E fu sera e fu mattina

“Evening came and morning came”
In Martina Franca, a journey through art, fashion, music, and thought

Some projects develop like maps, others like stories. “Evening came and morning came” belongs to the latter dimension: a cultural pathway that unfolds through time and space, guiding Martina Franca from April 30 to June 6, 2026, in an itinerary of intertwined languages and shared visions.
The program takes shape in the city’s symbolic locations — Palazzo Ducale, Conservatorio Santa Maria della Misericordia, Biblioteca Isidoro Chirulli — transforming them into traversable spaces inhabited by experiences that connect art, fashion, music, literature, and research.
Opening the journey on April 30 is the presence of Regina Schrecker, a leading figure in the international scene, who presents “Eulogy of Sustainable Beauty” in the noble halls of Palazzo Ducale. A narrative of images and creations spanning epochs and imaginations: garments, costumes, and objects inspired by Dante, Andy Warhol, Basquiat, Arnaldo Pomodoro, up to the latest experiments related to artificial intelligence. It is a living archive that restores continuity between tradition and innovation.
Literature finds its place in the program as a space for reflection and storytelling. The presentations guide the audience through pathways touching upon biographies, contemporary anxieties, and collective memories: from the last hours of Edith Piaf narrated by Teresa Caricola, to the inner landscapes and the journeys of medieval pilgrimage evoked by Marino Pagano and Angelo Palmieri, to the writing of Rossella Dentuto, which navigates between identity and transformation. The literary presentations will be led by Cinzia Cofano, a teacher, cultural operator, and writer who won the “Adriatic Prize. A Sea that Unites” in 2024, and curator of the cultural column “Librinstreaming,” in collaboration with Tony Vinci, who will cover all scheduled events with the cameras of Valleditrialivechannel.
Music permeates the entire project with a widespread presence. The piano of Maestro Paolo Palazzo and the voice of Manuel Amati in Solfeggi Notturni present the music of Aprile and Perla, two of the most significant composers from Martina Franca: pieces created for singing pedagogy, now reinterpreted in a non-Philological way. Almost entirely in modern premiere, the program invites the rediscovery and enhancement of the historical-musical heritage of the area, while the sounds of Simon Armenise and Luna Dragonieri’s performances with the TuaSorellaMinore project construct sound environments where electronics and video art interact immersively.
Alongside the artistic events, the program opens spaces for exploration and research. The meetings dedicated to the relationship between art, science, and spirituality, along with reflections on the persistences of the magical in the popular culture of Apulia, bring back to the center a dimension of knowledge rooted in the territory. This involves the participation of the Ethnographic Museum "Alfredo Majorano," a noteworthy civic institution in the Ionic territory, founded in 2003 to preserve and enhance the demographic collection dedicated to the celebrated scholar from Taranto; the exhibits at the Museum articulate a precise narrative around magical-religious rituals and popular traditions of the area dating back to at least the 18th century. The event narrates the research project of Maria Grazia Carriero, conceived as an interdisciplinary investigation that utilizes contemporary art codes to explore and document the still-living folk beliefs in Apulia. Over approximately two years of exploration, the artist adopted dialogue as a primary investigative tool, collecting extensive video and photographic documentation in the streets and homes of numerous municipalities in the provinces of Taranto, Bari, Brindisi, Lecce, and Foggia.
The focus of the research is the entity known as laùru (or with local variants such as jurj’, avurie, scarcagnulu, or scazzamurrieddhu), an ambivalent “little spirit” that inhabits the collective memory of a community on the brink of extinction. The investigation does not limit itself to mere ethnographic collection, but transforms testimonies into works of art, installations, and videos (such as the works Darkness and Parole a Sud), where the documentary and “raw” character of the footage aims to capture the freshness and pathos of daily encounters.

Exhibitions, displays, and cultural walks complete the journey, offering further opportunities for exploration. The training in the fashion sector with the MITA Fashion Academy Foundation presents, in the evocative spaces of Palazzo Ducale in Martina Franca, an exhibition dedicated to the contemporary reinterpretation of Bisset's Carmen. The installation showcases a selection of outfits created by the Academy's students, who reimagine the opera's imagery in a modern light, blending theatrical aesthetics with contemporary sensibilities. The focus is on the sartorial dimension of haute couture, expressed through refined craftsmanship, material research, and attention to detail, giving rise to creations that converse between tradition and innovation. The exhibition of traditional musical instruments and guided itineraries contributes to building a broad narrative capable of engaging diverse audiences.
The project is created with the economic sponsorship of the Municipality of Martina Franca and with the moral sponsorship of the Region of Puglia and the Province of Taranto. It is conceived by the Fondazione Caracciolo De Sangro, Aps Federico II, Aps Liberuomo, and Vallisa.
The initiative “Evening came and morning came” thus becomes a time to inhabit. Martina Franca embraces this movement and manifests it through its spaces, its layers, and its openings. A story that unfolds day by day, allowing connections, encounters, and new perspectives to emerge.