Serena Brancale Returns to Alma mater for Landmark Anniversary
Bari, Italy – Singer-songwriter Serena Brancale revisited the Socrate classical high school in Bari this week, joining celebrations marking the institution’s 50th anniversary. The 2008 graduate, known for her recent success with the viral hit “Baccalà” and her performance at the 2025 Sanremo Festival, participated in commemorative events alongside faculty, students, and alumni.
Brancale’s return highlights the Socrate’s enduring legacy as a center for academic excellence and artistic advancement in Puglia. The school, unique in the region for its international course in German, has also been recognized nationally for pioneering a biology course with a biomedical focus. For Brancale, the Socrate provided a formative surroundings that nurtured her diverse interests – from beliefs and art history to drawing – ultimately shaping the artist she is today. “I like to tell the why of things and the etymology of many words takes us back to Greek or Latin,” she has said, reflecting the school’s emphasis on critical thinking and classical studies.
Born in Bari on May 4, 1989, Brancale followed in the footsteps of her mother, Maria De Filippis, a musician and teacher, and her father, Agostino Brancale, a former Serie C footballer, by pursuing a rigorous academic path. After graduating from the Socrate, she continued her education, earning degrees in advertising graphics from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bari and jazz singing from the Alfredo Casella Conservatory in L’Aquila. Though initially rejected from X Factor in 2009, Brancale’s perseverance led to her debut at the Sanremo Festival in 2015 and a triumphant return in 2025.
