(ANSA) - Palermo - Wine and live music will be an excellent mix for the third year in a row here in Sicily when the Blues & Wine Soul Festival returns later this month.
The festival will be staged in Agrigento from July 18 to 24 and be followed by a series of one-night events in Catania (July 26), Palermo (July 28) and Siracusa (July 31).
The first three days of the festival will see Italy's best blues and soul bands performing in Agrigento's historic center. The festival then moves to the Valley of the Temples where the Greek ruins will be a backdrop for performances by a slew of international acts.
Among those set to play are Keith Brown, Sara Jane Morris, Sonny Rhodes, Bluesman of the Year Sherman Robertson, Tony Coleman and Kid Creole and the Coconuts.
Musical director for the festival is Agrigento's own blues legend Angelo Joe Castellano who said that "this year we have focused more on blues. The biggest attraction will certainly be Keith Brown, who interpreted the great Skip James in the Wim Wenders film 'Soul of a Man'." While the concerts will be staged in the evening, festival mornings will be dedicated to non-stop wine tastings and seminars involving Sicily's leading vineyards.
According to the president of the region of Sicily, Salvatore Cuffaro, "mixing music and wine is a winning combination which allows us to promote the island, its customs and authentic Sicilian hospitality."
"This festival is a fine example of how great events can be staged even with limited resources," he added.
