Covo and Locomotiv together in San Vitale; Cassero Cineteca and Mambo at Cavaticcio

by PAOLA NALDI
An unprecedented twinning with several foreign cities—Ghent, Paris, Leipzig, Buenos Aires—will breathe new life into the Bolognese summer, in the form of concerts and various performances, including a traveling film festival traveling aboard a converted German fire truck. A musical twinning of sorts will also unfold between Vicolo Bolognetti—run for the first time by Covo, Osteria dell'Orsa, and Locomotiv—and Botanique (the concert "garden" hosted by Estragon on Via Filippo Re), gradually exploring the Italian and international independent music scene. These are just two of this year's new summer offerings. Continuing the theme of gardens, the Baraccano park will host a stage for classical music concerts performed by the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Comunale. The Cavaticcio garden, meanwhile, will be inaugurated on June 10th with the start of the Biografilm Festival (which will also feature a fountain with water features for the occasion). It will then be enlivened by a series of initiatives born from the twinning between Cassero, Cineteca, and Mambo, with the Arcigay group leading the way. Music, dance, theater, and debates will be featured on the Cavaticcio program, divided between the three entities surrounding the park, which is open from morning until night.
Between revivals (the opening of the Villa delle Rose park) and repeats (the cinema in Piazza Maggiore, children's activities in Montagnola), the Summer in the City program is taking shape. While the details will be unveiled early next week, it will already be available online. At the Botanique, for example, people will be relaxing until July 30th: the voice of Cristina Donà, who opens the festival on the 24th, will be followed by the rock vibes of artists like Katy King, and lively Balkan rhythms from the Kocani Orchestra and the Orchestra Markovic, as well as Emilian acts like the duo Zamboni & Angela Baraldi. The Osteria dell'Estragon will be a refreshment point, surrounded by organic materials and separate waste collection. Live music will run until 11:00 a.m., then continue until 2:00 a.m. with more subdued listening. "Last year it went very well, with about 40,000 people attending in one month," explains Lele Roveri. "This year, we have €10,000 in municipal funding for a program that costs €50,000, but we still want to keep admission free.".
From June 17th to August 7th, a new alliance between three historic venues in the city will bring "Bolognetti on the Rocks" to the Two Towers, offering various live performances: Offlaga Disco Pax, Destroyer, and then in July Forty Winks, Badly Drawn Boy, Crocodiles, and Washed Out. For a quiet aperitif, on Fridays from 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM until mid-July, there's the "terrazza di via dello Scalo" at number 21/3.