There is a place in Val d’Orcia where the end of sharecropping and the changes in the rural world have not led to depopulation and oblivion, but to the birth of one of Italy’s most extraordinary community experiences. We’re talking about the Teatro Povero in Monticchiello, which this year is celebrating the 60th edition of its Autodramma festival.

Through August 14, 2026, the village is staging “L’occhio oltre” in the picturesque Piazza della Commenda.

A Collective Story of Life and the Land

In an era of great change for the agricultural world, the Teatro Povero demonstrates how rural heritage and social cooperation can serve as tools for resistance and a vision for the future.

This year’s play follows the story of Carlino, born in 1944, tracing the rural history of the area: from the hard life in the fields to the Resistance, through the struggles for the rights of farmworkers, and up to the founding of the community cooperative. As is the case every year, the scripts are developed during the winter meetings among the town’s residents, who then go on to become the actors on stage.

Useful information for participants:

• When: Through August 14, 2026, every evening at 9:30 p.m. (except Monday, July 27, and August 3).
• Where: Monticchiello (Pienza, SI) – Piazza della Commenda.
• Reservations: teatropovero.it/prenotazione or by phone at 0578 755118.