Every time I go to Italy, I ask the same question. Why would anyone want to leave? I was 21 when I first visited Italy. Backpacking solo on a Eurail Pass, I felt unnoticed because I was not blonde. Feeling safe and invisible, I explored Florence and met up with classmates in Venice. Each time I returned, I wished I could stay longer. Bella Italia means beautiful Italy. For me, it’s not just the food, the language, the music, and the places, but also the beautiful people. Here’s a fingerstyle ukulele piece dedicated to my next trip to Italy.
Unfinished business
While compiling Book 5 of Pick, Pluck, Play! Series, I discovered an unfinished piece for high ukulele called “before Melody in the Mosaic.”
I was probably working on Melody in the Mosaic and then had another idea. At any rate, I don’t remember if I did anything with that piece.
But it’s now time to wrap up all my compositions so I can get on the publishing path. What do I do with this unfinished piece?
I started playing it. Have I already used the material somewhere?
Composition phase
Because I aim to produce music that can be learned in one day, I restrict myself to maximum two pages of print. This means each piece is short.
However, my ideas are often longer than one piece.
What do I do with the remnants?
Put them in another composition. And some ideas are not fully developed.
If you read my blog posts, you’ll see that consecutive pieces share similarities.
Bella Italia, Bella Ciao
After working on this unfinished piece today, I decided to title it “Bella Italia” to include in my new compilation of fingerstyle ukulele pieces with Italian titles.
The high G ukulele lends itself to A minor key because the A minor chord can be played with many open strings, as seen in the opening of Bella Italia. The opening is really an introduction, and slows down before picking up again with the original tempo in the second section.
Section B shows a descending melodic line, by far the longest passage. It echoes of Thumb Through All That, because you can use your right thumb and down stroke your high G ukulele.
In the third section, melody descends from the 9th fret.
Play Along Video
Published in Il Piccolo Ukulele, the Italian ukulele newsletter / bulletin. Download the 4-page newsletter with sheet music (6th and last issue of 2025) from this website.
Ciao Italia or Viva Italia
Update – 28th November 2025
I was so inspired at the 3rd Ukulele International Conference in Italy in October 2025 that I announced an invitation (call for scores) for an anthology of new fingerstyle ukulele pieces I will compile.
Call for Socre: I invited the composers to write a short piece that has an Italian title and Italian musical term. Here are examples of what I already wrote.
- Bella Italia – Book 4
- Arpeggio Curioso – Book 3
- Arpeggio Carpaccio Prego – Book 3
- Alberti Zucchini – Book 3
- Senso Siciliano (1 page) chord melody – Book 4
- Sense the Sicilienne – duet (2-pages) – Book 3
- Cede to the Sicilienne – Book 5
- Orfeo Arpeggio – Book 5
- Euridice’s Descent – Book 5
- Mango Tango Ostinato Trio
Pick, Pluck, Play!
I’m dropping the exclamations marks in Pick! Pluck! Play! to Pick Pluck Play!
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