THREE WOMEN, FROM MYTH TO THE STAGE. WORDS AND MUSIC, BETWEEN SPOLETO AND ITS VILLAGES

The series Three Women, from Myth to the Stage, conceived and performed by the writer and performer Rita Charbonnier, is organised by the “G. Carducci’ municipal library in Spoleto and forms part of the summer events programme Accade d’estate a Spoleto e nei borghi 2026, which the municipality organises in collaboration with local associations and institutions to bring streets, squares, palaces and villages to life with events throughout the summer.

Whilst the events at Palazzo Mauri had explored these figures through the centuries and across the arts, the summer performances bring their dramatic essence to life on stage. Rita Charbonnier plays the three leading roles; alongside her is the musician Gabriele Francioli on saxophone, clarinet and bassoon, in a close interplay between words and sound in which the music does not merely accompany the performance, but becomes an integral part and a central figure in the narrative.

At the end of each performance – admission is free – Deputy Mayor Danilo Chiodetti will engage in a discussion with the artists and the audience.

The three recitals are organised in collaboration with the “Territorio e Tradizione Cima Panco di Ocenelli” Association, the Beroide Pro Loco Association (APS) and the “Amici di Montebibico” Association.

PROGRAMME

30 July 2026 at 6.00 pm – Ocenelli, at the Oriano Donati Cultural Centre, the former school in Ocenelli

6 August 2026 at 6.00 pm – Beroide, at the Beroide Community Centre, Via Fosso del Castello No. 2

A historical figure and a character in Dante’s *Inferno* (Canto V), murdered alongside her lover Paolo by her husband Gianciotto Malatesta, Francesca is the symbol of love that defies all rules. Her story has inspired painters, musicians and writers, from Silvio Pellico to D’Annunzio: a love so powerful that it spans the centuries and all the arts.

13 August 2026 at 6.00 pm – Montebibico, at the ‘monks’ garden’ adjacent to the church of S. Angelo

Rita Charbonnier is a writer and performer. She has written six novels published in Italy by Marcos y Marcos, Piemme and Corbaccio, and translated abroad. Her latest book is *Signora Beethoven* (Marcos y Marcos, 2025). She writes about culture for various online magazines and has for years focused on female figures from history and the imagination. Her recitals, structured as journeys that intertwine words and music, have been performed on numerous occasions in Italy, as well as in Germany, Hungary and Poland as part of a collaboration with the Dante Alighieri Society. Trained at the School of Classical Theatre at the National Institute of Ancient Drama in Syracuse, she has performed on stage alongside artists such as Nino Manfredi and Lucia Poli. She has lived permanently in Spoleto since 2024.

A native of Spoleto and an eclectic musician, he is a clarinettist, saxophonist, bassoonist, conductor and director of the Alessandro Onofri Municipal School of Music and Dance in Spoleto. Having qualified in clarinet, saxophone and bassoon, he has performed in over two thousand concerts, taking him to major theatres and squares around the world, where he has collaborated with European and American orchestras and conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Carlo Maria Giulini and Giuseppe Sinopoli. Winner of five first prizes in national and international competitions, he has been principal alto saxophonist with the State Police Band since 2002. He is the founder of the ‘Gabriele Francioli Sax Quartet’, an ensemble whose repertoire ranges from classical music to jazz. As president of the Spoleto Musica Association, he is a leading figure in the city’s musical life.