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Mood music for Rome

I like to create playlists of music from the country I’ll be visiting. This autumn, I’ll be taking the Best of Rome tour and also spending a day in Florence. I already have some Italian singers/bands in my iTunes from when I took the Best of Europe tour, but not really enough to create a worthwhile playlist. So, I’d love recommendations for tunes that evoke Italy. The decade, genre, and artist’s nationality don’t matter, nor whether the song is in Italian or English.

Basically, I want to know what you’d put on your own playlist for a trip to Rome. I’ve received great recommendations when I’ve asked this same question for other countries, so I’m hoping I’ll get some terrific ideas for Italy too.

Grazie!

Posted by
11316 posts

Laura Pausini, Jovanotti, Andrea Bocelli, Mina, and a little Zucchero.

Posted by
5581 posts

Opera. Try Pandora. You can pick Italian music as a genre and then it will play songs for you. Write down the names of your favorites. If you give it feedback it will make an attempt to tailor the music towards your taste. Its free if you don't mind putting up with commercials. I've used Pandora to give me Christmas Music and French and Italian or Mardi Gras. I sometimes will match the music to what I'm making for dinner, just for fun.

Posted by
1321 posts

From the movie soundtrack, Il Postino

Or Cinema Paradiso

Posted by
4140 posts

Listen to the work of one of the greats - Nino Rota . The compositions he wrote for Fellini are spectacular !! " La Strada " and " Amarcord " are two of my favorites , and need I mention his score for " The Godfather " ? Much more , look at it all https://youtu.be/m9FPo4eiBCg

Posted by
880 posts

There’s a great app called Radiooooo that’s basically Pandora but by country and decade. You can get a feel for Italy from the 1920s onward. A little 60’s rock and roll might suit a scramble through Rome.

Posted by
468 posts

Thanks keeping track of this for our upcoming Rome trip. Thanks for posting

Posted by
54 posts

Every year Italy has a Eurovision-like contest at the resort town of Sanremo and one song wins. It's been going since the 1950s and some of the winners have been Volare and Al Di La and Quando Quando Quando. There's nothing better to get you in a Retro Rome mood than listening to some of those songs and watching Roman Holiday and Three Coins in a Fountain.

Posted by
32206 posts

Teresa,

Mamma Mia, where to begin! There are a lot of songs to choose from. You could make two or three different playlists, depending on what mood you want to create at the time (ie: easy listening, upbeat or whatever). It's difficult to make suggestions without knowing anything about your taste in music, genre, era, etc. However here are a number of suggestions (I used YouTube videos as the visuals are nice to see too).....

There are many others, but this list should provide a few ideas.

Posted by
908 posts

Thank you!! Your suggestions give me a lot to look at and listen to.

(As for "Mambo Italiano," I love kitschy songs!)

Posted by
59 posts

Adriano Celentano
Toto Cutugno
Ricky e Poveri
Pupo
Riccardo Fogli
Matia Bazaar
Drunk
Claudia Lori
Viola Valentino
Al Bano & Romina Power

Posted by
336 posts

Fun topic, I love it!! Probably not a song you want on your playlist, but this now reminds me of Rome. This street performer must play this song all day every day because we heard him twice last September and twice again last May. If you walk from Navona to Trevi to Pantheon enough, you will hear him too... He plays "Nothing Else Maters" from Metalica. He's good too!!!

Now, I am going to download Mambo Italiano!!!

Posted by
4140 posts

Lane , wonderful music , to be sure , but perhaps a bit too advanced for the average listener ? I think we are outnumbered here . While we are on this topic , how about The Botticelli Triptych , even though it is really Florentine ?

Posted by
4140 posts

Lane , I just listened to the Pines . WOW !! Scary to hear young musicians play like that .

Posted by
7737 posts

I'm a huge fan of Italian pop. My favorite singers are Tiziano Ferro, Nek, Biagio Antonacci. They're all over Youtube. But if you're into kitsch, there's a good CD called Putumayo Presents: Italian Cafe, available through Amazon. Here's the songlist:
Disc: 1
1. Juke Box - Fred Buscaglione
2. Un Bacio A Mezzanotte - Quartetto Cetra
3. Cannelloni - Giorgio Conte
4. Che Cosse L'Amor - Vinicio Capossela
5. Petali E Mirto - Maria Pierantoni Giua
6. Gne Gne - Giorgio Conte
7. Piccolissima Serenata - Renato Carosone
8. Dentro Al Cinema - Gianmaria Testa
9. Le Cose In Comune - Daniele Silvestri
10. Tu Vuo' Fa' L'americano - Quadro Nuevo
11. La Traiettorie Delle Mongolfiere - Gianmaria Testa
12. Carina - Nicola Arigliano

Posted by
545 posts

This is such a great topic and responses. Excellent idea to use Pandora. I'm going to Italy in the fall and just hope I have enough time to listen to all the suggestions!

Posted by
908 posts

"Dean Martin's "That's Amore" ;)"

But of course! Thanks, everyone. These are marvelous and I've a fun weekend ahead of me! :)

Posted by
3161 posts

The Three Tenors original album, Frank Sinatra, a couple of Rossini overtures (think William Tell and the the Lone Ranger), more Dean Martin, Volare by Domenico Mudugno.

Posted by
1698 posts

My fav CD, a compilation called Italy After Dark, Italia Nostalgica.

Posted by
1046 posts

Respighi's The Fountains of Rome and also The Pines of Rome.
Movie soundtrack to "Rome Adventure"

It's truly amazing when the sites and the sounds coincide!

Posted by
54 posts

"Movie soundtrack to "Rome Adventure""

I second this nomination! We watched Rome Adventure last week -- we are watching all the Rome-related movies we can find in advance of our August trip -- and it was surprisingly entertaining. The plot is predictable and the acting is indifferent, but the scenery and cinematography, and the music, are just spectacular. I am still humming Al Di La in my head all day after a week. An unexpected treat.