Italian Capital of Contemporary Art 2027: Alba, Foligno-Spoleto, Pietrasanta, and Termoli are finalists

For the title of Italian Capital of Contemporary Art 2027, four Italian cities have reached the final, decisive stage of the selection process: Alba, Foligno in partnership with Spoleto, Pietrasanta, and Termoli are the municipalities chosen by the jury chaired by architect and curator Lorenza Baroncelli to represent the vanguard of national artistic planning. Competition was fierce, but the quality of the dossiers led the commission to select those proposals that best met the criteria of the ministerial call, both in terms of vision and practical feasibility. This selection is not only a step toward awarding a prestigious title, but also a true investment in the ideas and tools of the country’s cultural revival.

In Alba, symbolic city of the Langhe in Piedmont, the project “Le fabbriche del vento” (The Factories of the Wind) is rooted in the territory’s industrial and landscape identity, focusing on art, innovation, and sustainability. The Factories of the Wind aim to become a new model of integration between contemporary practices and local vocation, suggesting a reconversion of industrial heritage and a closer relationship between creativity and production. The project includes an extensive program of collaborations with artists, curators, and international experts, designed to connect the community and urban spaces through environmental installations, workshops, and site-specific initiatives. Alba seeks to demonstrate how art can redesign horizons and generate social, tourist, and economic value for provincial areas looking to the future.

The Foligno and Spoleto dossier, titled “Foligno-Spoleto in Contemporanea”, embraces the challenge of horizontal collaboration. Two Umbrian cities, both historically and artistically significant, join in a common project to synergistically enhance existing heritage and create new cultural connections. The proposal revolves around the idea of a “cultural macro-city”: Foligno and Spoleto intend to overcome administrative boundaries in favor of an area dense with initiatives, festivals, and productions. The aim is to involve schools, universities, associations, and institutions to turn the cities into a widespread laboratory capable of welcoming artists and scholars from around the world. It is an expanded concept of contemporaneity, where the dialogue between cities and territory translates into international artistic ferment.

Pietrasanta, with the dossier “Essere arte. O dell’umanità dell’arte” (Being Art. Or of the Humanity of Art), draws upon its reputation as the world capital of sculpture and artistic craftsmanship. The project seeks to explore the profound relationship between art and the human dimension, making the Tuscan city a symbolic place of the dialogue between tradition and experimentation. Here, contemporary production unfolds through sculpture workshops, performances, urban interventions, and encounters between visual arts and other languages, from music to digital media. Pietrasanta aims to offer a new perspective on today’s creativity, bringing memory and future into dialogue, and positioning itself as a reference point for public and participatory art.

Finally, Termoli, with “Traiettorie contemporanee” (Contemporary Trajectories), presents itself as a representative of the dynamism of coastal towns and peripheral realities. The Molise city embraces contemporaneity with an inclusive vision focused on the younger generations, offering a rich calendar of artist residencies, exhibitions, events, and educational programs. The project is rooted in the identity value of the coastline and the vocation of Mediterranean hospitality, engaging national and international artists in a collective narrative of the city and its spaces. Termoli is betting on the power of culture as an engine of urban regeneration and on the direct involvement of citizens in creative processes.

The next crucial step in the program is set for October 16, when public hearings of the finalist cities will take place at the Ministry of Culture in Rome. Each municipality will have a maximum of sixty minutes—divided between project presentation and discussion with the commission—to persuade the jury with the visionary strength of its proposals. The final verdict will arrive by October 30: the winning city will receive a contribution of one million euros, a sum earmarked for the implementation of the activities and objectives outlined in the dossier. The stakes are high: not only tangible recognition, but the chance to leave a lasting mark on the evolution of Italian cultural policies, strengthening the ability of medium and smaller cities to be protagonists of innovation.

This selection represents the culmination of a laborious process of application and evaluation, driven by the desire to relaunch Italy’s contemporary vocation and capable of enhancing territories often at the margins of major international circuits. Through the proposals presented, a broader vision of contemporaneity emerges: no longer the exclusive preserve of large metropolises, but a shared and participatory heritage capable of generating networks, projects, and new opportunities. The Italian Capital of Contemporary Art 2027 will be chosen among realities that have demonstrated courage, creativity, and pragmatism, convinced that cultural renewal is the best response to the challenges of the present.