| The strambotto (which I have also seen spelled strambatto or strombotto) is a specialized form of poetry, much like the ode or sonnet, that was popularized in Italy circa the historical period known as the Renaissance. Related to the ottava rima/sonetto rispetto form, each stanza of a strambotto has 8 lines and each line has 11 syllables, using the iambic pentameter pattern of syllable stress. There are two chief rhyming schemes for this form; each stanza of a strambotto siciliano will run a b a b a b a b, and each stanza of a strambotto toscano will run a b a b a b c c.
Poems written in the strambotto toscano style are usually found set to secular music in the 15th and 16th centuries C.E. If a strambotto siciliano was put to music between the 14th and 17th centuries, in either a cappella or accompanied format, it was referred to as a siciliana siciliano. This form is common to early 17th century monodies, especially as the arie siciliane. However, in the late 17th century the term sicilana siciliano took on a broader meaning.
Chief source for this writeup: The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music. | 
