This is the Italian American Podcast and, in this episode, we’re talking to the very talented singer, dancer, percussionist, director and author, Alessandra Belloni. We talk about really interesting topics focused around some of the Southern Italian tradition of tarantism.

“The “bite of the tarantula” was a myth applied to a condition familiar to women through the centuries who experienced abuse, repressed sexuality, powerlessness, and the feeling of being “caught in a web that binds them.” Sufferers, known as “tarantate,” endure “tarantismo,” a lethal mixture of depression, loneliness, and oppression.” – Alessandra Belloni