E fu sera e fu mattina

“Evening Came and Morning Followed”
In Martina Franca, a journey through art, fashion, music, and thought

There are projects that develop like maps and others like stories. “Evening Came and Morning Followed” belongs to the second dimension: a cultural path that unfolds over time and space, guiding Martina Franca from April 30 to June 6, 2026, in an itinerary made up of intertwined languages and shared visions.
The program takes shape in the city's symbolic places—Palazzo Ducale, Conservatorio Santa Maria della Misericordia, Biblioteca Isidoro Chirulli—and transforms them into traversable spaces, inhabited by experiences that connect art, fashion, music, literature, and research.
Kicking off the journey on April 30 is Regina Schrecker, a leading figure on the international scene, who will present “Elogio della bellezza sostenibile” in the noble halls of Palazzo Ducale. A narrative through images and creations that traverses eras and imagery: garments, costumes, and objects inspired by Dante, Andy Warhol, Basquiat, Arnaldo Pomodoro, and the most recent experiments linked to artificial intelligence. A living archive capable of restoring the continuity between tradition and innovation.
Literature enters the program as a space for reflection and storytelling. Presentations guide the audience through paths touching on biographies, contemporary anxieties, and collective memories: from the last hours of Edith Piaf narrated by Teresa Caricola to the inner landscapes and paths of medieval pilgrimage evoked by Marino Pagano and Angelo Palmieri, down to the writings of Rossella Dentuto, who navigates themes of 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 is the 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 significant presence. Maestro Paolo Palazzo’s piano and Manuel Amati’s voice in Solfeggi Notturni will present the works of Aprile and Perla, among the most significant composers from Martina Franca: pieces created for vocal education, reinterpreted here in a non-philological manner. Almost entirely in modern premieres, the program invites a rediscovery and enhancement of the region's historical-musical heritage, while the sounds of Simon Armenise and the performances of Luna Dragonieri with the project TuaSorellaMinore create sound environments where electronic music and video art engage in an immersive dialogue.
Alongside the artistic appointments, the program opens spaces for in-depth research. Meetings dedicated to the relationship between art, science, and spirituality, along with reflections on the persistence of the magical in Apulian popular culture, bring to the forefront a dimension of knowledge that dives into the roots of the territory, with the participation of the Museo Etnografico "Alfredo Majorano," a civic institution established in 2003 aimed at preserving and enhancing the demological collection dedicated to the renowned Taranto scholar; the exhibited pieces at the Museum weave a precise narrative about magical-religious rituals and local traditions at least since the 18th century. The research project by Maria Grazia Carriero is configured as an interdisciplinary investigation that uses contemporary art codes to explore and document living popular beliefs in Apulia. Through an exploration lasting about two years, the artist has adopted dialogue as a primary investigative tool, gathering extensive video and photographic documentation in the streets and houses 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 "house spirit" that inhabits the collective memory of communities on the verge of extinction. The investigation goes beyond mere ethnographic collection, transforming testimonies into artworks, installations, and videos (such as the works Darkness and Parole a Sud), where the documentary and "dirty" nature of the recordings aims to return the freshness and pathos of daily encounters.

Exhibitions, showcases, and cultural walks complete the journey, offering further opportunities for engagement. Training in the fashion sector with the Fondazione Academy MITA Moda presents, in the evocative spaces of Palazzo Ducale in Martina Franca, an exhibition dedicated to the contemporary reinterpretation of Bisset's Carmen. The setup proposes a selection of outfits created by the Academy's students that reinterpret the imagery of the opera in a modern key, merging theatrical aesthetics with contemporary sensitivity. At the forefront is the sartorial dimension of haute couture, expressed through refined craftsmanship, material research, and attention to detail, giving rise to creations that dialogue between tradition and innovation. The exhibition of traditional musical instruments and guided itineraries contributes to building a widespread narrative capable of engaging diverse audiences.
The project is realized with the financial sponsorship of the Municipality of Martina Franca and with the moral support of the Puglia Region 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 Followed” thus becomes a time to inhabit. Martina Franca embraces this movement and returns it through its spaces, its layers, its openings. A story that unfolds day by day, allowing connections, meetings, and new perspectives to emerge.