Funiculì Funiculà

A famous Neapolitan song composed in 1880 to commemorate the opening of the first funicular cable car on Mount Vesuvius. Composed by Luigi Denza with lyrics by Peppino Turco, the song was essentially a "musical advertising spot" created to encourage locals and tourists to use the new cable car instead of traditional transportation like donkeys or horses. The song was first performed at the Piedigrotta festival in 1880 and quickly gained immense popularity, selling over a million copies within its first year and helping to popularize the Neapolitan song genre worldwide.