Franco Ricciardi, Pop Medina at Teatro Italia, April 16, 2027

Franco Ricciardi, Pop Medina in Rome: the singer brings his Pop Medina Tour to Teatro Italia, Via Bari 18 (00161 Rome), in the Nomentano neighborhood, on Friday, April 16, 2027 at 21:00. The theater is about 450 meters from the Policlinico stop of Metro B and 600 meters from the Bologna stop, and it is outside the limited traffic zones. On the presale network authorized by the organizers full-price tickets cost €43 in VIP front orchestra, €38 in front orchestra, €35 in the first balcony and €33 in the second balcony, plus service fees. The concert is organized by PG Production. 200 meters from the theater there's a partner parking garage at Via Como 60, open until 1:00 at night, with a reduced rate of €3 an hour for spectators.

Franco Ricciardi at Teatro Italia: date, time and tickets

Franco Ricciardi's Pop Medina Tour comes to Teatro Italia for one night only, Friday, April 16, 2027 at 21:00.

One date in Rome

The Pop Medina theater tour had already come to Rome on February 2, 2026, at Teatro Parioli. The return to the city, more than a year later, is in another historic hall, in Nomentano, reachable by public transport from both Termini and Tiburtina.

Prices

On the authorized presale network full-price tickets cost €43 in VIP front orchestra, €38 in front orchestra, €35 in the first balcony and €33 in the second balcony. The price includes the presale fee, and service fees are added at the time of purchase.

Where to buy them

Tickets are sold on the presale network authorized by the organizers, including by phone through its call center. The Teatro Italia website lists the hall's calendar of events.

Pop Medina: what you'll hear

Pop Medina is the show in which Franco Ricciardi blends elements of Neapolitan and Arab culture: the title recalls the medina, the old town, and the story runs through the artist's life.

Naples and the Mediterranean

The tour's presentation describes a meeting between two cultures: Neapolitan song, with its melodic tradition, and the sounds of the Arab world. In our view the medina of the title is also a way of seeing Naples as a Mediterranean city, open to exchange and mixing.

The album

The tour takes its name from the album Pop Medina, released in 2025, the latest studio album of a recording career that began in 1986. The title track came out as a single, with a music video directed by Luciano Filangieri.

A life on stage

Alongside the new songs, the show tells Ricciardi's life: from the Miano neighborhood to the David di Donatello awards, from neomelodic song to rap. With about 20 albums behind him, the repertoire to draw on is vast. The set list is not published.

Who Franco Ricciardi is: his biography

Franco Ricciardi, the stage name of Francesco Liccardo, was born in Naples on October 6, 1966. A singer-songwriter and actor, he has released about 20 studio albums and won two David di Donatello awards for best original song.

Miano and the beginnings

He was born in the Miano neighborhood and grew up in the area called Masseria Cardone, the seventh of eight children in a family of humble origins: his father Salvatore was a street vendor, his mother Rita a homemaker. He began performing at 11, at his parents' silver wedding anniversary, with Mario Merola's 'O treno d'o sole and Patrizio's Papà è Natale. After a few years of singing lessons, in 1985 he came second on the Rai program Clap Clap, and on October 15, 1986 he debuted with his first album, Nuova voce... Nuovo stile... Nuove avventure.

The 1990s

Meeting Gigi D'Alessio led in 1989 to the album Un salto nell'amore, which put him at the center of the Neapolitan public's attention. In 1993 Un ragazzo di via Marche paid homage to the street where he grew up and included the duet with Ida Rendano Levammo tutte cose a mieze, a catchy hit on the streets of Naples. On February 14, 1995 he sang at Palapartenope in front of about 6,000 spectators.

The turning point of Cuore nero

In 1996 the album Gesù o Barabba marked his break from the neomelodic genre. In 1997 came the collaboration with 99 Posse and the single Cuore nero, which previewed the album of the same name. Ricciardi was a guest on the Maurizio Costanzo Show, Unomattina and Red Ronnie's Help. In 1999 Animoscopia came out, with a sound clearly different from his previous work.

Theater and the label

In the 2000s he worked with Enzo Avitabile, Peppe Lanzetta, Marcello Colasurdo and Speaker Cenzou, and discovered theater: for the musical 167, Dall'aula al palcoscenico he composed the music and acted, in a show performed by young people from difficult areas around Naples, against school dropout. In 2009 he returned to Palapartenope in front of about 10,000 spectators and founded the independent label Cuore Nero Project, between Neapolitan song and rap, working with Club Dogo, Co'Sang and Clementino.

Gomorrah and the Manetti Bros.

In 2011 the album Zoom, produced by Rosario Castagnola, renewed his sound in an urban key and included A' storia e Maria, with Ivan Granatino, in the soundtrack of the series Gomorrah. In 2013 Autobus included A verità and Si m'o dicive primm, which went into the Manetti Bros. film Song'e Napule: in 2014 A verità won the David di Donatello for best original song. In 2018 Ricciardi acted in Ammore e malavita, again by the Manetti Bros., as the boss Gennaro, and with Bang Bang, sung with Serena Rossi, he won his second David, the Nastro d'argento and the Ciak d'oro.

From Mixtape to Blu

Between the end of 2011 and the start of 2012 Ricciardi released, with producer Rosario Castagnola and Ivan Granatino, the EP Mixtape, with Guè Pequeno, Jake La Furia, Clementino, Luchè and Thieuf. On March 18, 2012 he brought all those artists together in a concert at Teatro Tenda PalaPartenope. On April 23, 2013 Autobus came out, on CD and DVD, with the duet Le frasi dette ieri with Da Blonde, and on April 15, 2014 Figli e figliastri, 14 tracks with Guè Pequeno, Rocco Hunt, Clementino, Ivan Granatino, Lucariello and Enzo Dong. In 2016 he celebrated 30 years of career with friends and colleagues, including Maria Nazionale and Cinzia Oscar, and on April 28, 2017 Blu came out, distributed by Universal Music Italia, a record that reflects his Neapolitan roots.

Stadio Maradona

After the album JE, released on November 11, 2022, on June 10, 2023 Ricciardi sang at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in front of 40,000 people. The same year Leyla went into the soundtrack of Matteo Garrone's Io capitano, and in 2024 Primmavera and Treno luntane went gold. In 2025 Murì, over the closing credits of Nottefonda, was nominated for the Nastri d'argento.

Franco Ricciardi in the 2020s: from JE to Pop Medina

In the 2020s Franco Ricciardi has alternated collaborations with the new generation of Neapolitan rap, big open-air concerts and a return to theaters with the JE and Pop Medina tours.

With the young rappers

In 2020 he worked with Armouann on T'arricuord, with Braco on Ammore Arsenico, with Vale Lambo and Peppe Soks, and with Boomdabash on the single Nun tenimme paura. The same year Gigi D'Alessio wanted him on two tracks of his album Buongiorno. In 2021 came 'O Ssaje and Puortame a mare, presented for the first time at Naples Pride, where Ricciardi was a guest.

Arena Flegrea and Plebiscito

On July 2, 2022 he sang at Arena Flegrea in Naples, sold out two months in advance. On September 21 he returned to the same arena and sold out again in less than 10 days. The same year Sal Da Vinci, Ricciardi and Andrea Sannino starred in Nanà, la Napoli degli ultimi romantici, a project for the theaters of the city and province. On New Year's Eve 2023 he closed the year-end concert in Piazza del Plebiscito.

The JE theater tour

2024 opened with the theater tour of the album JE, which sold out. The music video for Statte accorte collects moments from that tour. In November Viernarí came out, a tribute to Friday written with D-Ross, Startuffo and Lucariello. After the collapse of the Vela Celeste in Scampia, Ricciardi got personally involved, bringing food and basic necessities to the evacuated families.

Toward Pop Medina

On May 9, 2025 the music video for Pop Medina came out, the second single from the new album. The theater tour named after it came to Rome a first time on February 2, 2026, at Teatro Parioli, and returns to the city on April 16, 2027 at Teatro Italia: a Friday, like the one celebrated in Viernarí.

Franco Ricciardi's awards

Franco Ricciardi has won two David di Donatello awards, a Nastro d'argento, a Globo d'oro and a Ciak d'oro, all linked to songs written for film.

Song'e Napule

In 2014 A verità, from the Manetti Bros. film Song'e Napule, won the David di Donatello for best original song and the best original song award at the Capri, Hollywood International Film Festival. The same year Ricciardi received the Globo d'oro for the film's best music.

Ammore e malavita

In 2018 Bang Bang, sung with Serena Rossi in Ammore e malavita, won the David di Donatello, the Nastro d'argento and the Ciak d'oro for best original song.

Nottefonda

In 2025 Murì, sung over the closing credits of Giuseppe Miale Di Mauro's Nottefonda, was nominated for the Nastri d'argento for best original song.

A curious fact about Franco Ricciardi, Pop Medina at Teatro Italia, April 16, 2027

The nicest curious fact in Franco Ricciardi's career concerns his debut. The boy from Miano, seventh of eight children, sang in public for the first time at 11, at the party for his parents' silver wedding anniversary, choosing two songs that say a lot about the working-class Naples of those years: 'O treno d'o sole by Mario Merola, the king of sceneggiata, and Papà è Natale by Patrizio. Almost 50 years, about 20 studio albums and two David di Donatello awards have passed since that family party: a trajectory that starts from neighborhood song and arrives at art-house cinema and stadiums.

The second curious fact concerns a title. In 1993 Ricciardi called an album Un ragazzo di via Marche, after the street where he was born and raised. In 2019 a documentary on his life, premiered at the Ischia Film Festival, was titled So sempe chille, "I'm still the same guy." Pop Medina, which tells his life in a Mediterranean key, is the latest chapter of an autobiography in music the artist has never stopped writing.

Teatro Italia, a period hall in Nomentano

Teatro Italia is a period building in the Nomentano neighborhood, at Via Bari 18: construction began in 1928 to a design by architect Angiolo Mazzoni, and the theater opened on June 1, 1930 with a concert by Pietro Mascagni.

Mazzoni, Vodret and Selva

The design bears the signature of Angiolo Mazzoni, in collaboration with engineer Efisio Vodret and sculptor Attilio Selva, who combined elements of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. The work was funded directly by the railway administration and completed in just over two years.

From cinema to reopening

In the 1950s the theater was closed and became a cinema, the Universal. In February 2006 it was renovated and reopened as a theater under the direction of Pietro Longhi.

The hall today

The theater has a main hall with an orchestra and two balconies: the website gives 486 seats in the orchestra and 173 in the first balcony. There are also two multipurpose rooms, of about 80 and 45 seats, and a bar in the foyer that also serves food.

The numbers of a busy hall

The theater's website sums up its activity in two figures: 772 seats split among the three halls and more than 15 shows every month. It's a packed program, in which a Neapolitan song concert alternates in the same week with drama, dance, musicals and talks, for an audience that changes every night.

A varied program

Teatro Italia hosts drama, dance, concerts, musicals, experimental and foreign-language theater, as well as conferences, seminars and university lectures: a program in which a Neapolitan singer-songwriter's concert fits in naturally.

Something nobody tells you about Franco Ricciardi, Pop Medina at Teatro Italia, April 16, 2027

What is rarely said about Franco Ricciardi is how far ahead he was in bringing together Neapolitan song and rap. In 2009 he founded the independent label Cuore Nero Project, devoted to a new style of singing between Neapolitan and rap, and worked with Club Dogo, Co'Sang and Clementino. The 2011 and 2012 mixtape, with Guè Pequeno, Jake La Furia, Clementino and Luchè, and the 2014 album Figli e figliastri, with Rocco Hunt and Enzo Dong, are steps on a path that brought together different generations of Neapolitan music.

The second thing concerns theater, meaning the drama stage. Besides concerts, Ricciardi has long experience as an actor: the musical 167, Dall'aula al palcoscenico, broadcast on Rai 2, the musical Luna Nera in 2009, and in 2019 'O Bbene e 'O Mmale, a musical comedy directed by Donato Eremita in which he played a Camorra boss. The tour of that show was suspended in 2020 because of the health emergency. Stepping onto a theater stage is nothing new for him.

My tip for Franco Ricciardi, Pop Medina at Teatro Italia, April 16, 2027

My advice is to listen to the album Pop Medina in the days before the concert, and to catch up on at least three past tracks that tell Ricciardi's different lives: Cuore nero, from 1997, for the break from neomelodic song, A verità, from Song'e Napule, for film and the first David, and Bang Bang, with Serena Rossi, from Ammore e malavita. Arriving at Teatro Italia with this path in your ear helps you grasp how much the show is also an autobiography.

The second tip concerns your seat. The difference between the VIP front orchestra and the second balcony is €10: in our view, for a concert of songs in a period hall, the first balcony gives a good overall view at a middle price. The third concerns getting there: the theater is outside the ZTL and has a partner parking garage 200 meters away, but on Friday evening the neighborhood is congested. Metro B, Policlinico stop, remains the calmest choice.

How to get to Teatro Italia

Teatro Italia, at Via Bari 18, is about 450 meters from the Policlinico stop of Metro B and 600 meters from the Bologna stop, and is easy to reach by public transport from both Termini and Tiburtina stations.

By metro

Line B connects Termini with Policlinico and Bologna in a few minutes. From the Policlinico stop you reach the theater on foot in about five minutes, and from Piazza Bologna in a little longer.

By train

If you arrive by train at Tiburtina, take Metro B and get off at Bologna or Policlinico. From Termini, Metro B takes you to the theater in a few minutes.

By car

Teatro Italia is outside the limited traffic zones. The partner parking garage is at Via Como 60, 200 meters away, open until 1:00 at night, with a reduced rate of €3 an hour reserved for spectators. For information, the number given by the theater is 06 4958320.

By bus

The surface lines serving Nomentano and the Policlinico area often change routes and evening times: check them on the ATAC route planner before going out.

Another well-known fact, yet one rarely mentioned

It's well known that Franco Ricciardi has won two David di Donatello awards for best original song, with A verità in 2014 and Bang Bang in 2018, both from Manetti Bros. films. Less often mentioned is that his relationship with cinema didn't stop there: in 2009 he had debuted as an actor in I picciuli, in 2018 he played the boss Gennaro in Ammore e malavita, presented at the Venice Film Festival alongside Claudia Gerini, Carlo Buccirosso, Serena Rossi and Giampaolo Morelli, and in 2023 Leyla went into the soundtrack of Matteo Garrone's Io capitano and La notte di Ginko into that of the Manetti Bros.' Diabolik, chi sei?

A second rarely mentioned fact concerns television. With Andrea Sannino, Ricciardi wrote two consecutive theme songs for Domenica In: Un giorno eccezionale in 2022 and, in September 2026, a song named after the program itself, presented at the opening of the new edition on September 27. In 2019 he had sung the theme of Made in Sud with Rocco Hunt and Edoardo Bennato. The singer born in the alleys of Miano has become, without disowning anything, a familiar voice for the Sunday TV audience too.

The right photo to take at Franco Ricciardi, Pop Medina at Teatro Italia, April 16, 2027

The right photo is taken before the start, from the first balcony: Teatro Italia's period hall filling up, with the stage ready and the lights low. It's the image that tells the story of the place, a hall born in 1930 and brought back to theater in 2006. During the concert my advice is to take few shots and no flash, out of respect for the people sitting around you.

The second photo is taken outside, of the facade on Via Bari: the Art Nouveau and Art Deco elements of Angiolo Mazzoni's design, on which sculptor Attilio Selva collaborated, are the detail that sets this theater apart from any other hall. In the evening, with the sign lit, the facade looks its best.

The third is for song lovers: a moment during the encores, when the audience sings the best-known songs together with the artist. If there's an instant when the hall truly becomes the medina of the title, full of different voices, that's it.

Some important events that happened here in history

The history of Teatro Italia begins in 1928, when, after the relevant law was passed, construction began on the building designed by Angiolo Mazzoni with Efisio Vodret and Attilio Selva. The work, funded by the railway administration, was finished in just over two years.

On June 1, 1930 the theater was inaugurated with a formal ceremony and a concert by Pietro Mascagni. In the 1950s the hall closed as a theater and became a cinema, under the name Universal.

In February 2006 Teatro Italia was renovated and reopened as a theater under the direction of Pietro Longhi. Since then it has hosted drama, dance, concerts, musicals and foreign-language theater, as well as university lectures, conferences and seminars. On April 16, 2027 the hall on Via Bari welcomes Franco Ricciardi's Neapolitan song, almost 100 years after Mascagni's inaugural concert.

Who has passed through Franco Ricciardi, Pop Medina at Teatro Italia, April 16, 2027

Many names in Neapolitan and Italian music have passed through Franco Ricciardi's career. Gigi D'Alessio, with whom he made Un salto nell'amore and who wanted him on two tracks of his 2020 album Buongiorno, Ida Rendano, the voice of Levammo tutte cose a mieze, 99 Posse and Zulù, Enzo Avitabile, Peppe Lanzetta, Marcello Colasurdo, Ivan Granatino, his labelmate, and then Guè Pequeno, Jake La Furia, Clementino, Luchè, Rocco Hunt, Enzo Dong, Sal Da Vinci, Andrea Sannino and Boomdabash. In film, the Manetti Bros., Serena Rossi, Claudia Gerini and Matteo Garrone.

Since its inauguration, Teatro Italia has seen Pietro Mascagni and the leaders of the Associazione Nazionale present at the opening ceremony, then the audiences of the Universal cinema and, since 2006, drama and dance companies, musicians and university students. On April 16, 2027 it's the turn of the boy from Via Marche, with his journey between Naples and the Mediterranean.

What to see around Teatro Italia

Teatro Italia is in the Nomentano neighborhood, between Piazza Bologna and Policlinico Umberto I, in a part of Rome rich in greenery and 20th-century architecture.

Villa Torlonia

In the same area lies Villa Torlonia, with the Casino Nobile, the Casina delle Civette and the obelisks: an afternoon in the park is the most pleasant way to arrive at the concert.

Porta Pia and San Lorenzo

Toward the center, along Via Nomentana, you reach Porta Pia. On the other side of the Policlinico begin the university campus and the San Lorenzo neighborhood, with the basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura and the Verano cemetery.

Coppedè

If you have an extra hour you can go as far as the Coppedè district, with its fantastical architecture, a few bus stops away or a long walk.

Where to eat before or after the concert

Inside Teatro Italia, the foyer bar, according to the theater's website, also serves food: a convenient option if you are coming straight from work.

Piazza Bologna and around

Around Piazza Bologna and in the streets of Nomentano there are pizzerias, trattorias and bars frequented mostly by local residents and students. With a 21:00 start, dinner around 19:30 leaves time to arrive at leisure.

San Lorenzo after the concert

If you prefer to eat after the concert you can move toward San Lorenzo, the university neighborhood beyond the Policlinico, where on Friday night many places stay open late.

How to plan your evening at Teatro Italia

Franco Ricciardi's evening at Teatro Italia starts at 21:00 on a Friday: an evening that's easy to put together if you live in Rome or are coming from outside.

The afternoon

If you come to the city for the concert, you can spend the afternoon at Villa Torlonia or on a walk between Porta Pia and Via Nomentana, and reach the theater by Metro B or on foot.

Arriving

Arriving around 20:30 lets you stop at the foyer bar and take your seat calmly. If you come by car and use the partner garage on Via Como, ask the theater how to get the rate reserved for spectators.

Getting back

Check the time of the last Metro B train on the ATAC website before going out. Alternatively, the partner garage is open until 1:00.

Accessibility and practical information

Teatro Italia is a period hall with an orchestra and two balconies: if you have accessibility needs, contact the theater before buying to find out which seats are most comfortable.

Arriving on time

Arriving half an hour early lets you park calmly, stop at the foyer bar and sit down without rushing. The length of the concert is not published.

With kids

A concert of songs in a theater, with seats, is an evening suited to kids too, especially those who know Ricciardi from TV themes or film soundtracks. For young children the 21:00 time is late.

Mid-April in Rome

The April 16 concert falls on a spring Friday, when Roman evenings are mild and the city is full of visitors.

The weather

In mid-April evening temperatures are generally pleasant, but when you leave the theater a light layer is useful.

A weekend in Rome

If you are coming from outside, perhaps from Naples, you can make the concert the start of a Roman weekend: Villa Torlonia on Saturday morning, San Lorenzo in the evening, the historic center a few metro stops away. In spring, book trains and accommodation in good time.

Frequently asked questions about Franco Ricciardi in Rome

When does Franco Ricciardi play Rome?

Franco Ricciardi plays Rome on Friday, April 16, 2027 at 21:00 at Teatro Italia, Via Bari 18, with the Pop Medina Tour. It is a single date, organized by PG Production.

How much are tickets for Franco Ricciardi at Teatro Italia?

Full-price tickets for Franco Ricciardi at Teatro Italia cost €43 in VIP front orchestra, €38 in front orchestra, €35 in the first balcony and €33 in the second balcony on the authorized presale network, plus fees.

What is Pop Medina?

Pop Medina is the album Franco Ricciardi released in 2025 and the show named after it: it blends elements of Neapolitan and Arab culture, with the medina recalling old towns, and tells the artist's life.

Where is Teatro Italia and how do you get there?

Teatro Italia is at Via Bari 18, in the Nomentano neighborhood, about 450 meters from the Policlinico stop and 600 meters from the Bologna stop of Metro B. It's outside the ZTL and has a partner parking garage at Via Como 60.

Is there parking near Teatro Italia?

Teatro Italia has a partner parking garage at Via Como 60, 200 meters away, open until 1:00 at night, with a reduced rate of €3 an hour reserved for spectators. The number given is 06 4958320.

Who is Franco Ricciardi?

Franco Ricciardi, the stage name of Francesco Liccardo, born in Naples in 1966, is a singer-songwriter and actor with about 20 studio albums. He has won two David di Donatello awards for best original song, with A verità and Bang Bang, from Manetti Bros. films.

Has Franco Ricciardi won awards?

Franco Ricciardi has won two David di Donatello awards for best original song, with A verità from Song'e Napule in 2014 and Bang Bang from Ammore e malavita in 2018, as well as a Nastro d'argento, a Globo d'oro and a Ciak d'oro.

My final tip on Franco Ricciardi at Teatro Italia

Franco Ricciardi's concert at Teatro Italia is, in our view, the chance to hear one of the most versatile Neapolitan artists of the last 40 years in a period hall: from neomelodic song to rap, from TV themes to the David di Donatello, up to the Mediterranean of Pop Medina. My advice is to choose the first balcony, take Metro B to Policlinico and treat yourself to a walk in Villa Torlonia first. If you are coming from Naples you'll find an audience that sings along. If you don't know him, you'll discover a voice that has crossed genres and generations.

Article written by the editorial team of Tour Leader Pro, contact them for Private/Corporate/V.I.P. Tours and Experiences.

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