Cesare Cremonini and "La Santa Pennicanza," swing music with Fiorello on the terrace of Via Asiago.

Bologna, November 7, 2025 – Cesare Cremonini , to the rhythm of swing by Fiorello, presents a new song that has already gone viral: 'La Santa Pennicanza' , which takes its name from the Rai Radio 2 program and which, as the CE sang with his band on the terrace of Via Asiago, in Rome, "is a substance that is consumed in abundance".

Cesare Cremonini with Fiorello and Fabrizio Biggio on "La Pennicanza" on Rai Radio 2

"It's an 'Arbore-style' song ," says Cremonini, "like the ones everyone knows from 'Indietro tutta' and 'Quelli della notte.' Songs born freely, which with simplicity and cutting irony truly reached everyone, describing an Italy that was changing. Dedicating a song to the return of Italy's greatest showman was an honor and a challenge for me, an experiment and an inspiration. I've always wanted to revive the tradition of Italian avant-garde theater, which gave rise to extraordinary singer-songwriters like Enzo Jannacci, Giorgio Gaber, Rino Gaetano , and Dalla himself, who managed to link entertainment to popular culture. I believe the time has come, I feel it as a necessity, to recover and valorize that musical style that characterized one of the most brilliant eras of Italian entertainment culture. And this can only happen through the television and artistic genius of Fiorello, who with his return to the radio inspired the song and took me back to when I was a child and I realized that everyone, truly we all sang the same songs.”

A surprise piece given to the program's audience . "He'd been rehearsing since 8 a.m., the residents of the street felt a thrill they hadn't felt since the days of Viva Rai2," Fiorello quipped as he announced it, a nod to past complaints from residents of the street where he hosted the popular show Viva Rai2.

"People mistook me for one of those disco-goers," the artist joked, appearing on Fiorello's cell phone during an initial connection. "It's a micro-variety show," Cremonini said, and when his turn came, the Bolognese artist joined from the terrace, performing "La Santa Pennicanza" with his band, set to a fun and typical dance hall mazurka.

"The Pennicanza – says the song – what a beautiful custom, it brings peace and tolerance and whoever doesn't like it doesn't matter". A performance that sent those crowded under the building on Via Asiago into a frenzy as they enjoyed the unreleased song live and immediately afterwards Cremonini entered the studio playing the sax (“He's been studying it for eight weeks”, explains Fiorello), and accompanied Fiorello who sang a jazz version of '50 Special' to the applause of the audience.

Then, the artist took the stage. "La Santa Pennicanza is a song that breaks all the mold of the recording industry, and I couldn't miss this opportunity," Cremonini explained. He emphasized that "popular music is lacking these days, which is why I brought it to you."

'La Santa Pennicanza' features music and lyrics by Cesare Cremonini. The song was produced by Cremonini and Alessandro De Crescenzo. The song was recorded at the prestigious Fonoprint studios in Bologna with an exceptional band: Daniele D'alessandro (clarinet), Gabriele Polimeni (trumpet), Federico Pierantoni (trombone), Alessia Tondo (one of the leading voices on the Italian world music scene), Salvatore Cauteruccio (accordion), Matteo (saxophone), Ballo Balestri (bass), Andrea Fontana (drums), and Alessandro de Crescenzo (producer and guitar). Cesare himself, in recent days, had announced "new surprises" and thanked "the guys and girls at Fonoprint."

Then comes the Sicilian showman's barrage of questions: "Are you currently single?" Fiorello asks. "No," Cremonini replies, a little embarrassed. Finally, the artist plays 'Ma dove vado i marinai' on his saxophone, and the two sing together, Fiorello as De Gregori and Cremonini as Dalla : all in the spirit of improvisation.

"The great thing about Fiore is that you can rehearse the next day," Cremonini emphasizes with a laugh. And after the two cite Arbore as a great example of popular music, performing "Ma la notte no" a cappella, another twist arrives: Arbore calls him live. "Cremonini has written a beautiful song that Arbore could easily sing," says the popular anchorman. Cremonini's appearance then concluded with a rendition of "La Santa Pennicanza," which the audience also sang in the studio.