Wanted: Cantastorie

Most have a clear, strong voice, be able to sing in any weather, and enjoy entertaining crowds.

Franco Trincale is soon retiring from self-employment as a cantastorie - a story singer that's one part folk singer and one part town crier and, before mass media buried the tradition, served as the broadcaster of current events, especially for people who lived in small towns. The singer is looking for someone to replace him in Milan.

According to the International Herald, Trincale: "...has a regular gig three times a week in Piazza del Duomo, [and] still works with the tricks of the trade: canvases painted with comic book renderings of the plots of the songs are brought out with each performance."

After World War II there were some 300 cantastorie were still working; in 1991, a census reported that 40 remained. There are only a handful today.