Trani, the city of Astor Piazzolla

The town of Trani is now a destination for international tourism, famous for its Cathedral jutting out into the sea, imposing Swabian Castle and delightful harbor, as well as for the important cultural events held here. These include the Trani Dialogues, which involve authoritative Italian intellectuals every year, and the International Trani Tango, which attracts fans from all over the world under the auspices of a distinguished “Trani citizen”-Astor Piazzolla.

The grandfather of the famous Argentine composer and accordionist, Pantaleone Piazzolla, left from here for Mar del Plata, where in 1921 Astor would be born

Trani: the journey of Astor Piazzolla’s roots.

Since the 1980s, the city of Trani has been committed to enhancing its connection with the author of “Libertango,” who returned to his homeland in 1987 along the footsteps of ancestral sounds, welcomed with full honors.

On September 6 of that year, still moved by his own journey of roots, he would utter a phrase that became famous in a memorable concert in New York’s Central Park: “My name is Astor Piazzolla, I was born in Argentina, I was raised in New York and my parents come from Trani, Italy.”

That bond would be kept alive in the years to come, even after the composer’s passing: in fact, in February 2020 the City of Trani conferred honorary citizenship on Laura Escalada Piazzolla, the artist’s second wife, while in July 2023 his nephew, Daniel “Pipi” Piazzolla, also a popular musician in Argentina, arrived in Trani. The journey of Pipi Piazzolla’s roots was a special event of the 10th edition of International Trani Tango, promoted by Enit Argentina and Pugliapromozione as part of the “Roots Project,” and touched various locations in the region. A project, this one, also conceived as an important vehicle for promoting root tourism in Italy, currently of great interest to the Argentine market.