The folk and cultural association "Ittiri Cannedu" comes from the village of Ittiri in the northwest of Sardinia. For the RFI, they will be accompanied by six Sardinian polyphonic singers from the group "Cunsonu Santu Juanne de Thiesi". Having learned the basics of canto a tenore from the village elders, these singers perform emblematic pieces such as boghe notte, dillu or gosos but also written or improvised poems by Sardinian poets.
After the Second World War, Sardinia experienced a massive shift from artisanal and agricultural activities, such as sheep farming, to industrial activities, thus endangering the preservation of the traditional culture. In the 70s, a group of young people from Ittiri launched an initiative to save the regional cultural heritage. Through extensive research in libraries and in the field, and with the contribution of the elders, guardians of the collective memory, these young people revived the traditional music and dance of their region.
The group faithfully reproduces the popular music and dances of the whole of Sardinia, in particular of the region of Logudoro and Ittiri. Ittiri Cannedu presents a repertoire of authentic style, accompanied by a diatonic accordion, a guitar and a pipirilolu, a fife related to the famous launeddas. The group's costumes are impressively rich. The group's costumes are impressively rich, including Sa buttonera, an ornament of 20 silver buttons hanging from the sleeves of the women's jackets.
