The Italian baroque pop orchestra of the 1980s

Rondò Veneziano

Powdered wigs. Silver masks. Synths, bass and drums. Cartoon robots saving Venice from the sea. It should never have worked. It sold millions.

The story of Gian Piero Reverberi's orchestra in the 80s, from La Serenissima and the Venice in Peril cartoon to their UK chart run.

The crazy The good Start listening
25m+albums sold worldwide
No.1in Italy with their very first album in 1980
No.2in Germany with Venezia 2000, and No.1 in Switzerland
1983the year La Serenissima reached the UK

Part one

The crazy: wigs, masks and robots

Picture Britain in 1983. Synth pop rules the charts. Then a chamber orchestra turns up on daytime TV dressed for a 1700s ball.

Baroque on the outside, rock underneath

Real violins, cellos and oboes, played over synthesiser, bass guitar and a full drum kit. Classical purists hated it. Everyone else hummed it.

Wigs, gowns and silver masks

They played in full period costume. On Pebble Mill they wore spooky silver fencing masks. Mostly women musicians, all looking like they had stepped out of Casanova's diary.

Robots save Venice: the cartoon videos

The cartoon videos by animator Guido Manuli threw in spaceships, tractor beams, disasters and faceless robot musicians. In one, a spaceman lifts Venice's old buildings into space to save them from the water.

Venice in Peril, the ITV strike filler

Venice in Peril, that baffling cartoon, filled airtime during ITV strikes. A whole generation saw it without ever knowing who made the music.

Part two

The good: Gian Piero Reverberi's music

Strip away the costumes and you find a serious composer. Gian Piero Reverberi trained in piano and composition at the Paganini Conservatory in Genoa. He wrote almost every piece himself.

He started the group in 1979 as a reaction to computer disco. His idea was simple. Bring back acoustic instruments and give young conservatoire players a real stage.

The melodies are short, bright and catchy. Most tracks run under four minutes, like pop singles. Reverberi always said his music was meant to be joyful, unlike the gloomy classical pieces of the past.

In Italy the title track became the theme for Canale 5, playing several times a day. That made them a household name almost overnight.

UK chart peaks
Venice in Peril (reissue)No.34
La Serenissima (single, Oct 1983)No.58
La Serenissima (album)No.39
The Genius of VeniceNo.60

Rondò Veneziano albums in the 1980s, year by year

  1. 1979Reverberi and producer Freddy Naggiar form the orchestra.
  2. 1980Debut album Rondò veneziano tops the Italian chart and goes top 40 in Germany.
  3. 1981La Serenissima, the album that carries their best known tune.
  4. 1982Scaramucce leans more classical, with the rhythm still front and centre.
  5. 1983Venezia 2000 hits No.2 in Germany. La Serenissima breaks into the UK singles chart.
  6. 1984Odissea veneziana, later certified gold in Germany, Austria and France.
  7. 1985They score the film Not Quite Jerusalem and release Casanova.
  8. 1986Rapsodia veneziana keeps the run going.
  9. 1989Masquerade closes the decade.

Best Rondò Veneziano songs to start with

Never heard them? Play these three in order. If you were a kid in the 80s, the first one will hit you straight away.

01La SerenissimaThe one from the robots and the ITV cartoon.
02Rondò venezianoThe title track. Italy heard it every day on Canale 5.
03Odissea venezianaThe mid 80s peak. Bigger, faster, more cinematic.

Rondò Veneziano FAQ

Who were Rondò Veneziano?

An Italian chamber orchestra founded in 1979 by composer Gian Piero Reverberi and producer Freddy Naggiar. They play Venetian baroque style music on classical instruments over synthesiser, bass guitar and drums, and perform in full 18th century costume.

What was the Rondò Veneziano cartoon on ITV?

Venice in Peril, an animated film set to their music. A spaceman saves Venice's buildings from the rising water by lifting them into space. ITV used it as filler during strikes, so plenty of people in the UK remember it without knowing who made the music.

What is the most famous Rondò Veneziano song?

In the UK it is La Serenissima, which reached number 58 on the singles chart in October 1983. In Italy the title track Rondò veneziano was even bigger, as the theme for Canale 5.

Did Rondò Veneziano chart in the UK?

Yes. The La Serenissima single reached number 58, the La Serenissima album number 39, a reissue of Venice in Peril number 34, and The Genius of Venice number 60.

Is Rondò Veneziano still performing?

Yes. Gian Piero Reverberi gave his farewell performance in Carthage, Tunisia in August 2026, aged 87. Stefano Marchioro now leads the orchestra, which started The Grand Return World Tour in 2026.

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