frequently depicted as a battlefield between opposing principles.
After creating large compositions using charcoal and collage, he experimented with various materials, including earth, burned wood, neon tubes, and iron (in the Vitebsk-Harar series dedicated to Arthur Rimbaud and Kazimir Severinovič Malevič), while simultaneously embracing an almost Caravaggesque use of light, allowing for remarkable spatial depth effects.
In 1986, he responded to the call of Neapolitan gallerist Lucio Amelio, who, following the 1980 Irpinia earthquake, asked leading contemporary artists of the time to create a work on the theme of the earthquake for the Terrae Motus collection. Cucchi’s work Untitled consists of four aged and rusted iron panels, evoking the violence of time’s wear, with a circular motif of a ship at the center, a symbolic image dear to the artist. He has also created several sculptures and contributed to the decoration of the Monte Tamaro chapel near Lugano (1992–94, architect Mario Botta). In 2016, he collaborated on the project for the Church of San Giacomo Apostolo in Ferrara, opened in 2021, where a cycle of black ceramic works depicting biblical episodes is installed.
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