We most commonly call it pizzica, tarantella but it’s also known as taranta.  It is the hypnotic, mesmerizing music of Salento, in Puglia, with varieties of its dramatic rhythm – and of the dance style that goes with it – popular also in other areas of our South, especially in Campania.

While Italophiles and Italians all over the world are familiar with this music and dancing style, not many may know its fascinating history, which delves deep into mysterious rituals of catharsis and religion. Even fewer people are probably aware that a study on its development and social role, carried out by Ernesto de Martino in the 1950s, became the foundation of Italy’s modern cultural anthropology.