Festival dei Due Mondi

It features a vast array of concerts, opera, dance, drama, visual arts and roundtable discussions on science.

The "Two Worlds" in the name of the festival comes from Gian Carlo Menotti's intention to have the worlds of American and European culture facing each other in his event; this concept would then be strengthened by the fact that it was held in conjunction with its "twin", the Spoleto Festival USA held annually in May/June in Charleston, South Carolina.

That twinning lasted some 15 years and, after growing disputes between the Menotti family and the board of Spoleto Festival USA, in the early 1990s a separation occurred.

However, at the time of the 2007 Festival, the President and Artistic Director was Menotti's adopted son, Francis "Chip" Menotti and, in the fall of 2007, the Italian Minister of Cultural Affairs, Francesco Rutelli—after unsuccessful negotiations with Menotti—removed him from his position[1] and named Giorgio Ferrara new artistic director of the festival.

Notes Sources 42°44′09″N 12°44′07″E / 42.73578°N 12.73527°E / 42.73578; 12.73527 (Teatro Nuovo, base of the Festival dei Due Mondi)