Italian folk music reflects a long and diverse history. National unification occurred relatively late on the Italian peninsula, allowing its many hundreds of regional cultures to retain distinct musical traditions. Italy’s geographic position—at the southern edge of Europe and central to the Mediterranean Sea—has contributed to a wide array of external influences. Celtic, Slavic, Arabic, Greek, Spanish and Byzantine musical elements are readily apparent in regional styles. Italy's mountainous geography and the historical dominance of small city-states further encouraged the persistence of localized traditions.
Contemporary classification of Italian folk music often follows the geographic typology proposed by Alan Lomax in 1956, which has been frequently reiterated in later studies. The group and open-voice choral styles of Northern Italy reflect Celtic and Slavic influences, while the strident monody of Southern Italy shows Greek, Byzantine, and Arabic roots. Central Italy exhibits a mixture of these traditions, alongside older indigenous forms such as narrative balladry. The music of Sardinia remains especially distinct, most notably for its polyphonic vocal tradition known as tenores.