{{Infobox song | name = Vacanze romane | cover = Matia-bazar.Vacanze romane_resize.png | alt = | type = single | artist = Matia Bazar | album = Tango | B-side = Palestina | released = February 1983 | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = | length = | label = Ariston Music | writer = Aldo Stellita, Carlo Marrale | producer = Roberto Colombo | prev_title = Fantasia | prev_year = 1982 | next_title = Aristocratica | next_year = 1984 | misc = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|dKtIA92K23E|"Vacanze romane"}}|type=song}} }} "'''Vacanze romane'''" (transl. "Roman holidays") is a 1983 single composed by Aldo Stellita (lyrics, even if credited to Giancarlo Golzi)<ref name="rockol">{{cite news |last1=Pezzi |first1=Davide |title=Matia Bazar, la storia di "Vacanze romane" |url=https://www.rockol.it/news-729067/matia-bazar-la-storia-di-vacanze-romane |access-date=29 January 2023 |work=Rockol |date=10 July 2022 |language=it}}</ref> and Carlo Marrale (music) and performed by Matia Bazar. The song premiered at the 33rd edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, where it ranked fourth, winning the critic's award.<ref name="fpg">{{cite news |last1=Parrella |first1=Andrea |title=La storia di Vacanze romane, capolavoro dei Matia Bazar a Sanremo 1983 |url=https://music.fanpage.it/la-storia-di-vacanze-romane-capolavoro-dei-matia-bazar-a-sanremo-1983/ |access-date=29 January 2023 |work=Fanpage |date=6 February 2020 |language=it}}</ref> It eventually became one of the band's signature songs.<ref name=dizcanzone />
==Background== The band, which in 1981 had undergone the first line-up change in its history with the departure of Piero Cassano and the entry of Mauro Sabbione, starting from the 1982 album ''...Berlino ...Parigi ...Londra'' had turned its style towards a decidedly electro-pop sound, with tepid reception from critics and public alike.<ref name="rockol" /> Eager for a relaunch, they decided to participate in the Sanremo Music Festival (already won by the band in 1978), but their first choice, "Palestina" ("Palestine"), was rejected on political grounds.<ref name="rockol" /> They then opted for "Vacanze romane", a song characterized by the meeting of apparently antithetical sound elements, i.e. the classical melody and the retro feel given by Antonella Ruggiero's vocal performance versus the electronic arrangements.<ref name="fpg">{{cite news |last1=Parrella |first1=Andrea |title=La storia di Vacanze romane, capolavoro dei Matia Bazar a Sanremo 1983 |url=https://music.fanpage.it/la-storia-di-vacanze-romane-capolavoro-dei-matia-bazar-a-sanremo-1983/ |access-date=29 January 2023 |work=Fanpage |date=6 February 2020 |language=it}}</ref><ref name=dizcanzone>{{cite book|last=Dario Salvatori|title=Dizionario delle canzoni italiane|publisher=Elle U|isbn=8888169016|chapter=Vacanze romane|year=2001|page=367}}</ref>
==Lyrics== Starting from its title (a reference to the 1953 William Wyler's film ''Roman Holiday'') the song is a melancholic hommage to Rome, from the point of view of the unmatched splendour it had reached and that had lost through the time.<ref name="fpg" />
==Track listing==
* 7" single (AR/00943) # "Vacanze romane" <small>(Aldo Stellita, Carlo Marrale)</small> # "Palestina" <small>(Mauro Sabbione, Aldo Stellita)</small>
==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable" !Chart !Peak<br />position |- |Italy (''Musica e dischi'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=Musica e Dischi|language=it|access-date=29 May 2022}} Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Vacanze romane".</ref> |align="center"|1 |- |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.discogs.com/it/release/1778900-Matia-Bazar-Vacanze-Romane Vacanze romane] at Discogs
{{Authority control}}
Category:1983 singles Category:1983 songs Category:Sanremo Music Festival songs of 1983 Category:Songs written by Aldo Stellita Category:Songs written by Carlo Marrale Category:Matia Bazar songs Category:Number-one singles in Italy Category:Songs about Rome