Pizzica

Pizzica (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpittsika]) is a popular Italian folk dance, originally from the Salento peninsula in Apulia and later spreading throughout the rest of Apulia and the regions of Calabria and eastern Basilicata.

The couple need not necessarily involve two individuals of opposite sexes, and often two women can be seen dancing together.

The most important book about pizzica and tarantism is The Land of Remorse, written by the Italian philosopher, anthropologist and historian of religions Ernesto de Martino.

[1] There are several traditional pizzica groups, the oldest being Officina Zoé, Uccio Aloisi gruppu, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, and I Tamburellisti di Torrepaduli.

Some of them include Stewart Copeland, Franco Battiato, Gianna Nannini, Raiz, Lucio Dalla, and Carmen Consoli.