RampaFest: Talent, Memory and Community
On an old staircase, a family memory comes alive in a weekend of music, craft and young talent.
Some places seem to hold a town’s character more than others. In Conversano, Puglia — home of Youmanity chairman Angelo Iudice — one of them is the staircase beside Villa Garibaldi. On 4 and 5 September it became an open-air stage once again, for the fifth edition of RampaFest.
The festival grew out of Rampavilla Pub, but it is more than a party. It gives local musicians, dancers, artists, makers and designers a public stage, and it puts young people, craft and a sense of belonging at the centre of the weekend.
Behind it is a more personal story: friendship, welcome, and memory.
It began with Daniele Corinna, the young founder of RampaVilla. In June 2004 he turned a corner of the old town into a place where people would actually meet. Travel, generosity and a gift for hospitality were part of who he was. After he died in 2008, his family refused to let that idea disappear. They kept it alive through music, shared evenings, and the work of the Puebla Daniele association, which supports projects in Mexico and Italy.
A stage for the next generation
The first night, hosted by Amanda Belini and Antonio Prima, put very young dancers and musicians on the same bill as more established names.
Quasar Salt n Pepa danced; Overdubs and Funk o Pop played; Cesare Carbonara and Kostas performed. The old RampaVilla steps did what they do best: let talent show itself in front of its own town.
Beside the stage, Conversano’s craft tradition was on show as well. Paper-mâché workshops with the Mastrangelo group, master basket weavers, and live painting filled the exhibition area.
Then the evening paused for something quieter: awards for local people whose work over the past year has brought credit to Conversano. Among them were Youmanity chairman Angelo Iudice, Giosuè Fantasia, and brothers Francesco, Gabriele and Pierpaolo Bolognino. Mayor Giuseppe Lovascio presented the awards.
The honour landed well here, in a festival that notices not only what people achieve, but what they give back.
Fashion, making, music
On Saturday 5 September the focus shifted to design and fashion.
From 9pm there was a preview of the new Laurent collection, then a show by Officine Mad Max, with jewellery by Mario Quartieri, hair by Annalisa Giustiniani and make-up by Rita Cinca.
DJ Silvio Perta closed the fifth edition with a set of 1980s and 1990s records — a fitting last note.
Two different days, one thread: people.
Teenagers on a stage for the first time. Artists still making work. Craftspeople keeping a trade alive. A family holding on to a memory. A town that recognises itself, and cheers the people who make it feel alive.
That may be the real point of RampaFest. It does not only look back. It turns memory into energy.
And in a Conversano that keeps finding new cultural and social life, it is striking how a story that started more than twenty years ago still makes room for connection, chance, and new memories.
Youmanity would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to the organisers of RampaFest — Stefania Corinna, Vincenzo Del Re, Andrea Vetrani and Antonio Prima, for their generosity, commitment to inclusion, and dedication to bringing the community together.
