I'd always thought that the Isle of Wight wasn't well known internationally.
Many people online would ask me where it was, and I would always have to explain that it's “a tiny Island at the very south of the UK”.
Perhaps I happened to be meeting people who weren't very adept in geography.
Then, I chose to live in Italy for three years.
To my surprise, many people in Italy seemed to have heard of the Isle of Wight.
In fact, whenever I told someone I was from the Isle of Wight, a majority of them would ask “Really?” in quite a lot of disbelief, as if I'd told them I'd seen the Tooth Fairy. Some would then start singing.
Thank goodness my partner, who is Italian, was there to explain to me that there is a very popular '70s song that pretty much every adult (and probably some youngsters) in Italy knows.
The song L'Isola Di Wight/Inammorato, or “Isle of Wight/In Love” in English, is a love song by an Italian band named Dik Dik.
“There is a tender guarantee about Italians,” my partner said, “whenever they hear the words 'Isle of Wight', they will smile or even start singing.
“I used to listen to the song occasionally, and it never failed to fill my mind with wonder. The Isle of Wight is described as a dreamy place, where lovers can run to and be free, like some sort of Eden on Earth.
“However, funnily enough, it fails to mention that it is located in England; in fact, I used to not know where the Isle of Wight is, and countless other Italians are unaware as well.
“Perhaps this fuels the mystery even more - where could this little patch of happiness be?
"Well, wherever it may be, it will always be etched into our minds as a romantic destination, and I take a lot of pride in being able to say I stepped foot on the beautiful Isle of Wight.”
Quite similarly to people who have never heard of the Isle of Wight, however, thanks to this song, Italians seem to view the Island as a magical place from a fairytale, rather than a place that actually exists.
However, the song itself wasn't originally in Italian, or sung by an Italian band.
The song was written and produced in 1969 by Michel Delpech, a French singer-songwriter and actor.
It was named, “Wight is Wight”, and was originally written as a tribute to the Isle of Wight Festival.
The hippy-influenced song even mentions Bob Dylan, who appeared at the festival in 1969.
Michel Delpech died in 2016, but “Wight is Wight” still remains his most popular single.
Dik Dik then rebranded it as an Italian love song in 1970.
Both versions of the song, French and Italian, are available to listen to on YouTube (watch on the links below).
So, there you have it!
If you ever go to Italy, ask about the Isle of Wight!
They may give you the same reaction as they did me.
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