Gallery: Tallinn's Italy Unexpected puts a fresh spin on 'Italian night'
A new event at Paavli Culture Factory offered Tallinn a fresh take on Italy recently, bringing Estonian and Italian communities together through music, food and traditions.
Held Saturday, August 15, the first Italy Unexpected aimed to move beyond the familiar images of Italy as a popular travel destination, highlighting lesser-known traditions, music and cuisine instead.
The event was launched by Nico, an Italian with close ties to Estonia, in collaboration with the local Italian community.
"Italy Unexpected is not your typical 'Italian night,'" Nico said. "We want to create a place where people can meet and spend time together, because community is just as important to us as music and food."
Sicilian musician Luisa Briguglio kicked off the evening, bringing Sicilian dialect, poetry and modern textures to music exploring exile, memory, migration and identity.
The Kanuteh-Zanotti Duo, consisting of Gambian griot and kora player Jabel Kanuteh and Italian percussionist Marco Zanotti, brought West African tradition into dialogue with contemporary global music, while Mundial fused electro-tribal sounds with Southern Italian rhythms.
The event also featured tiramisu and limoncello workshops, plus an Occitan dance workshop led by Mattia Dossetto, whose newly learned steps participants later took to the dance floor.
DJ Renno Paat closed out the night.
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Editor: Neit-Eerik Nestor, Aili Vahtla
