Global InformationCanto della Verbena information
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"Canto della Verbena" (Italian, "Song of the Verbena"), officially "E mentre Siena dorme" ("And while Siena sleeps") and also known simply as "la Verbena", is a traditional song from the city of Siena, Italy. Its common title and lyrics refer to the verbena plant, which, according to local folklore, grew within the Piazza del Campo thanks to the presence of the Bottini di Siena, a series of underground tunnels used to provision the city with water in the mediaeval period. Today, "la Verbena" has become a hymn to the city of Siena, and is popularly sung at sporting events like those of the Palio di Siena and of the local Robur Siena football club.
On 12–13 March 2020, a viral tweet circulated that showed a video of residents, who were under generalised quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, singing "la Verbena" together from their windows.[1][2][3] This was one of many reports of community music-making that surfaced in Italy during the quarantine.[3]