Augusto Daolio, founder and songwriter of the band Nomadi together with Beppe Carletti, was born in Novellara in 1947.

In 1963, along with Beppe Carletti, Franco Midili, Leonardo Manfredini, Gualberto Gelmini and Antonio Campari, Augusto formed the group Nomadi, which would later become one of the major protagonists of Italian music of all time. Augusto was the band’s lead singer and frontman, and over the years the lyrics of his songs took on an increasingly political tone.

In 1972 he released a 45-rpm solo record; that same year also marked one of Nomadi's greatest successes with the song “Io vagabondo” (I, a vagabond), which became a symbolic anthem for both the band and its leader. Daolio strongly identified with the song, stating: «For me, getting up and starting to walk, to move, is instinctive. At school I had many problems because I couldn’t stay still for long. That’s my symptom of escape, of fleeing towards better places…».

Daolio was also a painter and a surrealist artist. Even today, following his first solo exhibition held in Novellara in 1991, his paintings are frequently displayed in exhibitions organized with the patronage of the association “Augusto Per La Vita” (Augusto For Life), founded by his fiancée Rosanna Fantuzzi. The association was funded to channel the donations of friends and fans after the singer’s death, with the main aim of supporting oncological research and the training of specialized medical teams. In fact, at the beginning of 1992, Augusto’s health began to deteriorate and he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died in Novellara later in that same year.

In his memory, in 1993 musical journalists Stefano Ronzani and Fausto Pirito, together with the members of Nomadi, instituted the Tributo ad Augusto (Tribute to Augusto) prize. The award was presented annually in Novellara during Nomadincontro, held on the weekend closest to Augusto’s birthday, and was given to an artist distinguished for their commitment to solidarity initiatives. Since 2018, following Fausto Pirito’s voluntary withdrawal from the Prize organization due to differing views on the band’s business management, the Tributo was discontinued and replaced by the Premio Augusto Daolio - Città di Novellara (Augusto Daolio Prize - City of Novellara).

To commemorate Augusto, in 2016 the Municipality of Novellara dedicated a park to him, complete with a playground and cycle paths. Moreover, in Novellara, a mural in his honour was created by street artist Alessio-B on the side façade of a building.