In his workshop in San Massimo di Isola del Gran Sasso, among ash-tree hoops, goat skins and hemp cords, Roberto Vantini shapes with inherited skillfulness the percussion instruments of the local tradition, li <\/b>tamurr\u00eb<\/b><\/i>.<\/b> His hands work the skins, soaked for days, stretching them into tension; the braces tighten them until, as they dry, they return to the strike of the beater the deep and vibrant timbre that has accompanied for centuries the processional steps of the Valle Siciliana.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"