The insight of Alberto Bartalini, the architect of dreams

“To me, Lajatico and its landscapes are childhood places… those rolling hills full of snow in winter; in summer, like self-made mountaineers of the badlands, we would go and collect rock crystals and marine fossils.

You live these stories when you are a boy, then you start working in the world of culture, you are interested in the arts. And then my commitments took me around the world, far away from Lajatico and its hills.

Many years later I decided to go back to that place, which was full of meaning and pleasant memories. For the first time, I really observed it: I was deeply hit, I was like being electrocuted: “this is a perfect place for theatre” I thought, “a theater made by nature. Yes, I’d like to make a theater here.”

It is not hard to imagine… a charming natural amphitheater; a gust of wind caresses you; in the softest of silences sweet, suffused, elegant melodies seem to wrap around you; you are surrounded by a rush of emotions whose origins you are unable to trace back.

Because they have no origin. They whirl in the air and strike you unexpectedly. A widespread sense of well-being penetrates your soul, your mind wanders in the most passionate of dreams…” by Alberto Bartalini.

The brilliant intuition behind the Theater of Silence comes from simple considerations: combining the beauty of the landscape with the musical refinement of Andrea Bocelli, to whom those very places gave birth and lifeblood.

The contemplation of the territory gave Alberto Bartalini, the Architect of Dreams, an idea which was initially deemed as “bizarre”: an extensive natural stage with the magic of the landscape in the background.

The first ideas came during a train trip to Rome, when the architect, who at the time hadn’t shared his project with anyone, draw on a piece of paper the first draft of what would become the Theater of Silence.

In 2005 Alberto Bartalini shared his visionary dream with his fellow citizen, the global music icon tenor Andrea Bocelli. Along with his brother Alberto Bocelli, he decided to accept the challenge and, notoriously stubborn, committed to the project feeling to the bottom of his heart the desire to offer something new and genuine.

Since then, many have accepted the offer with enthusiasm, such as the Lajatico City Council, the local bank Banca Popolare di Lajatico, the Ripanucci family’s Azienda Agricola Il Colle (owners of the land) and the whole Bocelli family.

The first show of the Theater of Silence was staged on July 27, 2006: Andrea Bocelli’s concert “Dedicato al grande assente” (Dedicated to the Great Absentee), featuring the work by Igor Mitoraj in the center of the lake.

“…it will be extremely emotional, also because the concert will be dedicated to a great absentee: obviously, the great absentee is my father, but he isn’t the only one. Many people have devoted their lives to these places, have loved the land, the people, the sun of these marvelous hills, which are unmatched, from where you can look all the way to the sea, and Volterra on the other side…” Andrea Bocelli

Since then, the event in Lajatico repeats every year on the natural stage of the Theater of Silence. Given the incomparable natural framework, the event is unique, inimitable: every years it welcomes many stars in the opera world, international pop idols and performance artists in general.

Laura Pausini, Chris Botti, Kenny G., Heather Headley, Nicola Piovani, Noa, Roberto Bolle, Placido Domingo, Katherine Jenkins, Jose Carreras, Toquinho, Eugene Kohn, Andrea Griminelli, Orchestra of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Renato Zero, Renato Serio, Eleonora Abbagnato, Nek, Elisa, Gianna Nannini, Riccardo Cocciante, Pino Daniele, Giorgio Albertazzi, Fabio Fazio, Lindsay Kemp, Zubin Mehta, Orchestra of Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Luca Tommassini, 2Cellos, Samuel Peron, Samanta Togni, Carla Fracci, Steven Mercurio, Stefano Accorsi, Serena Rossi, Mika, Matteo Bocelli and Dua Lipa.

The Project

Lajatico’s Theater of Silence is a natural amphitheater located on top of a hill only 1.5 kilometers from the town center. It is completely natural, consisting in a small lake, which was once a watering station for animals, with a monumental sculpture by a contemporary artist in the center. The sculpture changes every year and it is chosen based on the theme of the edition. Everything is surrounded by blocks of Tuscan travertine reminiscent of ancient cults and the megaliths of the Neolithic Age.

A landscape of unparalleled beauty, with an 180°-view over the hills of one of the most beautiful places in the area, Volterra and its crags. An Echo-Architecture and Land Art project with zero impact on the natural environment, bringing it in the spotlight instead, integrating it with the technical equipment needed for an international show for only one day every year. Every time, at the end of the show, all the equipment gets immediately removed to best protect the environment, restoring the natural status of a place of silent meditation and rest for the soul.