For the second year in a row, Rovinj hosted the International Festival of Mediterranean folk music Sete Sois Sete Luas (Seven Suns Seven Moons), that is being promoted in ten Mediterranean cities through a cultural exchange network.

During the first evening, the audience had an opportunity to hear and see the four member band Acquaragia Drom from Italy and the most famous Istrian band in Croatia – the excellent Gustafi. The guests from Italy, apart from Gypsy music – vigorous but gloomy at the same time – also played covers of familiar Italian canzone, such as Celentano’s smash hit “24 milla baci“. Their performance, which quite made the gathered audience dance, was wrapped up by playing the so-called gypsy tarantela, which was performed by the musicians off stage, and with no instrumental accompaniment. It should be pointed out that the band impressed everybody not merely by their vocal and musical quality, but by their dance and visual appearance as well, which reminded the audience of the beauty of the genuine Gypsy culture.

Home expression at the Festival of international music was defended by the Gustafi – the most numerous, the merriest, and most famous Istrian band in Croatia. Owners of seven recorded CDs, they held 1,100 concerts so far, always performing live. Their fame and popularity was gained by the originality of their authentic sound, where – along with the Istrian scale and typical Croatian music, some of the best and world famous musical styles can be discerned as well. The Gustafi, the music reviewer Sven Semenčić wrote, play music that always represents a mix of several musical styles, which are incongruous at first glance, but produce such an effect.

Aided by the central Sete Sois Sete Luas team, the festival organisers in Rovinj are the County of Istarska, the Town of Rovinj and its Tourist Board and Edi Maružin.