Constantine I of Greece

Music

Village dances and folk instruments

In rural villages, folk dances were held in squares or churchyards on Sundays and saints' days, often featuring circle or chain dances performed to the sounds of bagpipes, violins, or clarinets. If instruments were unavailable, dancers sang their own accompaniment to these communal celebrations.

Daily life

Simple Peasant Home Architecture

Most rural peasant homes were single-room cabins built of wood or stone with a roof of thatch or tiles, housing both the family and their domestic animals. Furnishings were minimal, typically lacking tables and chairs, with bedding stored in a corner and meals eaten while sitting on the floor around a common dish.

What it cost

Worker purchasing power in post-unification Italy

Between 1862 and 1878, a worker in the construction sector could purchase approximately 2.9 baskets of essential food items per day with their salary. In the Mezzogiorno region, where prices were lower, this purchasing power increased to 3.2 baskets.

What people wore

Mixed European and traditional attire

In 19th-century Greek cities like Athens and Piraeus, residents frequently wore a mix of European clothing alongside traditional garments such as the fustanella.

Getting around

Travel by horse in interior Greece

Travelers in the interior of Greece typically moved on horseback, with distances calculated by the hour rather than by miles. An average hour of riding covered about 3 miles, and a normal day's progress was between 20 and 25 miles.

At the table

Modest Diet of Ordinary Families

Poor families in Greece often survived on little more than a handful of bitter olives, onions, or salted fish with bread.