Although the circumstances had changed, the spirit of this song had not. Bella Ciao was the emblem of poverty and exploitation of labor, one who’s tone of defiance resonated so strongly that it revived itself 40 years later as it played in the hearts of the Italians struggling in the grip of fascism. ‘Bella ciao’ means goodbye beautiful - a farewell to her lost youth, to her dreams and her desires.

The woman who sings it laments her condition and longs for freedom and liberation from her life of hardship, yearning for a day when she will ‘work in freedom’.

This hymn, Bella Ciao, came about as a symbol of resistance against the oppressive landowners. The demanding and degrading life of these women is also depicted in the 1949 post-war Italian film ‘Bitter Rice’ which sheds some light on their lives.ĭespite their condition, these women were light-hearted and sang songs to raise morale. An anonymous text from 1906 describes a ‘pardoni’ or manager who ‘inspected the work with a cane’, highlighting the difficulty of their situation. They were forced into working and were treated harshly by their supervisors. Not only did they have to undertake this task for hours at an end, but they also had to do it in atrocious conditions with meagre and dismal wages. Their work revolved around ‘monda’ or weeding, a job for the tireless.- pruning the weeds with hunched backs, barefoot feet with water up til their knees while being swarmed by mosquitoes. In the paddy fields of Po Valley of North Italy, somewhere around the 19th century, women from poor economic and social backgrounds toiled away. This enchanting song is steeped in history, dating way back to the early 19th century and its journey deserves to be known.

However, it shouldn’t simply be known as a catchy song from that famous TV show you watch. Since then, it has taken over the minds of fans, its infectious melody playing on repeat. It has featured on the show several times- the first time being an iconic scene in which The Professor and his brother, Berlin, break out into the song while at the dinner table during the night before their heist. If you’ve watched the acclaimed Netflix original ‘La Case de Papel’ (Money Heist), there is a high likelihood you remember the tune of Bella Ciao which represents the essence of the show as an anthem of resistance.

Money heist song bella ciao