Mino Reitano (1944-2009) was an Italian singer-songwriter. Born in a small village named Fiumara, in Calabria, southern Italy, Reitano studied piano, trumpet and violin for eight years at the conservatory in Reggio Calabria. When he was still a kid, he formed a band with his brothers and moved to Germany, where they were offered a contract to perform in several clubs, and in some of them, along with no less than the Beatles themselves, when they started out.
Mino Reitano, well-known for his great vitality and pleasant exuberance of his performances, is still considered an icon of Italian national-popular music. The main themes of his songs are love, the south and the uprooting of migrant workers.
In 1988, he participates in the Sanremo Music Festival with a song called “Italia“, which was actually written in the beginning for Pavarotti. With this song, that expresses in a bit emphatic way Reitano’s love for his country, he reaches only the 6th final place,  but the piece will soon have his following and will be destined to become an evergreen of Italian music.
In 2007 Mino Reitano was diagnosed with an intestine cancer. He faces his illness with great courage thanks also to the comfort of his strong catholic faith. He will die almost two years later, in 2009.



 Lyrics

Era tanto che volevo
grazie a un vecchio pensiero
grazie al mio paese che
quest’Italia che respira
sempre bella e c’e’ un perche’
questa gente le vuol bene
questa gente e’ come me.

Poi mi prende l’emozione
Per Firenze che sta là
Per Venezia che si muove
E l’eterna Roma e’ qua.

Italia, Italia
di terra bella e uguale non ce n’e’
Italia, Italia
questa canzone io la canto a te.

Un giardino dentro al mare
contadina come me
ride e canta e ballerina
forse il sole e’ nato qui.

Quest’Italia che profuma
di oleandri e di perche’
anche quando si è un po’ stanchi
non ci si arrende per un se.

Italia, Italia
di terra bella e uguale non ce n’e’
Italia, Italia
questa canzone io la canto a te
non ci si arrende per un se
Italia, Italia
di terra bella e uguale non ce n’e’
Italia, Italia
questa canzone io la canto a te