From 3 to 5 July, the Bolognese Apennines hosted the latest edition of the festival dedicated to progressive rock. Featuring historic reunions, icons of the 1970s and up-and-coming metal bands, here’s how the three days unfolded.
PORRETTA TERME (BO) – From 3 to 5 July 2026, Porretta Terme hosted the fourth edition of Porretta Prog Legacy, the festival which, for several years now, has been bringing together legendary Italian and international progressive rock artists alongside the genre’s new talents on the stage at Rufus Thomas Park. The audience, who had travelled from various regions of Italy, enjoyed three days of concerts that confirmed the vitality of a genre born over fifty years ago and still evolving.
An evolution in the spirit of ‘Legacy’
Launched in 2019 as the Porretta Prog Festival, organised by Arci Bologna under the artistic direction of Guglielmo Bernardi and Marco Coppi, the festival has brought legendary bands such as Soft Machine, Caravan, Colosseum and Gong to the Apennines, to name but a few. Over the years, it has managed to reinvent itself without losing its soul.
The decisive turning point came in 2023 with the handover of management to Alchemica Music Club and AFM Bologna (the ‘John Bonham’ Institute). From that moment on, the event was renamed Porretta Prog Legacy, broadening its musical horizons. No longer merely a nostalgic event dedicated to bands of the past, but a genuine ‘legacy’ capable of embracing the new frontiers of modern prog: from progressive metal influences to dark and post-grunge nuances. The historic masters and young emerging bands now share the same stage, communicating through the same musical language.
The Festival Diary: Three Days of Great Music
Friday 3 July: The Opening Ceremony – Theatre and Genoese Legends
The first day offered a perfect balance between the visual impact of modern metal and the genre’s historical roots.
The festival was opened by three eclectic acts: A Tear Beyond from Vicenza, who delivered a theatrical live performance featuring Venetian masks; For My Demons from Rome, with a dark progressive metal concept centred on the world of Vincent van Gogh; and finally Noisy Shadows, with a cinematic prog/fusion project halfway between jazz fusion and soundtrack-style atmospheres.
The evening was brought to a close by Of New Trolls. The project, founded in 2018 by veteran musicians Gianni Belleno and Nico Di Palo – both present in Porretta – carries on the legacy of the band formed in Genoa in 1966. As the opening notes of the band’s iconic tracks — ‘Signore io sono Irish’, ‘Vorrei comprare una strada’, ‘Concerto Grosso No. 1 (Allegro e Adagio)’ and ‘Concerto Grosso No. 2 (Vivace)’ — rang out, a veil of nostalgia descended upon Rufus Thomas Park, enveloping the audience. They then performed tracks from their most recent studio album, Le radici e il viaggio continua (2022).
Saturday 4 July: The Pantheon of Technique and the Generational Encounter
Saturday’s programme was a true showcase of the festival, combining the freshness of the new generation with the mastery of the great founding fathers.
The opening slot was entrusted to Bologna-based Tetracode, a very young act on the Italian progressive metal scene.
Immediately afterwards, the stage hosted the highly anticipated set by Carmine Capasso & Giorgio “Fico” Piazza. Piazza, a living legend of the bass and co-founder of PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi), joined forces with Capasso, a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and producer from Campania who represents the brightest mind of the new prog generation. Their synergy produced a set of rare intensity, reaching its peak with performances of cult classics such as ‘È festa’ and ‘Impressioni di settembre’ – a perfect bridge between the 1970s and the future.
The evening was brought to a close by Arti & Mestieri, one of the historic bands of Italian jazz-rock and prog, formed in Turin in 1973 by drummer Furio Chirico, who described the group as a “constantly evolving workshop”. In Porretta, the line-up was the one that had long been established: alongside Furio Chirico on drums, Marco Cimino on keyboards, Lautaro Acosta on violin, Roberto Puggioni on bass and Gabriele Tommaso on guitar. They performed tracks from their debut album TILT (1974), as well as a reworked version of Energia, written by Beppe Crovella, and pieces composed by individual members of the band.
Sunday 5 July: Rediscovered Treasures and the Grand Finale
The final day kicked off with the power-prog of Evil Wings, a legendary band founded in 1989 by Franco Giafreda (guitar and vocals), pioneers in blending the impact of classic hard rock with progressive structures. Next up, the stage was handed over to the very young Euthymia, a talented band from the province of Verona, who brought modern and avant-garde prog sounds to the stage.
One of the most eagerly awaited moments of Sunday was the set by Il Buon Vecchio Charlie. The band, formed in Rome in 1970, has one of the most incredible stories in Italian progressive rock: after recording a marvellous debut album in 1972, the record was shelved and never released, leading to the band’s premature break-up. That material remained in a drawer for almost twenty years before being released in 1990. In Porretta, this hidden treasure was brought back to life thanks to Luigi Calabrò, who oversaw its rediscovery and the complex transcription of the original scores. On stage was the line-up comprising Calabrò himself (guitar and vocals), Marco Orfei (wind instruments), Walter Bernardi (bass), Stefano Napoleoni (drums) and Mattia Marrone (keyboards). For the festival audience, it was an unmissable opportunity not only to hear songs that had long remained unknown performed live, but also to enjoy a preview of some tracks from the band’s new album, due for release this coming September.
La chiusura di questa quarta edizione del Porretta Prog Legacy è stata affidata a L’Uovo di Colombo, la storica band romana fondata nel 1972 che ebbe vita brevissima sciogliendosi solo dopo pochi mesi dalla pubblicazione del loro unico album L’Uovo di Colombo. Ricostruita nel 2010 per mano di Elio Volpini, già fondatore storico, nel 2024 ha pubblicato l’album Schiavi del tempo. Sul palco la formazione con Stefano Vicarelli alle tastiere, Sabrina Scriva al basso e Piero Fortezza alla batteria, e ovviamente Elio Volpini alla chitarra, ha portato al Rufus Thomas Park atmosfere sinfoniche, confermando l’interesse ancora vivo attorno al repertorio storico del progressive italiano.
The closing act of this fourth edition of Porretta Prog Legacy was L’Uovo di Colombo, the legendary Roman band founded in 1972, which had a very short-lived existence, disbanding just a few months after the release of their sole album, L’Uovo di Colombo. Reformed in 2010 by Elio Volpini, the band’s original founder, they released the album Schiavi del tempo in 2024. On stage, the line-up – featuring Stefano Vicarelli on keyboards, Sabrina Scriva on bass and Piero Fortezza on drums, and of course Elio Volpini on guitar – brought a symphonic atmosphere to Rufus Thomas Park, confirming the enduring interest in the historic repertoire of Italian progressive rock.
Not just concerts: training with the AFM Summer Camp
The true strength of the Porretta Prog Legacy lies in its ability to engage with the local community and young people. Alongside the evening concerts, the festival days were brought to life by talks, seminars and masterclasses dedicated to music production and prog culture.
Thanks to the AFM Summer Camp, students from the Modern Music Departments were able to explore new musical horizons, working closely with industry professionals.
The Porretta Prog Legacy has now established itself as a leading event for progressive rock in Emilia-Romagna, successfully combining a specialised approach with an open and welcoming atmosphere.
Now that the spotlights at Rufus Thomas Park have gone out, fans of the genre need only wait for the Alchemica Music Club to announce the line-up for the next edition of the Porretta Prog Legacy.
Useful links
Facebook: Alchemica Music Club
Facebook: Porretta Prog Legacy
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