Music you absolutely need to listen to before your trip to Piemonte

Paola

Paola is the one that always knows where you should go on holiday next.

06 Jun 19

Before a trip, I love to research for some music from the place I'm going to visit.

I know you already found a lot about Italian artists, but what do you know about the music from Piemonte?

So take your time, relax, and follow me: we will go through jazz, hard rock, popular music and reggae.

My advice is to take it as a suggestion, and then go on discovering more songs from the artists you will find here.

This is my personal top 10, it’s the music you absolutely need to listen to before, or during, your trip to Piemonte.

1. Subsonica

Subsonica, electronic rock band from the 90s, is one of my favourites. Other great songs are Tutti i miei sbagli, Dormi, Incantevole, Disco Labirinto.

2. Paolo Conte

Yes, he's from Asti, and he's ours! Paolo Conte is incredible, expressive, strong and elegant. Too many great songs from him, impossible to choose. So here I decided to put this live version of Via con me. but before your trip to Piemonte you should also listen at least to Diavolo Rosso, a song about the legendary cyclist from Asti from the beginning of last century. Remember that, because we will introduce the grandson of the Diavolo Rosso to you during our Minibus Tours in Monferrato.

3. Gipo Farassino

Unforgettable poet of the 'barriera' (this is how we call the suburbs), Farassino is part of our tradition. He wrote both in italian and in our dialect. French music lovers should listen to Porta Pila, they will certainly undestand why after the first 30 seconds. My favourite one is Serenata ciucaluna, where a drunk guy mourns over the marriage of the girl he loves with a dumb guy, but here you are Sangon Blues, a song about a nifty dancing club next to the river Sangone, that my father always sang to us.

4. Fred Buscaglione

100% piedmontese is this classy singer from the 50s, with his character of a clumsy mobster Chicago style. His masterpieces are: Teresa, Eri piccola così, Che bambola, and my favourite Guarda che luna. Here you are il Dritto di Chicago, in my opinion the song that represents the spirit of this great singer.

5. Africa Unite

Yes, still some more stuff from the 90s, I told you this was my personal top ten, and I was 17 in 1995, when this song, Scegli, came out from this piemontese reggae group, and I love it. You should also listen to Il Partigiano John, about the Italian resistance movement agains fascism, that reminds us the famous book from Beppe Fenoglio, il Partigiano Johhny.

6. Ludovico Einaudi

Pianist and composer, known all around the world, Ludovico Einaudi comes from a very important family from Torino. His grandfather was the first official president of the Italia Republic in 1948.

His music is pure poetry. Here you will find him playing in the Arctic for Greenpeace.

7. Gianmaria Testa

Born in Cuneo, self taught guitarist, this great author had an ordinary job at the Italian Railways while he had already performed at the Olympia in Paris. Simple, quiet, poetic and sweet, he died in 2016 in Castiglione Falletto, in the Langhe region.

My suggestion is to go to his website to discover his life and his work. This is really a voice from Piemonte.

8. Eugenio in via Di Gioia

I just discovered them, thanks to their incredible video, and I love them:

9. Lou Dalfin

Coming from the Occitan part of Piemonte, the alpine valleys between France and Italy, Lou Dalfin keeps alive ancient traditions playing unusual instruments like the ghironda. They sing in their peculiar language, Languedoc, and their music is engaging and strong. Here you are a sample:

10. Some more random stuff

If you want to travel into the music from Piemonte, you should also check out outher artists like Mau mau, Marlene Kuntz, Linea 77, Statuto. Here you can find a song from the famous duo Righeira, directly from the 80s when they were incredibly famous: