The Italian band scene is far more diverse than many people think. In the 1970s, Italy produced one of the most respected progressive rock movements in the world, it conquered the globe with sensational rock and pop acts in recent decades, and it made history with timeless Italo disco and symphonic metal. From Eurovision winners to symphonic prog-rock legends, these are the fifteen best Italian bands of all time.
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Måneskin – Beggin'
Damiano David, Victoria De Angelis, Thomas Raggi and Ethan Torchio sparked a global rock revival: after winning Sanremo and Eurovision with Zitti e buoni, they broke streaming records worldwide.
Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) – Impressioni di settembre
The standard-bearers of 1970s Italian progressive rock; with virtuoso Moog synthesizers, violin parts and lush melodies, they even found an audience in Britain and the United States.
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Pooh – Uomini soli
One of the most successful and long-lived pop-rock bands in Italian history, with tens of millions of records sold and unmatched four-part harmonies.
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Il Volo – Grande amore
Two tenors and a baritone who fuse opera and pop into 'operatic pop'; with their monumental voices they won Sanremo and filled arenas worldwide.
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Lacuna Coil – Our Truth
Frontwoman Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro took Italian gothic metal to the world stage with heavy riffs and beautiful vocal duets.
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Goblin – Profondo Rosso
The legendary band behind the terrifying, hypnotic soundtracks for horror master Dario Argento; a masterpiece of progressive rock and synthesizers.
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Banco del Mutuo Soccorso – Metamorfosi
Driven by Francesco Di Giacomo's operatic voice and classically trained keyboard parts; one of the absolute crown jewels of prog rock.
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Ricchi e Poveri – Sarà perché ti amo
The ultimate feel-good pop group of the 1980s; almost everyone in Europe knows this catchy singalong anthem by heart.
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Subsonica – Tutti i miei sbagli
The groundbreaking band from Turin that seamlessly fused alternative rock with drum and bass, trip-hop and danceable electronics.
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Negramaro – Mentre tutto scorre
Led by Giuliano Sangiorgi's expressive voice; one of Italy's most beloved modern pop-rock bands, effortlessly filling San Siro stadium.
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Eiffel 65 – Blue (Da Ba Dee)
The Turin dance trio scored one of the biggest worldwide number-one hits of the 1990s with this hyper-catchy vocoder track.
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Matia Bazar – Ti sento
Antonella Ruggiero's phenomenal vocal range lifted this elegant new wave pop hit to lofty heights.
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CCCP – Fedeli alla linea – Amandoti
Italy's most provocative and influential punk/post-punk band, which combined Soviet aesthetics and raw poetry into legendary cult status.
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Rhapsody of Fire – Emerald Sword
The founders of 'film score metal': symphonic power metal complete with choirs, orchestras and epic fantasy tales.
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The Kolors – Italodisco
With a nod to Giorgio Moroder and Righeira, this energetic trio scored a huge European summer hit that proved the genre is alive and kicking.
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