tarantella

thumb|upright=1.2|Tarantella rhythm Tarantella () is a group of various southern Italian folk dances originating in the regions of Calabria, Campania, Sicilia, and Apulia. It is characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, usually in time (sometimes or ), accompanied by tambourines. It is among the most recognized forms of traditional southern Italian music. The specific dance-name varies with every region, for instance sonu a ballu in Calabria, tammurriata in Campania, and pizzica in Salento. Tarantella is popular in southern Italy, Greece, and Malta. The term may appear as tarantello in a linguistically masculine construction.

==History== thumb|Italian girl dancing the tarantella, 1846 thumb|Italians in Naples dancing the tarantella The present southern part of Italy was not part of a single country until the mid to late 19th century. The place was a colony of ancient Greece, and even Napoli comes from the Greek word Neapolis, which means 'New City'. Before the unification of Italy, it was part of the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily ("Sikelia" is the original name of this island as a colony of Ancient Greece), and later the Kingdom of Two Sicilies when the two reigns merged. Before the unification of Italy, it was ruled by Spain and briefly by Austria. There was the ancient Greek city of Tarantas found by Spartans.