Home Italy Revisited Bookshelf Plays About Mary Melfi Contact Us
in
Traditional Clothing
Italy - Pre 1969 or Around the World, Click here

Abruzzo folk costume
Pescocostanzo, Abruzzo
Date: 1913
Notes: The image was taken from the book, "Peasant Art in Italy," edited by Charles Holme (London: The Studio, 1913). The caption underneath the image states: "Peasant costume from Pescocostanzo, Abruzzo."
Contributed by: Courtesy of www.archive.org

View full size image

embroidered apron from
Abruzzo, Italy
Date: 1913
Notes: Caption: "Embroidered border of apron from Abruzzo."
Contributed by: Taken from "Peasant Art in Italy" edited by Charles Holme (London: The Studio, 1913)

View full size image

shirt with pillow lace from Abruzzo
Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy
Date: 1913
Notes: The image was taken from the book "Peasant Art in Italy" edited by Charles Holme (London: The Studio, 1913). The caption reads: "Shirt trimmed with pillow lace from Aquila, Abruzzo." For the complete copyright-free text visit www.archive.org.
Contributed by: Courtesy of www.archive.org

View full size image

vintage Abruzzo apron
Abruzzo, Italy
Date: 1913
Notes: The image was taken from the book "Peasant Art in Italy" edited by Charles Holme (London: The Studio, 1913). The caption reads: "Embroidered border of apron from Abruzzo." For the complete copyright-free text visit www.archive.org.
Contributed by: Courtesy of www.archive.org

View full size image

Abruzzo traditional clothing
L'Aquila, Aruzzo
Date: 19th century
Notes: Image caption: "Vestito femmile scannese L'Aquilla, Abruzzo."
Contributed by: courtesy of Italian Wikipedia

View full size image

Ciocia
Abruzzo, Molise, Basilicata and Calabria
Date: 19th century
Notes: The following text comes from the Italian Wikipedia (Machine Google translation): CIOCIA/ZAMPITTO The ciocia zampitto is a typical traditional footwear of Lazio , Abruzzo and Molise , also used in Basilicata , Calabria and in the Balkans. The word derives from the Latin soccus through the Roman and the Roman peasant dialect , the name of an old shoe. The cioce who gave their name to the inhabitants of a large part of the campaign and Maritime ciociari , from which he emerged as the Ciociaria ( second use began in Rome ) , are composed of large footwear soles of treated leather that wrap around the foot to the leg stops with the correct ... They were typical footwear of farmers and shepherds , worn by both men and women ; flexible but well anchored to the leg , suited to all terrains leaving much freedom of movement in the work. Their use has gradually lost , and today you can still see them at the foot of the few pipers ( accompanied by players of bagpipe players said shawm oboe ) that still itinerano in Ciociaria and at events where folk are wearing traditional costumes . They are worn along with the so-called " patches " ( a single strip of white fabric that completely envelops the foot, ankle and calf) , by men under long pants to the knee , tight bottom by laces, instead of women under their skirts …. Costumes Ciocie Main article: For more, see Ciocia and Presentosa . As for the costumes in Abruzzo vary from area to area , one of the most popular costumes of the culture of Abruzzo is the ciocia zampitto called in dialect , it is a very unique shoe , worn by both men and women during various festivals or festivals . Of note is the presence on the territory of costumes particularly original , and rich polychrome decorative motifs , such as the one at Villa Abbess , where strong is the influence of ethnic Albanians in the area. Jewelry typical Abruzzo (especially presentose and sciacquaje ) arise from manual skilled and imaginative crafts jewelry that combines precious materials also their alleged therapeutic value as in the case of the coral. This jewelry is not just contribute to the enrichment and elegance of costume and combine to create images of glamorous women and gifts , despite the simplicity of their social condition, as can be seen in the works of renowned artists such as Francesco Paolo Michetti , Pasquale Celommi and Basil , Cascella , Philip Palisades and others. (Original Italian Text) Ciocia Da Wikipedia, l'enciclopedia libera. La ciòcia zampitto, chiòchiera o, in nap., sciòscio, è una calzatura tradizionale tipica del Lazio, Abruzzo e Molise, diffusa anche in Basilicata, Calabria e nei Balcani. La parola deriverebbe dal latino soccus attraverso il romanesco e il dialetto ciociaro, nome di una antica calzatura. Le cioce che diedero il nome agli abitanti di buona parte della Campagna e Marittima di ciociari, da cui poi emerse il nome Ciociaria (secondo un uso iniziato a Roma), sono calzature composte da ampie suole di cuoio trattato che avvolgono il piede fermate alla gamba con delle corregge... Erano le calzature tipiche di contadini e pastori, indossate sia dagli uomini che dalle donne; flessibili ma ben ancorate alla gamba, si adattavano a tutti i terreni lasciando gran libertà di movimento nel lavoro. Il loro uso si è andato progressivamente perdendo; oggi è ancora possibile vederle ai piedi dei pochi zampognari (suonatori di zampogna accompagnati dai suonatori dell'oboe detto ciaramella) che ancora itinerano nella Ciociaria ed in occasione di eventi folkloristici in cui vengono indossati i costumi tradizionali. Vengono indossate assieme alle così dette "pezze" (un'unica fascia di tessuto bianco che avvolge completamente piede, caviglia e polpaccio), dagli uomini sotto a dei pantaloni lunghi fino al ginocchio, stretti inferiormente da lacci, dalle donne invece sotto le gonne….
      Ciocie d'uso tradizionale
      Zampitti dell'Etna
      Costumi Ciocie Exquisite-kfind Per approfondire, vedi Ciocia e Presentosa.
      Per quanto riguarda i costumi in Abruzzo variano da zona a zona; uno dei più famosi costumi della cultura abruzzese è la ciocia in dialetto chiamato zampitto; essa è una calzatura molto particolare, indossata sia dagli uomini che dalle donne nel corso di varie feste popolari o sagre. Da segnalare anche la presenza sul territorio di costumi particolarmente originali, policromi e ricchi di motivi decorativi, come ad esempio quello di Villa Badessa, in cui forte è l'influenza dei gruppi etnici albanesi presenti nella zona. I monili tipici abruzzesi (soprattutto presentose e sciacquaje) nascono dalla manualità sapiente e fantasiosa dell'artigianato orafo che unisce alla preziosità dei materiali anche presunte loro valenze terapeutiche come nel caso del corallo. Questi monili contribuiscono non poco all'arricchimento e all'eleganza del costume e concorrono a creare immagini di donne affascinanti e regali, pur nella semplicità della loro condizione sociale, come possiamo vedere nelle opere di artisti famosi quail. Francesco Paolo Michetti, Pasquale Celommi e Basilio, Cascella, Filippo Palizzi ed altri.
     
     
     
     
     
     
Contributed by: Courtesy of Italian Wikipedia

View full size image

Abruzzo folk costume
Aquila, Abruzzo
Date: 1913
Notes: The image was taken from the book, "Peasant Art in Italy," edited by Charles Holme (London: The Studio, 1913). The caption underneath the image states: "Peasant costume from Aquila, Abruzzo."
Contributed by: Courtesy of www.archive.org

View full size image

Abruzzo folk costume
Scanno, Abruzzo, Italy
Date: 1913
Notes: The image was taken from the book, "Peasant Art in Italy," edited by Charles Holme (London: The Studio, 1913). The caption underneath the image states" "Peasant costume from Scanno, Abruzzo."
Contributed by: Courtesy of www.archive.org

View full size image

Abruzzo, Italy
Date: 1913
Notes: The following excerpt from the essay, "Peasant Art in the Abruzzi" by Vincenzo Balzano was first published in the book, "Peasant Art in Italy" edited by Charles Holme (London: The Study, 1913). The book is available for free at www.archive.org....
     
     
      In no other form of decorative art more than in that of designing and making embroideries and carpets, have those ancient hieratic and heraldic figures been perpetuated, which, twenty centuries before Christ, had their origin in the nearer Orient. With these carpets Of Tescocostanzo before us, woven of wool and marvellous in the harmony of the colours and bizarrerie of the designs, we are reminded of a legend, according to which, in 1600, a great many young Turkish girls were taken prisoners, after a horrible massacre, and brought to Pescocostanzo. These poor half-starved creatures had been driven inland from the coast and arrived at Pescocostanzo with neither clothes nor shelter. Many were charitably received into the homes. They were, however, able to earn their bread, for these tousled black
      heads remembered a glorious and ancient art of their own country, and the large black eyes, still dazed with visions of slaughter and bloodshed, longed for the beautiful designs and soft harmonious colours of their home surroundings. That is the legend; but the fact remains that the pleasant sound of the looms was heard in Pescocostanzo even before 1600, and that the women-folk had succeeded in weaving wonderful symmetrical designs from a strange medley of figures and colours.
     
      In Scanno the arts of weaving and dyeing had reached so great a pitch of perfection, that when the inhabitants of Santo Lcmio put up their first looms, a Scannese woman, Columba Mancinelli, whom Torcia calls "ablest of the place," was chosen by them to teach the arts of weaving and dyeing. King Ferdinand held discourse with her in Caserta, and she received decorations and rewards. The embroideries worked by the women of Scanno also filled Torcia with wonder and admiration. In describing the blue cloth head-coverings, he writes: "They were woven in various kinds of threads and covered with intricate embroideries, which were worthy of Arachne." As far back as the end of the fifteenth century, the Dominican monastery in Castel di Sangro was a hive of well-organised industry, and as productive as any of the great factories in our busy cities of to-day. A constant procession of mules, carrying bales of crude wool,
      streamed up to the monastery gate, to emerge from another gate loaded with finished carpets. Another factory in the same city belonged to the feudal lord Ferdinando Francesco d'Alvalos (d'Aquino), Marquis of Pescara, and without any intention of reconstructing the mediaeval history of this art of carpet weaving, I will merely draw the attention
      of the reader to the records in the "Cronaca Farfensi " of a kind of school for women, in San Benedetto di Vallegriana, where beautiful tapestries for churches were woven. These records, according to Muratori, demonstrate the falseness of the assertion, that many of the materials in use in Montecassino and San Liberatore dalla Maiella came from Constantinople.
     
      And now we come to the history of lace, which was a product of the Abruzzi in ancient times, just as it is now, and which probably also had its origin in some instinct retained from pagan times. Its history shows the same rapid progress to the very summit of art and beauty. In the beginning of the seventeenth century lace was made with a double thread upon a double row of large pins, without any pins
      intervening in the breadth of the lace. This caused the lace to be of uniform width and of one texture. Later, when pins were made smaller, it was possible to place them between the width of the lace, the work becoming more complicated or simpler according to the disposition of the pins, and designs thus more varied. With the introduction of machine-made pins of every size and thickness, lace-work has grown more and mure intricate, and some designs form a kind of metallic incrustation on the lace.
     
      In the mountainous districts, which were very isolated from the centres of artistic culture, such as Castel de Monte, Calanio, Santo Stefano, Liccoli, Genopalene and Pescocostanzo, the inhabitants to which had, from earliest times, shown quite as much aptitude and taste for artistic industry as anybody else, the beautiful art of lace-
      making remained in its most primitive stages; whilst in Aquila, where the industries of building and weaving were in their glory during the sixteenth century, the art was cultivated to a far greater degree and had a particular and original stamp of its own. The ancient Aquila point has remained famous to this day.
     
      It may be said that a close examination of the technical
      methods of the manufacture of old Aquila point reveals the fact that it is composed of a derivation from the conventional seven fundamental stitches of lace-making. This particular combination of stitches represents a new and original departure in the history of the technical side of lace-making. Aquila point is not unlike English point, but it has certain net stitches and raised designs which
      add greatly to the difficulty of its making, and which give to it a lighter, yet richer appearance.
     
      The value of much of the lace of the Abruzzi lies in the
      method of its making ; for while Venetian point and Valenciennes are generally made in many separate portions which are afterwards joined together, Aquila point is made with a great number of bobbins, the net groundwork, together with the whole of the design, unfolding themselves gradually, without the operator having to go over any part of the lace twice. The thread used in Aquila lace
      is also noted for its fineness and whiteness ; it is all spun by hand and is far superior to the thread in Brussels lace, which, when it is washed, loses much of its lustrous appearance, whereas the Aquila thread remains unchanged in its exquisite whiteness.
     
      The little villages of the Abruzzi are numerous, but if we are to believe old chroniclers, each of them had its separate and distinct costumes, all of them attractive and quaint in style and greatly enhancing the natural beauty of their wearers. In their picturesque variety the costumes are significant of both the temperament of the people and the temperature of the region : sombre and severe in those parts where the climate is rigorous, among mist and snow ; gaily ostentatious, with brilliant colouring, in those parts near to the sea, where the sky is always blue and the sun always shines.
     
      In Pettocano the women wear tight, high belts round their
      waists, covered with blue cloth and trimmed on the front and around the arm-holes with ribbons and strings of silk and gold. The sleeves are held on by silk laces and tassels. The skirts fall with ample folds to the ankle and are trimmed round the bottom with ribbon; half way up a row of lace runs around the skirt. Over the dress an apron is worn which is called senai or mantera. It is of the whitest silk and woollen cloth, although some peasants now wear other aprons of coloured linen, while the more coquettish ones wear silk. Around their breast they wear the whitest of linen, which reaches up to the throat and is trimmed with lace of more or less fine quality. The hair, which is drawn over the temples, is dressed in a fashion which is copied from the women who live in towns. The head is covered with a conventional white linen head-dress called tovaglia.
      This consists of a piece of linen, about a half a yard wide and two yards long, the ends of which are trimmed with long fringes. It is arranged in such a manner that one half falls down over the shoulders to the waist, the other half is folded lengthwise on the forehead into three folds, which full down at the side of the face and are joined to
      the back part of the veil at the broadest part of the shoulders. The head and bust of the wearer appear to be in a niche, or frame, of the purest white linen, which gives great refinement to the features and intensifies the beauty of their colouring. In winter a large shawl (mostly of red woollen cloth) is worn over the other garments, folded in two and arranged with one end tucked inside the other and
      hanging loosely, in swallow-tail fashion. To-day this custom is only maintained among the elder women of the community. The use of the fasciatrt'ili is, however, quite general. This is a scarf of crimson, or other coloured woollen cloth, which is worn over the tovaglia in wet weather. For ornaments, the women wear earrings of various shapes, rosaries and strings of gold beads, and chains and necklaces of gold. On their fingers are rings, with stones or without, and other similar feminine trinketry.
     
      In Cansona, a little district hidden away amongst the western valleys and glens of Maiella, the men wear short trousers to their knees, with white stockings, waistcoats and jackets, and broad-brimmed, cone-shaped hats, which they adorn with ribbons, peacocks' feathers, or flowers. The women wear bodices from which the long sleeves are divided. Their skirts, detached from the bodices, are
      made with broad pleats and trimmed at the hem with coloured ribbon. An ample apron of woollen, or other material, covers the skirt, and on their heads they wear white kerchiefs, folded into a triangle, which they knot under the chin, with two little ends hanging loose. Both men and women protect their feet with strips of leather, which are bound on with strings, or thongs of leather tied round the ankles.
      The inhabitants of Scanno wear woollen clothes, whatever the
      season may be. The men wear short trousers and dark blue jackets, with green or mixed coloured waistcoats and light blue stockings. The skirt worn by the women is, perhaps not inappropriately, called casacca. It is of a subdued shade of green, or, upon the occasion of a wedding, scarlet, with tiny pleats at the back which are gathered
      and joined on to a piece of cloth shaped into the fashion of a loose coat. This garment, once donned, makes the wearer quite shapeless. The bodice {comodino), which is divided from the skirt, is of dark blue cloth, with full sleeves pleated at the shoulders and at the wrists, and is trimmed at the edges with coloured ribbons. In the front it is closed nearly up to the throat, and at the back it has small flaps forming tails. The method of buttoning is rather curious and original. Around the neck the comodmo is trimmed with gathered lace, which forms part of the under-bodice. The apron, which is called mantera, is made of material woven of undressed wool and dyed scarlet, crimson, pale grey or violet. The cappelktto, a most original head-dress, is shaped like a turban and only differs from that of a Mussulman in being a little higher and having a longer
      end. It has no folds in front and can be taken off without being undone. The stockings are white, yellow or blue, and not infrequently the shoes are adorned with silver buckles. The face is protected from the rigorous winds of winter by means of a handkerchief folded into a long strip, which is taken under the chin over the cheek and ears and fastened on the top of the head.
     
      At Giulianova the men wear conical hats with large upturned
      brims, mostly made of thick black felt ; round the widest part of the crown a lace is tied, or sometimes a velvet band with an iron buckle. Their waistcoats are of red cloth, with steel or brass buttons, and trousers either quite long or cut short to the bend of the knee. On their heads the women wear a piece of calico, doubled in two, the underneath part falling down the back to the waist, and the upper piece as far as the shoulders. The hustino, or corpetto, of black
      or scarlet cloth, is a garment which is fastened tightly round the hips and worn loosely round the chest. In summer time the wide sleeves of the under-blouse take the place of the sleeves of the corpetta, which are only worn in the winter. The aprons are very full, but short and mostly white. Chains of coral, with gold mountings and
      composed of two or three strands of beads, complete the costume.
     
     
     
     
     
Contributed by: Courtesy of www.archive.org

View full size image

Abruzzo folk costume
Abruzzo, Italy
Date: 1913
Notes: The image was taken from the book, "Peasant Art in Italy," edited by Charles Holme (London: The Studio, 1913). The caption underneath the image reads: "A costume of Scanno Widow, Abruzzo."
Contributed by: Courtesy of www.archive.org

View full size image

Page: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / Next >>