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Queen Paola of Belgium

Born Forte dei Marmi, 11 Sep 1937

6 facts1 source

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 11 Sep 1937

    Born in Forte dei Marmi

  2. 1960–1963

    3 children are born

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 3

During her lifetime

She has lived through 10 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Forte dei Marmi.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1930s · Queen is born in Forte dei Marmi

Who governed

What people wore

Rural Women Wore Regional Costumes

Rural housewives were sometimes permitted to wear traditional regional costumes during parades as an alternative to the official uniform. The regime promoted this to emphasize national tradition rather than personal style.

Getting around

Carriage travel San Marino to Rimini

Traveling 25 km between San Marino and Rimini by horse-drawn carriage took three hours in summer, increasing to four or five hours in winter when horses were replaced by mules or oxen.

At the table

Chicory coffee during rationing

When coffee was rationed in 1939, laborers often drank a bitter chicory brew, sometimes corrected with grappa.

The Second World War. The deadliest war in history, from 1939 to 1945: some 70 million people died. Brazil sent 25,000 soldiers to fight in Italy.Around the world · 1939–1945

The Second World War. The deadliest war in history, from 1939 to 1945: some 70 million people died. Brazil sent 25,000 soldiers to fight in Italy.

Chief Photographer's Mate (CPHoM) Robert F. Sargent · public domain

In the news1927–1935

Economic crisis, 1927-1935

Following the Great Depression, the poorer classes in Italy suffered a fall in nominal wages of up to 70 percent between 1927 and 1935.

Music

Radio opera in rural homes

Rural families listened to opera broadcasts on the radio at home, treating the experience as a theatrical event.

Daily life

School uniforms and classroom equipment

Schoolchildren wore mandatory smocks—black for boys with blue bows and white for girls with pink bows—and used narrow wooden desks featuring glass inkwells. Students without satchels often bundled their books and notebooks using simple string or straps.