Located in South Europe, Italy is the cradle of European ethnicity and culture. Its capital city, Rome, has been the political center of the westerns for centuries. Italy, therefore possesses the most (44) world heritage sites. The historical dance group, Gruppo Folklorico Pro Loco di Castrovillari, established in 1929, has devoted to the conservation of culture, music, and dance in the Castro area of Southern Italy. Accordingly, it has received many international awards.
Tarantella was originally a unique folk song style in Southern Italy and later was developed into a type of folkdance; the dance is very popular for its fast upbeat tempo. The dance has its interesting story for the origin. Legend has it that in the middle of the 14th Century, local farmers were often injured by Tarantula spiders. The injuries were thought to be healed with the body heat produced after strenuous exercise. Dancing seemed to be a good method, and the Tarantella dance was then invented and named after the Tarantula. This dance is usually accompanied with Mandolin, a traditional Italian musical instrument, and danced to romantically by couples. Now, people often dance at weddings and birthday parties, and it is has even named as the national dance of Italy.