Vittoria Farnese d'Este

What people wore

Passing Down Heirloom Clothing and Textiles

Clothing and accessories were historically valued as tools for social integration and communication, and they were commonly passed down from one generation to the next. Items were analyzed in archives through inventories, jewelry lists, and fabric samples that documented how people dressed.

At the table

Strict bread rationing for the poor

To ensure urban stability during food shortages, authorities strictly rationed bread, forcing the poor to eat smaller loaves made from a mixture of less valuable cereals and pulses. In contrast, fine flour bread was reserved exclusively for city residents.

News and letters

Letter travel time: Turin to Paris

During the early seventeenth century, a letter typically took about a week to travel between Turin and Paris, although this was subject to weather conditions across the Alps.

Getting around

Travel and Communication in the Duchy

In the early 17th century, the Via Emilia was a vital, though sometimes poorly maintained, route for transit between Piacenza, Parma, and Bologna, featuring regular services by couriers and messengers who operated on fixed schedules. Travel on this route was managed via post stations where riders could change horses to maintain efficient communication networks.

What it cost

Soaring wheat prices in Parma

The controlled price of wheat in Parma's public market rose sharply from 117 soldi in 1588 to a peak of 402 soldi in 1592 during a major subsistence crisis.

Daily life

Bread rationing for the poor

To prevent riots during food shortages, the state rationed bread, forcing the poor to eat smaller loaves made from pulses and low-quality cereals. Luxury bread and sweets were strictly forbidden during these times of scarcity.

Work

Barber-surgeons in Parma

Barber-surgeons were the most numerous medical workers in Parma, often performing both grooming tasks like shaving and invasive procedures such as bloodletting using razors and lancets.