This Festival was inaugurated by maestro Giancarlo Menotti in 1958. It runs from the end of June through to the middle of July and is based in Spoleto. The Festival of the Two Worlds is for sure one of the most important and popular cultural events on the international scene. It is truly international in its choice both of programmes and artists. It offers a whole host of events of outstanding quality ranging from ballet to lyrical opera, from concerts of chamber music and symphonic orchestras to prose. There are also art exhibitions of both an official and non official nature, including film exhibitions and conferences. The success of the various yearly editions has been placed in the hands of both internationally renowned artists and younger emerging talents for whom the Festival has often been a true debut and real consecration to the world of the arts. This Festival has always known how to propose and blend cultures and schools regularly held to be rather distant from one another. This particularity has conferred the Festival of the Two Worlds with a truly innovating character which has been a vector in generating similar festivals both in Italy and abroad. The Festival offices can be found in via del Duomo.

The inception of this prestigious institution follwed the "Congressi di studi Longobardi" held in 1951. It is promoted by the Accademia Spoletina which has for centuries been promoting cultural events within the city of Spoleto. The Centre holds a "Settimana di Studi" (a week's conference) every year during which scholars of international acclaim hold public debates and discussions on topics previously chosen which vary from year to year but always concering the life, customs and knowledge of the early Middle Ages. The outcome of these learned workshops is published in specific proceedings (Atti). The growing importance and consequent acclaim that this cultural event has accrued over the years with scholars and those generally interested constitute a point of pride for both all of Italy and, of course, Spoleto in particular. The Seat of the Centro is the seventeenth century Palazzo Ancaiani in piazza della Libertà.

The Teatro Lirico Sperimentale is an institution founded in 1947 thanks to the initiative of the lawyer and musicologist Adriano Belli. The institution stives to provide an opportunity for young promising singers to debut in the profession of lyric theatre. The Teatro Lirico Sperimentale is an institution founded in 1947 thanks to the initiative of the lawyer and musicologist Adriano Belli. The institution stives to provide an opportunity for young promising singers to debut in the profession of lyric theatre. The choice of the operas to be staged is dictated by the vocal capacities of the singers themselves. The singers must, however, be able to successfully confront three different eras of opera production: seventeenth and eighteenth century, nineteenth century and twentieth century. The Teatro Lirico Sperimentale has recently widened its range by instituting the International competition for new operas of chamber music, Orpheus. This is held once every two years. The Orchestra of the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale of Spoleto, OTLiS, is made up of the young trained musicians who are chosen in a national and European competition and who have attended the training course for orchestra teachers organised by the Teatro Lirico itself. The "Sperimentale" has enjoyed the collaboration over the years of prestigious teachers and directors. It has proven to be a source of "bel canto". Indeed many well known names of international acclaim actually started their careers by winning, studying and debuting in Spoleto. The seat of the institution is in piazza Sordini.