This paper reports some initial results from our investigation into effects of stress in /VC:/ sequences in Sienese Italian. Our spontaneous speech data show preaspiration in /VC:/ sequences, not previously reported for any variety of Italian. We investigate preaspiration in /VC:/ sequences, and more specifically whether it should be considered a correlate of stress in Sienese Italian, as has been suggested for other languages. In addition we investigate how preaspiration interacts with vowel type, and vowel and consonant duration. We then seek to explain the patterns uncovered
