Aria d'ottave a Tricase

Abstract

This article reports on a pilot project aimed at creating a multimedia archive containing the life stories of improvising poets in ottava rima. This documentation campaign covers the area south of Rome (Castelli Romani), the provinces of Rieti and Viterbo, and extends to Tuscany (provinces of Grosseto, Siena, Arezzo, and Pisa). Ottava rima is a form of poetic improvisation based on the meter of chivalric epic poetry. The initiative is promoted by the Central Institute for Intangible Heritage in collaboration with the Museo della terra di Latera (Viterbo). The tenth edition of the School of History of Popular Traditions, held in Tricase in July 2025, provided the opportunity for the project's first public presentation.