Whatever the exact financial situation of the city of Siena and its famous nearly broke bank - the fact that free concerts are back on Piazza del Campo is a promising sign!
In the summer of 2012, Patti Smith sang 'People have the Power' on Piazza del Campo. The song and her fabulous concert in Siena feature in the book soundtrack - and hopefully also in the future film adaptation - of my memoir Across the Big Blue Sea. But while a spectacular full moon rose behind Torre del Mangia the night of Patti's concert, the city itself had just started its descent into a longlasting financial nightmare.
The Monte dei Paschi bank - founded in 1472 it is the world's oldest continually operating bank - turned from prodigy into Italy's problem child (more about this here), and with the bank's debacle, the free concerts on Piazza del Campo had lost their main sponsor.
Nina may not be a world-star, but she's definitely one of the most talented and successful musicians in Italy's current pop scene. Sometimes called the Italian Amy Winehouse, Nina Zilli has trained as a soprano but is eclectic in taste. Her routes may be Italian, but her most successful songs show strong influences of Mowtown, R&B, and the 60s and 70s hits of Italian icon Mina.
NINA ZILLI IN CONCERT - SIENA, Piazza del Campo June 2, 2018
From 9.30 pm. Free entrance.
With Riccardo Gibertini “Jeeba” (trumpet, trombone, keyboards), Antonio Vezzano “Heggy” (guitar), Nicola Roccamo “Nico” (drums), Lucio Enrico Fasino (bass), Riccardo Di Paola (keyboards) and Enzo Tribuzio “Dj Zak”.