Italy's cultural sector on its heels but hopeful amid lockdown

While the Stromboli Eco-Logical Theater Fest is not as well known as La Fenice, it has similar problems during the national coronavirus lockdown, according to its artistic director Alessandro Fabrizi. The event, held on Stromboli, a small volcanic island off the coast of southern Italy, is scheduled to take place in June.

"We set ourselves a deadline to decide whether to cancel or not by April 20," Fabrizi told Xinhua. Fabrizi said the event has an important economic impact on the island, which is home to only around 500 permanent residents.

Like Venice, which was already reeling from the impact of last year's floods when the lockdown orders were issued, Stromboli saw two volcanic eruptions last year, the first of which left one hiker dead.

"We're still holding out hope that we can hold the festival in late June, but it seems unlikely," Fabrizi said. "Like everyone in Italy, we are doing our best to adapt to this new reality we are faced with."

Another summer event organizers are still hoping will take place is the Ischia Global Fest. The event that regularly attracts top Hollywood talent to the island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples, is scheduled to take place in July.

"So far not too much has changed but we are keeping a close watch on what is happening," Pascal Vicedomini, the event's founder, said in an interview. "We will decide in mid-May, which is when we should start to send out the invitations to actors, directors, and producers."

The festival usually screens around 70 different films each year, and with distribution channels mostly paused and most cinemas around the world closed, Vicedomini admitted that even if the festival takes place as planned it could have an impact on this year's lineup.

"We'll find a way to make things work out," he said. "In Italy, we always find a way."