Do you like summer evenings dedicated to live music, open air shows and lifestyle? Take note of these 8 not to be missed events this summer on the Côte d’Azur and in Liguria and Tuscany.

CÔTE AZUR

Les rencontres de la photographie, from 4 July to 25 September, brings the biggest names in photography to Arles, which also becomes a springboard for new talents. From 9 July to 11 August, Monte-Carlo Sporting Summer Festival returns in Monaco with Jeff Beck, special guest Johnny Depp (9/7), Pink Martini (13/7) who will perform at the Opera Garnier Monte-Carlo, Alicia Keys (18/7) in the Place du Casino Monte-Carlo for the Monegasque Red Cross Gala, and the dinner-shows, including Queen Machine Symphonic (23/7) for the Fight Aids Monaco evening, followed by Christina Aguilera (29/7), Gianna Nannini (7/8), and Oriental Night with Myriam Fares (11/8). If jazz is your scene, go and discover the world’s first-ever jazz festival, the Nice Jazz Festival, held annually at the Théâtre de Verdure and in Place Masséna, this year from 15 to 19 July. For the more romantic, on the other hand, there is the Lavender Festival in Aix-en-Provence at the beginning of August.

LIGURIA

Until 29 July, the Nervi Music Ballet Festival brings ballet, opera, music and beauty to the Nervi Parks and Villa Grimaldi Fassio, among the most enchanting spots in Genoa, with a programme of stars, including dancer Roberto Bolle on 27 July.

TUSCANY

This year the Lucca Summer Festival will be back from 6 to 26 July. Not to be missed shows include Liam Gallagher- Kasabian (6/7), Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (14/7), Ben Harper (17/7) and Paolo Conte (26/7). Andrea Bocelli is in concert on 28 July at the Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, Pisa. The Puccini Festival at the Gran Teatro all’Aperto in Torre del Lago, dedicated to the works of the great Lucca-born maestro, will feature Madama Butterfly (15 and 30/7, 6/8), Tosca (16 and 29/7, 13 and 26/8), Turandot (23/7, 5, 12, 20/8), La rondine (19 and 27/8 and one of the greatest musicals of all time, Notre Dame de Paris (8-10/8).