What the Blues & Soul Festival is and why it is special
Italy has many summer festivals. But those dedicated to the blues with a long history, a recognisable artistic direction and a consistent ability to bring quality international artists can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The Blues & Soul Festival di Sestri Levante is among them: founded in 1992, it is one of the longest-running festivals of its kind in the country, with over thirty years of uninterrupted programming. This is not a tourist operation: it is a genuine festival, built by people who have a deep love for that music.
The artistic direction of Gabriele Dellepiane has over the years brought to Sestri Levante some of the most significant names in international blues and soul: Melvin Taylor, a Chicago guitarist with electrifying technique; Ian Siegal, voice and guitar of contemporary British blues; Otis Grand, veteran of Texas blues; Thornetta Davis, one of the most powerful soul voices from the Detroit scene; Michael Burks, "Mr. Feelgood" who died prematurely in 2012 but lives in the memory of those who saw him play live. Names that true enthusiasts know well and that are rarely found in Italy outside major festival circuits.
The setting of Sestri Levante adds a quality that is difficult to replicate. The piazzas and spaces of the historic centre between the Baia delle Favole and the Baia del Silenzio have an acoustic and atmospheric quality that few Italian locations can match. Blues heard in the evening, with sea air and the light of Ligurian piazzas, is something that stays with you. It is not the same as the smoky club where blues has its roots, but it is a genuine and convincing Mediterranean interpretation of it.
The festival grew from the connection between local cultural activism, a passion for blues and traditional black music: it was not imposed from above as a tourism investment, but grew from below as a project of people who lived in Sestri Levante and wanted to bring the music they loved to it. This shows: in the atmosphere, the organisation, the kind of audience it attracts — genuine enthusiasts, not distracted tourists.
What to expect in practice
The festival runs across several evenings, combining free events — often in courtyards, piazzas or open spaces in the historic centre — and ticketed concerts in more intimate venues. The structure changes each year: some editions feature the big evening-concert-in-the-piazza format, others favour a more distributed approach across different locations. The official programme at bluesandsoulsestri.com is the definitive source.
The Blues & Soul Festival audience is an interesting mix: Sestri Levante residents with roots in the local scene, enthusiasts from across Liguria and northern Italy, the occasional overseas visitor who has heard the festival's name on international circuits. This is not a mass audience: it is an audience that knows what it is listening to, and that changes the quality of the experience.
