Composer Hector Berlioz wrote, in 1832, “The pipers come down from the wild mountains of Abruzzi to play their rustic instruments in front of images of the Madonna. They wear a long cape in dark cloth, and a pointed hat like that of brigands”.

In Milan, the zampognari are to Christmas music in the same way as panettone is to the Christmas menu. The piercing sounds of the zampogna, a sort of bagpipe, and the ciaramella, a short reed pipe, can be heard on the streets of Milan from about 10^th December up until Christmas. These musicians generally come from the Molise district and they are often dressed to match with hat, cape and tunic, but according to latest reports, the tradition is gradually disappearing because there are no young craftsmen learning how to make the zampogna, which is in fact very different to Spanish, French, Scottish and Irish bagpipes. The music consists of traditional Christmas songs, in which the ciaramella plays the main theme while the zampogna provides harmony and rhythm – though often the ciaramella pauses to leave space for the zampagnaro’s virtuoso technique.
(see snap shot)