Atina is a small village in the province of Frosinone, with about 4.500 inhabitants, but size does not always count, and indeed Atina is worth a visit for many reasons. First of all, its position: the village stands on a hill and is surrounded by a nice landscape, and is not far away from other interesting cities and villages that you might want to visit. Cassino, for example, is a very interesting city near Atina and is worth a visit from different points of view. Cassino is well-known all over the world because it was in this city that one of the bloodiest battles of World War II took place, and visiting Cassino, its museum and the Abbey of Montecassino means discovering something more about this part of our history. Cassino is a place to visit also because of the "Terme Varroniane", a beautiful natural park, and of many monuments and buildings dating back to different epochs.
But what makes Atina interesting are not only its beautiful surroundings: this small village itself can offer much to visitors, and it is in this village that a very interesting event takes place. If you are keen on jazz music you might have heard about the Atina Jazz Festival, one of the most important jazz events to be held in Italy. In 25 years this important event has brought to Atina very important jazz musicians and bands, turning a small Italian village into the capital city of jazz. The first jazz festival was held in Atina in 1986, and in these 25 years the Atina Jazz Festival has hosted important artists like D.D. Bridgewater, Noa, John Scofield, Enrico Rava, Lester Bowie, Tony Williams and many other Italian and international stars. Making a list of all the jazz artists that have performed on the stage of Atina Jazz in 25 years would not be possible, and although a small village like that might find it difficult to find the economic resources to organise an event like that, a big effort has always be made by the city to prevent such an event to disappear.
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Thanks to these efforts the Atina Jazz Festival is going to take place also this year. More precisely the event will be held from the 2th July to the 5th of August 2011, featuring the performances of bands like Incognito, the Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Franco D'Andrea 4et, Hilario Duran Trio and much more.
If you love jazz, a tip that we can give is planning a trip to Cassino, visiting its monuments and interesting historical buildings, as well as its park and the Abbey of Montecassino, then go to Atina and take part in one or more of the interesting Jazz events that will take place this summer. In this way you will have the chance to combine music and history, visiting a beautiful city and having fun at once.
