Little Italy Festival

A tribute to the Italian roots of Maurienne

For over a century, the Maurienne valley has maintained close ties with Italy. The opening of the Fréjus railway tunnel in 1871 led to waves of Italian immigration that profoundly marked the local culture, gastronomy, and identity of the valley. The Little Italy Festival is born from this shared history, with the ambition to celebrate this living heritage while creating new cultural bridges between France and Italy.

The Fest'Italia association, created specifically to carry this unique project, organizes and fully finances the event. Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, a sub-prefecture of Savoie and the historical capital of Maurienne, offers an ideal setting for this celebration, just a few dozen kilometers from the Italian border.

An international music program

The Little Italy Festival is banking on a spectacular lineup for its first edition. Mika, an international superstar of Lebanese and Italian origin, is the festival's guest of honor. He shares the stage with Julien Lieb, a revelation of the French scene, Alfa, a phenomenon of Italian pop, and a host of emblematic artists from 80s and 90s Italian music: DJ Antoine, Sabrina, Den Harrow, and Gazebo.

In addition to the main stage dedicated to concerts, an electronic stage keeps the site buzzing until the early hours of the morning, offering a more contemporary facet of Italian and international music.

A gourmet Franco-Italian village

Beyond music, the Little Italy Festival features a Franco-Italian village celebrating Alpine gastronomy in all its diversity. Specialized food trucks, Italian chefs, local producers, and gourmet markets offer an authentic culinary immersion, from antipasti to gelati, including fresh pasta and wood-fired pizzas. The festival highlights the flavors that traveled with the Italian families who settled in Maurienne and are now part of the local gastronomic heritage.

360° Italian Culture

The festival is not limited to music and gastronomy. Activities around Italian cinema, literature, and sport complete a program designed for all audiences. The Franco-Italian village offers exhibitions, workshops, and meetings that allow attendees to (re)discover the cultural richness of Italy and its influence on Maurienne.