How do you tell the story of fifty years to those who didn’t live through them?

The Fondazione Paolo Grassi has chosen the language of graphic storytelling. The result is The Festival Unveiled, a graphic novel created in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts of Bari, retracing the first fifty editions of the Festival della Valle d’Itria through the eyes of a new generation of artists.

Presented during the press conference for the Festival’s 52nd edition, the publication brings together archival research, visual storytelling and artistic interpretation. A group of students from the Academy, coordinated by Professor Rosa Anna Pucciarelli, worked with materials from the Fondazione Paolo Grassi Historical Archive, transforming documents, memories and milestones into an illustrated narrative. From archival research to storyboarding and final artwork, the project became both a creative and educational journey, introducing young artists to one of Southern Italy’s most significant cultural institutions.

Choosing the graphic novel format was no coincidence. It offered a contemporary language through which to preserve and share the Festival’s heritage, reaching readers of different generations while creating new ways of engaging with its history. The story of the Festival unfolds alongside that of its territory, revealing how, since 1975, the Festival della Valle d’Itria has built its identity around the rediscovery of rare repertoire and a constant spirit of artistic exploration.

More than a commemorative publication, The Festival Unveiled invites readers to look at the Festival from a different perspective—through imagination, storytelling and shared memory. Because cultural heritage remains alive when every generation is given the opportunity to reinterpret and pass it on.

The project was developed by the Fondazione Paolo Grassi and the Academy of Fine Arts of Bari with the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture – Directorate-General for Education, Research and Cultural Institutes, the Apulia Region and the Municipality of Martina Franca.