Southern Italy holds one of the most thoroughly documented “women’s frame drum” traditions anywhere in the Mediterranean. Two related instruments dominate: the tamburello, a smaller jingled tambourine used in the fast, whirling pizzica and tarantella dances of Puglia and Sicily, and the tammora, a larger jingleless cousin from Campania associated with the tammurriata. Both instruments are tied to centuries-old ritual practice — most famously tarantismo, the folk healing tradition built around dancing out the “bite” of the mythical tarantula. Explore the Tammora and Tamburello pages below.