When the July sun sets behind the rolling morainic hills of lower Garda and the lake is colored with rosy reflections, a different kind of light rises punctually in Manerba: that of the spotlights that illuminate Minerva Musicae, the jazz festival that for four years has been attracting names of excellence from every corner of the planet to the province of Brescia.

From July 17 to 27, 2025, there will be seven (or rather eight, thanks to an "out-of-schedule" thought up by the organizers) appointments at a festival that has already won over critics, fans and the merely curious with its winning formula: music of the highest quality in natural settings of rare beauty.

A stage spread among olive trees and crystal clear waters
The 2025 billboard confirms the two locations that over the years have become true co-stars of the experience: the gardens of the church of San Giorgio, a green terrace suspended between centuries-old olive trees and medieval walls, and the island of San Biagio, better known as the island of rabbits, accessible by a short stone walkway during the dry season.

On one side is the almost monastic silence of the hill; on the other is the embrace of the water that cradles the notes and disperses the applause in light echoes.

Those who have been to Minerva Musicae before know this: the context makes all the difference, inviting the audience to attentive, sensory, "immersive" listening in every sense.

July 17. The visionary appeal of "Reverse Motion."
It will be the Alessandro Lanzoni Trio, enhanced by the flair of Francesco Cafiso, who will open the festival on Thursday, July 17 (9:15 p.m., Giardini di San Giorgio). "Reverse Motion" starts with an idea that is as simple as it is bold: turning back to discover new paths forward.

Lanzoni's piano, Matteo Bortone's double bass and Enrico Morello's drums dialogue with Cafiso's saxophone under the banner of continuous reversals of perspective, where traditional swing and harmonic modernity chase each other to the rhythm of surprising counterpoints.

A sonic journey that promises to act as a compass for the entire festival, reminding us that jazz is, first and foremost, art of the present.

July 19. Mike Stern: 40 years of guitar and freedom.
Two days later, Saturday, July 19 (9:15 p.m., St. Blaise Island), anticipation skyrockets with the Mike Stern Band. The former enfant prodige of Miles Davis comes to Garda with a lineup that gives you chills just reading about it: Dennis Chambers on drums, Jimmy Haslip on bass, Bob Franceschini on sax and the unmistakable Leni Stern between electric guitar, n'goni and vocals. It will be a lesson in vitamin fusion, the kind that mixes funk, rock and pure bebop improvisation with the ease of someone who experiences the guitar as a direct extension of thought.

July 20. Camille Bertault, scat poetry that conquers Paris.
Called "the new voice of jazz" by Vanity Fair, Parisian Camille Bertault will enchant the Gardens of St. George on Sunday, July 20, also at 9:15 p.m. Her quintet - Julien Alour on trumpet, Fady Farah on piano, Christophe Minck on bass and Minino Garay on percussion - weaves French lyrics, scat vocals and choral improvisations, creating a bridge between chanson, swing and avant-garde. On the setlist is material from the latest album, capable of alternating lightness and depth with the same bright smile that characterizes the artist on stage.

July 24. Double set: electric contaminations and reinvented classics
On Thursday, July 24, Manerba will do an encore, giving the audience two concerts in the space of an hour. It starts at 9:15 p.m. with the Luigi Masciari Quartet and the "Somewhere in My Mind" project: a kaleidoscopic blend of jazz, funk and electronics, propelled by Ettore Carucci's keyboards and Roberto Giaquinto's drums. At 10:15 p.m., without a change of scenery, we move on to the refined Piero Bassini Trio: Giorgio Muresu on double bass and Luca Mezzadri on drums support the pianist in a philological - but never calligraphic - homage to the great standards, between velvety ballads and brilliant uptempo. A relay that compares two complementary souls of the jazz language.

July 25. 2 pianos, endless sparks
July 25 (9:15 p.m.) promises to be the evening of surprises: Dado Moroni and Andrea Bacchetti will battle octaves on the black and white keys. Moroni, a veteran of be-bop and European swing, meets the classical sensibility of the refined Bachian interpreter who has enchanted international theaters. The result? A gentle duel, a ping-pong of quotations that spans centuries of music and returns them in real time in the form of sweeping improvisations. Here jazz becomes a lingua franca, capable of translating Debussy into swing and Duke Ellington into chamber lyricism.

July 26. Christian Sands: when technique meets emotion.
On Saturday, July 26, it's the Christian Sands Trio's turn to close out the St. George's Gardens. A Grammy winner and favorite pupil of Billy Taylor, Sands is celebrated for a pianism that combines surgical precision and soulful warmth. The new project, "Embracing Dawn," alternates between original tunes and bold reinterpretations of hard-bop classics, with interplay that doesn't leave the listener a second to breathe. It is the perfect climax before the island epilogue.

July 27. Bill Evans & The Vansband All Stars: grand finale on Rabbit Island.
On Sunday, July 27 (9:15 p.m., St. Blaise Island) comes the moment of farewell in grand style: Bill Evans (yes, the very saxophonist who recorded six albums with Miles Davis in his 20s) leads a dream team consisting of George Whitty on keyboards, Keith Carlock on drums and Felix Pastorius on bass. The repertoire, still top secret, promises funk forays, rock drifts and ample room for collective improvisation. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear live one of the instrumentalists who most helped evolve the sound of the tenor sax between the 1980s and today.

Beyond music: a slow weekend among nature, wine and historic villages
Minerva Musicae is not just a "hit and run" festival. Many concert-goers choose to turn the concert into a mini-trip, taking advantage of the free beaches of Pisenze, the scenic trails of Rocca di Manerba, or tastings in the wineries that produce Valtenesi doc wine. Those arriving by boat can dock at "Porto Torchio," dine on lake fish and reach the shuttle bus to the island in a few steps.

Those who prefer the mainland can find marked parking lots and a free shuttle bus service to the Giardini. In other words, streamlined logistics, no stress, and plenty of beauty to enjoy slowly.

Tickets, schedules and useful information!
Tickets are already on sale at boxol.co.uk with reduced formulas for under 25, over 65 and carnet-festival at reduced prices.

Admission to individual concerts costs between 25 and 40 euros depending on the evening and location; boat transfer to the island of San Biagio is included in the price. Real-time updates, artist trivia and video clips will be posted week after week on the Facebook page of the Manerba del Garda tourism and culture department (Manerbaeventi).

People are advised to arrive at least half an hour before the start to facilitate access procedures and to bring a light sweatshirt: the evening lake breeze can surprise even in July.

A future that smells like the present.
In the space of four editions, "Minerva Musicae" has proven that the Italian province can become an international cultural hub when competence, courage and collaboration come together.

2025 raises the bar even higher with a line-up that combines superstars and young promises, tradition and contamination.

If you are a jazz lover, nothing more needs to be added.

If you are approaching it for the first time, let your curiosity guide you: you will find that one evening can be enough to change the way you listen to music. Tickets are flying off the shelves, the shores of Lake Garda are ready to welcome you.

So: tune your soul, prepare your heart and mark in your diary the most sparkling dates of the Brescian summer.

Manerba is waiting for you, and jazz has never been closer.