Bella ciao

"Bella ciao" (Italian pronunciation: [ˈbɛlla ˈtʃaːo]; "Goodbye beautiful") is an Italian song dedicated to the partisans of Italy who fought against the invading forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social Republic between 1943 and 1945 during the Italian resistance and the liberation of Italy.

It is based on a protest folk song from the late 19th century. The first documented recording was by the mondina who performed various folk chants, including an original version of Bella Ciao that was adapted in a context of a protest about harsh work condition. On the other hand, it is also believed that the Mondine version was modified and adopted as an anthem. Several folk songs already existed in the north of Italy showing elements that resemble to the partisan version of Bella Ciao, including some fragments of the leading melody and a few sentences of the partisan lyrics, such as "If I die as a patriot, oh goodbye beautiful", saying "patriot" instead of what later was swapped with "partisan". So, even if there are no sufficient proofs that this song was actually sung among the partisan, there are many evidencies that a proto-version of the song that is now well known, existed long before the Mondine record.

Versions of "Bella ciao" continue to be sung worldwide as a hymn of freedom and resistance.