Italy - The Caffaro Valley

The musical tradition in the Caffaro Valley, sited in the north-east Alps of Lombardy, in the province of Brescia, is featured as one of the most interesting fiddle traditions all over Northern Italy. It is still alive and in progress since it is closely linked to the rite of Carnival.
The fiddle repertoire in the Caffaro Valley was made of twenty-four ritual dances, which were similar both in the villages of Ponte Caffaro and Bagolino.
Since the second half of the 70s, other dances no longer in use were reintroduced notified by Marcello Buccio (1912-1978), Costante Cosi (1917-1988), fiddlers of the old Fellowships, and Stefano Bordiga (born 1931), still a member nowadays .
Despite some differences in harmonizations, the tunes are still quite the same in the two villages.
Here is the old LP published by the Lombardy Administration, containing recordings made in Bagolino in the year 1972

Out-of-print

Regione Lombardia Vol.4 - La musica del carnevale di Bagolino

Here is the Bagolino Carnival in the year 2000




And here is the Carnival in the hamlet of Ponte Caffaro in 1993