Mario Biondi will be the crowning highlight of the 38th edition of the Concerts in the Basilica, organized and curated by the Foundation for the Preservation of the Basilica of Aquileia. The season features ten events held across the UNESCO-listed Basilica of Aquileia, the Basilica of Sant’Eufemia in Grado, and the Co-Cathedral of Nova Gorica, all with free admission.

The season opens on 12 June with a performance by Mario Biondi in the Basilica of Aquileia, accompanied by the Natissa Choir of Aquileia and the Filarmonici Friulani Youth Orchestra. The acclaimed crooner will also perform the world premiere of the Credo Aquileiense, a composition by Friulian composer Alessio Domini, commissioned by the Natissa Choir.

The rich programme, featuring regional orchestras, national choral ensembles, and internationally renowned artists, will also mark two important anniversaries for the region and the country. One concert will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Friuli earthquake, while another—the season’s closing event in October—will be dedicated to the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. Given the significance of these themes, both concerts will be fully accessible to people with disabilities as part of the Basilica’s ongoing Basilica for All initiative.

Of the ten events, two will take place in the Basilica of Grado: on 14 July with the Regional Youth Choir of Friuli Venezia Giulia and on 4 August with the Youth Choir of Emilia-Romagna. Another event will be hosted by the Co-Cathedral of Nova Gorica on 20 August, featuring the Riverberi Duo, with Pietro Tagliaferri on soprano saxophone and Stefano Pellini on organ, continuing the cultural legacy of Gorizia and Nova Gorica European Capital of Culture 2025. The same concert will be repeated in Aquileia on 21 August, offering an opportunity to present the restoration work carried out on the historic Zanin organ, one of the two organs housed in the Patriarchal Basilica alongside the 1898 Kaufmann organ.

The season will also feature La Sinfonietta with Luisa Sello on 16 August, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony performed by the Pordenone Chamber Orchestra under Eddi De Nadai on 11 September, and, closing a significant focus on youth choirs, the Italian Youth Choir, performing in Friuli Venezia Giulia for the first time on 26 September under the direction of Filippo Maria Bressan.

Although the entire season is free of charge, admission to some events will require advance booking through the Eventbrite platform.

The Concerts in the Basilica season is organized by the Foundation for the Preservation of the Basilica of Aquileia with the support of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Fondazione Friuli, Fondazione Aquileia, and BCC Venezia Giulia, in collaboration with the Municipality of Aquileia, the Basilica of Sant’Eufemia in Grado, the Co-Cathedral of Nova Gorica, and the Mattiussi Family.