Vittoria della Rovere

What people wore

Famine-Era Food Restrictions and Rationing

During periods of famine, authorities prohibited the baking of luxury bread and sweets to control food costs. The poorest citizens relied on state-subsidized shops that sold bread made from a mix of inferior cereals and pulses.

Daily life

Village education and private school funding

At the village level, some instruction was provided by local priests, while towns paid for schoolmasters and some wealthy individuals funded private colleges to train youth.

Work

Public works for the poor

In 1591, the construction of the Parma Citadel was ordered specifically to provide employment for a labor force of 2,500 poor city residents.

Music

The wandering hurdy-gurdy player

In popular tradition, wandering musicians, often children, were known for traveling across Europe and performing to the sound of the hurdy-gurdy.

At the table

The humble paniccio dish

In the Novara countryside during the 17th century, ordinary families relied on paniccio, a dish made with beans, as a staple food.

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

Publicly regulated bread prices and supply

Public authorities in Turin strictly regulated the bread supply, setting official prices based on wheat market fluctuations to ensure social stability. They conducted bread tests to calculate production costs and guarantee an affordable supply for residents.