22.07.2021, by Giacomo Luperini

After a ten-year hiatus, the Oltremare festival was back in 2020 with a high-quality musical offer on the fantastic stages of the town of Portoferraio

Nowadays, the Isle of Elba is mainly known as a tourist spot, famous for its nature and its variety of luxuriant beaches. From a historical point of view, Elba is typically associated with the remains of the small Elban principate, where in 1814 Napoleon Bonaparte was “forced to ascend to the throne” during his nine month-long exile. Hard as it is to see it with today’s eyes, at one time Elba was the heart of the history and culture of the Mediterranean, coveted by invaders coming from afar. Etruscans, Romans, Saracens and Ottomans, the Genovese and the Pisans, as well as the French and Spanish are but a few of the different peoples who trod its shores, leaving behind important vestiges of their cultures and creating the colorful cultural mixture that makes the Elban identity unique.

Among the cities of the Rock, Portoferraio – formerly known as Cosmopolis – was no doubt the most glorious, ever since its foundation by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I De Medici. Entirely surrounded by imposing fortresses and with a breathtaking view over an expanse of white cliffs, the city has been and still is an ideal stage to host a wide range of cultural events.

Associazione Oltremare is an interesting workshop of ideas, art and entertainment created by Elban professionals in 2007 and aiming to improve the island’s social life, support tourism and highlight and provide access to the splendid historical and natural venues of Portoferraio. Throughout the years, the association has organized six editions of their Rassegna Oltremare, bringing to the Linguella stage high-profile and high-caliber artists through a program marked by a variety of content and languages.

Classical music, singer-songwriters, rap, rock, word music and much more: the list of musicians who took part in past editions of the festival is long and ever-surprising. Ludovico Einaudi; Patty Smith; Mercan Dede & Secret Tribe; Radiodervish; Francesco De Gregori; Paolo Fresu and Omar Sosa; Vieux Farka Touré; Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars; Dirty Dozen Brass Band; Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino; Aljazeera feat Frankie HI-NRG MC, to name but a few.

Last year, after a ten-year hiatus, Associazione Oltremare in collaboration with Ponderosa Music & Art came back with a new and very successful version of the festival, and this year they are doing it again with three evenings of high-quality music. All events will be held against the atmospheric background of the Linguella di Portoferraio, starting at 9 PM and strictly free of charge.

We begin on Wednesday, July 28th with Radiodervish, the acclaimed world music ensemble entirely Made in Italy, coming back to Elba thirteen years after their first appearance at the festival.

On August 9th it will be time for Mauro Durante & Justin Adams. The musician from Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino will perform with Robert Plant’s polyhedric lead guitarist as part of a tour promoting the upcoming release of their album “Still Moving”, slated for October.

Finally, on August 23rd, the grand finale will be provided by singer-songwriter and acclaimed pianist Raphael Gualazzi, fresh from his recent participation in the 77th Sanremo Festival.

Great music is finally back in Oltremare, and this time it is back for good.

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