What to do this summer? Here are 10 nature events not to be missed

From July 18 to 21, 2024, Val d'Ossola becomes the setting for multimedia experimentation, performance, and site-specific audiovisual projects: the eleventh edition of Nextones, the international festival of music, audiovisual arts, and research returns again this year at the striking Tones Teatro Natura. 

Three days to connect with the beauty of nature and the landscape through top-notch artistic programming, with a line-up featuring names such as Alessandro Cortini, cellist Lucy Railton, Robert Hood, and many other artists from the international experimental electronic scene.

Founded in 2019 with the aim of engaging one of Italy's most beautiful geographical regions, characterized by unspoiled nature, the Hypermaremma diffuse art festival is now in its sixth edition. Between permanent installations and temporary works, the festival's annual program features a schedule of events and openings that always keep the focus alive on the Tuscan territory. 

Summer is the perfect season to retrace the steps of this region transformed into a large open-air exhibition space. Following the works by Claire Fontaine, Davide Rivalta, Gaetano Pompa, and Giulia Mangoni presented this year, a large sculpture by Mauro Staccioli will be permanently installed in July.

Every summer, the Abruzzo village of Pereto, in the province of L'Aquila, hosts straperetana, a cultural event that was created with the intention of enhancing the area through contemporary art, creating a dialogue between local tradition and modern artistic expressions. 

This year's edition is named SUPERNATURALE, a title that cleverly highlights how the artists have fully embraced nature. Among the names in the eighth edition are Francis Alÿs, Davide D'Elia, Hamish Fulton, Agostino Iacurci, Numero Cromatico, Patrick Tuttofuoco, and Nico Vascellari.

At the heart of the ninth edition of the Biennale Gherdëina lies a discourse that intertwines ancient legends with present-day stories, showcasing contemporary art in the Dolomites. Curated by Lorenzo Giusti and Marta Papini, the 2024 edition takes its starting point from the Ladin myth of the Fanes: a meek and peaceful people whose kingdom extended beyond the seven mountains to the ends of the earth. 

Site-specific works, performances, group and solo exhibitions: more than thirty artists from different parts of the world, continental Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, enrich the valley with a diverse multicultural community that meets the tradition of the area.

Every three years, the Belgian coast gets ready to host the Beaufort Triennial, a contemporary art event that brings new energy to the province of West Flanders from March through November. Now in its eighth edition this year, and curated by Els Wuyts, Beaufort24, entitled The Fabric of Life, offers a path that explores aspects of present reality, traversing the relationship between public space, and potential and future worlds. 

Eighteen Belgian and international artists showcase eighteen artworks, each pair assigned to one of the coastal cities involved in the project. Pedestrian and bicycle paths allow visitors to immerse themselves in the landscape and culture of these places, to discover all the interventions that will later become part of the Beaufort Sculpture Park collection.

The Norwegian city of Bodø has been named the European Capital of Culture for 2024, along with Estonia's Tartu and Austria's Bad Ischl. A city just above the Arctic Circle, near which is the small village of Kjerringøy, home to the Kjerringøy Land Art Biennale, now in its ninth year. 

International artists are invited to explore, transform, reflect and communicate with the landscape, preferring natural and local materials. These artworks are seamlessly incorporated into their surroundings, constructed from biodegradable materials that will be naturally absorbed over time.

In the heart of sunny Provence, every July for the past 78 years, the city of Avignon has been transformed into an open-air theater: the Festival d'Avignon is one of the most important international performance art events. 

More than fifty performances, exhibitions, debates and screenings also enliven this year's edition, flanked as always by the more informal and independent Festival Off. The program of the two events is very different but complementary, and audiences are spoiled for choice with the rich programs of both festivals.

Una Boccata d'Arte, the contemporary art project spread throughout Italy, is now in its fifth edition, organized by Fondazione Elpis with Galleria Continua and Threes Productions. This year, artists under 35 will take center stage, as their art will bring vibrancy to twenty small villages, one in each region of the country. 

An authentic opportunity to explore and uncover new destinations, infused with the creativity and dedication of young artists who have intimately engaged with the places that showcase their creations, in a harmonious collaboration of visions and initiatives.

The Domaine de Boisbuchet is an estate located in the verdant Poitou-Charentes region of southwest France and is home to a cultural and research center established by German entrepreneur Alexander von Vegesack, who organizes workshops and residencies related to design and architecture projects every summer. 

The 2024 program, titled Imago: The World We See offers numerous multidisciplinary workshops taught by international designers and artists. It is worth visiting this place even if you do not participate in the initiatives, to see the beautiful park and exhibitions, such as the one running until September 17 entitled Arboretum, which focuses on the use of wood over time in architecture and design.

Cortona, nestled in the lush Tuscan hills, has been home to the prestigious contemporary photography festival, Cortona On The Move, every summer since 2011. This year's edition, entitled Body of Evidence, consists of four group exhibitions, and eighteen solo exhibitions, in six striking locations in the Cortona area. 

The exploration of the body's theme delves into the various nuances and interpretations that come with corporeality, according to the interpretation of photographers from all over the world, such as Myriam Boulos, Carmen Winant and Philip Montgomery, who are all showcasing projects that are being exhibited in Italy for the first time.