When the sun-kissed beaches and idyllic landscapes of Puglia beckon, it’s time to embark on a soul-stirring journey. As you plan your perfect summer vacation in our picturesque corner of Italy, give our handpicked #PugliaPerfect playlist a listen. Songs selected by us to get you in the mood for adventure and to keep you company on those road trips around Puglia. Tunes we hope will turn your travels into melodic memories.
Igniting Wanderlust with Rhythmic Anthems:
There’s nothing quite like the feeling as you hit the open road. Our #PugliaPerfect playlist is the perfect companion as you head toward any one of our favourite Puglia destinations – perhaps our own favourite Puglia road trip, the coastal drive from Otranto to Santa Maria di Leuca:
Melodies that Sync with the Coastal Beauty:
Puglia’s exquisite coastline is dotted with golden beaches, rugged cliffs, and crystal-clear waters. Our #PugliaPerfect playlist include songs to transport you to the beach. You can soak in the coastal beauty at any one of 50 of Puglia’s best beaches.
Cultural Harmony through Local Music:
Embrace the essence of Puglia by exploring its local music scene. Immerse yourself in the region’s rich cultural heritage through traditional folk songs and authentic tunes. Delight your senses with the vibrant sounds of the pizzica and pizzicata, our traditional music and dance. Indulge in the melodious voices of local musicians (including some friends) celebrating their heritage.
Creating Timeless Memories:
As you venture through the charming towns and historic landmarks of Puglia, capture each moment with a musical backdrop that resonates with your experiences. Melodies have the power to evoke emotions and etch memories deep into our hearts. Whenever you hear those songs again, they will transport you back to the sun-dappled streets of Ostuni or the olive groves of Valle d’Itria. We hope our #PugliaPerfect playlist will become your time capsule, preserving the timeless memories of your Puglia vacation.
Nel blu dipinto di blu – why these songs:
Volare | Domenico Modugno
The Italian title is actually “Nel blu dipinto di blu” but of course everyone better knows it as “Volare”.
No Puglia playlist would be complete without this song. Domenico Modugno, singer of the original version and co-writer, is from Polignano a Mare. And although the song is not about Polignano, it could easily be: “flying in the blu painted blu”. Stretch out your arms as you look over Lama Monachile out on the Adriatic where sky meets sea and you will know exactly what we mean.
The most famous song never to have won the Eurovision Song Contest (it came 3rd in 1958), Modugno is celebrated in his home town. The lyrics hang over Via Roma, there’s the Modugno beach, the Modugno steps and the statue featuring him in his most famous pose, arms outstretched, flying in the blu painted blu.
A San Rocco | Davide Ambrogio
Davide is a multi-instrumentalist from a small town of 300 in Calabria. We know him from some of the projects he has curated locally.
Vieni a Ballare in Puglia | Caparezza
A catchy song – come to dance in Puglia – but completely unflattering! Choice lyrics include comments on industrial accidents caused by relaxed to non-existent health and safety standards, cancer causing pollution in Taranto and the exploitation of illegal immigrants etc, etc..
“You keep your head up when you pass by the crane / because it might just detach and fall down
Hey, tourist this land sends you to chaos. / You want to breathe the iodine in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas / but here in the golf stinks of sulphur, ’cause the devil is about to come.
Tanning because of the dioxin produced by ILVA.
In the area they sell the best death / You can find there the one who smoked poison at ENI / the one who worked and went in a coma.
Even Gargano smokes with all those forests on fire.Tourist, you dance and sing while I count the dead people of this country”.
“It’s true, here we throw parties, people are depressed and wasted./ I have a friend who had to get a job in a factory in order to be able to commit suicide
Between a stake that falls and tube that blows up / in that bedlam those who work get bumped off and those who don’t, buy drugs .
‘Come and dance’ in the tomatoes fields / the Mafia enslaves the workers, and if you rise against you get out./ Romanians piled in cubby-holes like peeled tomatoes in cans.”
Here’s one of the reasons why:
La Leggenda Di Cristalda E Pizzomunno | Max Gazzè
A beautiful song about one of Puglia’s saddest legends. Pizzomunno – the solitary rock that sits on Vieste’s shore. The handsome fisherman was left broken hearted after jealous sea sirens took his beautiful lover away, his heavy heart turned him to stone. But once every 100 years he is allowed to return to human form and is reunited with Cristalda.
Gallipoli | Beirut
Our only song in English evocative of Gallipoli, the fishing town on the Ionian coast across from Lecce.
Il mio mondo | Umberto Bindi
There is no direct connection with Puglia, but the lyrics make us think of our home.
“Il mio giorno è cominciato in te. La mia notte mi verrà da te.” (My day starts with you. My night will come to you).
Umberto Bindi’s story is tragic. He was a famous artist at the start of the 1960s. But he was gay and when exposed he was rejected by friends and abandoned by the public. It is considered that this song was written, with love, for his same sex partner and longtime companion.
Fai rumore | Diodato
Diodato is originally from Taranto. With a great name translating as “god given”.
L’appuntamento | Ornella Vanoni
La Vanoni is an Italian legend. Almost 90 years old and still going (with a career going back to the 1950s).
These days she often appears confused until she sings. Then her talent and star status take over as she slips seamlessly into performance.
She sings this song from 1970 with such ease. Her voice fills us with emotion.
Gloria | Umberto Tozzi
You didn’t realise that Laura Branigan’s 1894 hit “Gloria” was a cover of a 1979 song written by Italian singer-songwriters Giancarlo Bigazzi and Umberto Tozzi? Now you do.
A far l’amore comincia tu | Raffaella Carrà
If you live in Europe you will probably know the song. In 1979 it became a big national and international hit, being translated into several languages including Spanish, German, French and English (“Do It, Do It Again”). The latter was Carrà’s only entry on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 9. In 2008, a video of a performance of “Do It, Do It Again” appeared in the Doctor Who episode “Midnight”.
Musica leggerissima | Colapesce, Dimartino
Italy’s Sanremo music contest usually has two winners. Those placing first (the 2021 festival was won by Måneskin with the song “Zitti e buoni”; their victory earned them the right to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, which they went on to win). But there’s usually another “popular” winner that gets the most airplay. The song we heard all summer long on the radio was “Musica leggerissima”.