"Bella Ciao" is an old song of the Italian Resistance. I have always loved it deeply, but I never felt able to sing it in Italian, and the existing English translations never seemed to capture its true spirit. So I decided to write my own lyrics, telling this story from a different perspective—more intimate and closer to the heart of the partisan fighter.
The song gives voice to that final, heartbreaking farewell that so many members of the Resistance said to their families before leaving for war, never knowing whether they would return.
I asked my Italian friend Fabrizio Poggi, the extraordinary harmonica player from Milan, to join me on this project, knowing how much this song also meant to him. Only later did I discover that his grandfather had been a partisan who died during the Resistance. Witnessing his enthusiasm and emotional involvement in this recording, I began to feel that this song had a life of its own.
Together with musician and producer Phil Henry, we worked to create what I like to call a true sound painting, capable of telling this story through music and emotion.
Remaining faithful to the spirit of the project, we chose for the cover artwork a piece by Elizabeth Fuchs, the aunt of my wife Marianna. Marianna's family opposed the Nazi regime, and Elizabeth, an illustrator and political artist, lost her life at the hands of that same regime. In her honor, we selected one of her earliest works, created in 1934.
This recording is dedicated to the memory of all those who, in every time and every place, have had the courage to resist.
“Bella Ciao” will be released worldwide on all digital platforms on August 1, 2026, once again bringing to international attention the universal values of freedom, courage, and remembrance that this project seeks to celebrate.
RIK PALIERI, a native of Vermont, USA, is a singer-songwriter, author, producer, filmmaker, and television host. His video interviews are preserved in the prestigious Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Throughout his career, he has shared the stage with true legends of American folk music, including Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Paxton, Utah Phillips, and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, establishing himself as one of the most passionate advocates for the preservation of traditional folk music.
FABRIZIO POGGI, singer, harmonica player, and writer, is among the best-known and most respected Italian blues artists in the United States. Nominated for the 2018 Grammy Awards, where he finished just behind the Rolling Stones, and twice nominated for the Blues Music Awards (the "Oscars" of the blues), he was awarded the honor of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by President Sergio Mattarella for his artistic achievements. His name is also included in the prestigious Treccani Encyclopedia.
BELLA CIAO - A PARTISAN’S FAREWELL
RIK PALIERI & FABRIZIO POGGI (USA/ITALY)
Rik's Short Bio
Rik Palieri, (pronounced Pal-air-re).
Rik Palieri- is a talented singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist, storyteller and member of "The Mythical Order of The Rose Tattoo", who lives the musical life to the fullest.
He is a very energetic performer who captivates audiences of all ages with his stories and songs. In a typical performance Rik will sing an old ballad with a fret less banjo, stomp out a Lead belly style blues on the 12 string guitar, squeeze an exotic instrumental on the Polish bagpipes, spin out a wild and wooly story of his travels, pluck out a tune on the Ozark mouth bow, blow a mournful melody on the Native American flute and end the evening with an original Yodel-sing-a-long
Rik has performed at concert halls, schools and festivals throughout the lower 48 states, toured Alaska by float plane, rode camelback in Australia and sung on trains throughout Europe He has performed, in Canada, France, Spain, Germany Australia, Poland, Mexico and Argentina. He has appeared at such venues as The Kennedy Center, The Country Music Hall Of Fame, The Philadelphia Folk Festival, The Port Ferry Old Songs Folk Festival, The Hudson River Revival, The Vancouver festival, plus countless TV & radio programs.
Rik is also the host & producer of “The Song Writer’s Notebook “, a TV show, archived in the American Folk Life Center in the new “Rik Palieri Collection”, at The American Folk Life Center Archives in Washington D.C.
Rik has recorded 8 albums; He is also an occasional writer for Sing Out! Banjo Newsletter & author of a book "The Road Is My Mistress, Tales Of A Roustabout Songster".
Over the years Rik has performed and worked with some of the legends of American Folk Music such as; Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Jimmie Driftwood, U. Utah Phillips, Ramblin' Jack Elliott & many more.
In 2009 Rik was featured on the Grammy nominated Singing Through The Hard Times: a tribute to Utah Phillips.
Folk Singing since 1973
