by InTrieste
The seaside resort’s final week of August blends athletic competition, live music, family events and outdoor wellness, led by the Grado Olympic Triathlon.
As summer begins its gradual transition toward September, the Adriatic resort of Grado is keeping the season alive with a packed calendar of cultural and sporting events.
From August 26 to 30, the town—often known as the Island of the Sun—will host concerts, literary talks, family activities and beachside wellness experiences, culminating in the Grado Olympic Triathlon, which is expected to attract about 700 athletes.
The week opens on Wednesday, August 26, with the final edition of #PaperBeach26, a series of historical and literary conversations dedicated to Grado and its lagoon. Historian Cristiano Meneghel and Marco Giovanetti will explore stories of spies and the figures who shaped the region’s past.
Families are also invited to the Civic Library’s terrace for “Mi sembra di vedere le stelle” (“It Feels Like I Can See the Stars”), an evening of softly lit readings and creative workshops for children.
Later that evening, the waterfront promenade of Diga Nazario Sauro becomes an open-air stage for Canto Libero, a tribute to the iconic songwriting partnership of Lucio Battisti and Mogol. Rather than recreating the original recordings, the ensemble offers fresh arrangements that highlight the rock and blues influences within some of Italy’s best-loved songs.
Music continues on Thursday, August 27, with The Carnival of the Animals, part of the Musica a 4 Stelle festival. As night falls, the beach will host Full Moon Yoga, inviting participants to practice movement and meditation beside the sea.
The week’s centerpiece arrives on Saturday, August 29, when the Grado Olympic Triathlon transforms the coastal town into one of the region’s premier sporting venues. Starting and finishing at Parco delle Rose, competitors will complete a classic Olympic-distance course: 1.5 kilometers of swimming in the Adriatic, 38 kilometers of cycling across the flat surrounding landscape and 10 kilometers of running along Grado’s waterfront.
The event is designed not only as a competition but also as a showcase of Grado’s natural setting, with spectators able to follow much of the race from the shoreline and town center.
Saturday also marks the opening of “Mare Aperto | Dal Confine all’Orizzonte” (“Open Sea | From Border to Horizon”), an international contemporary art exhibition at the former Cinema Cristallo, presented as part of the Borderland / Orizzonti cultural project.
The evening concludes with a performance by Perpetuum Jazzile, the internationally acclaimed Slovenian vocal orchestra. Known for its intricate a cappella arrangements, the ensemble has built a global following through inventive interpretations of artists ranging from Toto and ABBA to Lady Gaga and the Bee Gees, using only the human voice to recreate the sound of a full orchestra.
