Fenesta Vascia is a popular and ancient Neapolitan song, from 1500, at the time when Naples was part of the Spanish Empire. Its description as "Calascionata" indicates it was to be accompanied by a calascione, a large lute. The lyrics are in Neapolitan language, in a hendecasyllabic meter and the author is unknown. At the beginning of 1800, Giulio Genoino adapted the words to the dialect of his time, and Guglielmo Cottrau wrote the music, which was entirely different from the original melody.