While Italy faces a nationwide lockdown in a bid to contain and mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, a deserted street in Siena, Tuscany found solidarity in song, as neighbours sang out of their windows in perfect harmony (above).
According to Corriere Di Siena, the street seen in the video is the Contrada Dell’oca, one of the historic quarters of Siena. The song heard is La Verbena, a traditional folk song which is something of an anthem in Siena. Along with residents, dogs in the area are also heard attempting to join into the chorus.
The lockdown in Italy has functionally quarantined close to 16 million people and closed all shops except essentials like supermarkets and pharmacies. The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Italy crossed 1,200 while confirmed cases had increased to over 17,500 on Friday, March 13. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte described this as the country’s “darkest hour”.
As the news spread, others across Italy joined in.
“In the Piazza del Campo, verbena grows. Long live our Siena, the most beautiful of cities,” goes the folk song La Verbena, which many social media users have responded warmly to, some overwhelmed by the sense of community displayed.
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