House of Lucio Dalla
Lucio Dalla's house is located in the heart of Bologna, between Via d'Azeglio and Piazza de' Celestini, a few steps from Piazza Maggiore. Here the Bolognese singer-songwriter lived and composed his songs, and here he collected the memories of an intense life spent on stages all over the world.
Following the singer-songwriter's death in 2012, the house became the home of the Lucio Dalla Foundation, established to pass on his artistic legacy to future generations. At the same time, it was decided to open its doors to visitors, and today it can be accessed through one of the guided tours organised by Bologna Welcome.
Lucio Dalla and Bologna
Lucio Dalla's story is closely linked to that of his city, Bologna, where he was born on 4 March 1943. Orphaned by his father, during his childhood Dalla moved to Treviso with his mother, only to return to the capital of Emilia a few years later, as a teenager, and embark on his musical career.
An important figure in the singer-songwriter's life was
his mother, Jole Melotti, who has always been supportive of his artistic ambitions. In this regard, Dalla recounts a very amusing episode from his own childhood. One day, his mother made him take an aptitude test at a Bolognese institute, which would have given a better understanding of her son's future inclinations. However, the test did not turn out to be very reliable, as in Dalla's own words 'it turned out that I was a half-wit'.
Around the age of 16, Dalla already played the
accordion perfectly well, but it was the
clarinet he received as a gift that finally opened the doors to the world of music for him: he learned to play it on his own, without taking lessons, and he played it so well that he took part several times in improvisation sessions with the great American jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, who was in town at the time.
It was during those years that he started playing with many local groups and performing at events. His unique way of singing and composing caught the attention, and in fact he was soon noticed by Gino Paoli, who immediately recognised his inclination to soul music.
The years of great success
In 1964 he embarked on a solo career, only to land at the Sanremo Festival a few years later. In addition to reconnecting with other fledgling musicians, Sanremo also marked a tragic moment for Dalla and the entire artistic community. The 1967 Festival was the one at which Tenco took his own life, right in a dressing room next to that of the Bolognese singer.
After Sanremo, his career quickly took off, and the following years saw the alternation of huge successes - some even translated and sung in other languages, as Dalida did with 4 March 1943 - and collaborations with great artists. The most famous was the one with Francesco De Gregori, starting in the late 1970s, with whom he undertook the famous 'Banana Republic' stadium tour, which took its name from Dalla's record.
Lucio Dalla's death
The morning after his concert performance in Montreux, Switzerland, Lucio Dalla died of a heart attack in his hotel room: it was 1 March 2012, three days before his 69th birthday. Bologna mourned, as did the Tremiti islands where the artist spent all his summers.
Lucio Dalla now rests in the
Monumental Cemetery of the Certosa di Bologna. His tomb, depicting the silhouette of the singer-songwriter carved in bronze, lies next to the graves of great poets and artists such as Carducci and Giorgio Morandi.
