The Murgo of Gioiosa Marea
The Murgo is the traditional mask of the Carnival of Gioiosa Marea. Its origin is linked to the Argentine carnival.
The Murgo takes its name from the murga, a small orchestra that in the post-war period, on the occasion of the carnival of Gioiosa Marea, went around the streets of the city playing happy music with old instruments. The members of this merry orchestra were all emigrants returning from Argentina and at the head there was a man dressed in a tailcoat and top hat, with an old violin in his hand, known as the Murgo. The first Murgo of Gioiosa Marea was Turi Zampino, a fisherman returning from Argentina who imported this typical custom of the Argentine Carnival to Gioiosa Marea. The Argentine murga is in fact a sort of traveling theater that combines music, dance, acting and costume.
