The original lyrics for Santa Lucia were written by Michele Zecca in the Neoplitan dialect. Teodoro Cottrau (1827-1879) wrote the original music. However, it was the Italian version by Enrico Cossovich (1822-1911) that became the most popular adaptation of this song. Cossovich was a Colonel in the Italian military.

As an aside, the melody of Santa Lucia is used in Sweden to celebrate the feast of Saint Lucy on December 13.