Around the world1825–1830
The first passenger railway
In England a steam locomotive pulled the first public train in 1825; within decades railways crossed every continent.
Florence, 9 Jan 1827 – Florence, 18 May 1834
7 facts1 source
9 Jan 1827
Born in Florence
18 May 1834
Dies in Florence, aged 7
She lived through 2 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Florence.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
Around the world1825–1830
In England a steam locomotive pulled the first public train in 1825; within decades railways crossed every continent.
At the table
Chestnuts as a main dish
Poor Neapolitans purchased nine boiled chestnuts for one soldo and used the reddish cooking juice to soak their bread as a main meal.
What people wore
Cost of wedding attire
A wedding dress for an ordinary person usually cost up to 30 ducats, though wealthy families could spend up to 300 ducats on garments with gold and silver fabrics.
Getting around
Travel by mule and lettiga in Sicily
In Sicily, travel was often done by mule or in a lettiga, a carriage-like box without wheels carried by two mules that moved at about three miles per hour. This unconventional vehicle was notoriously noisy due to bells and prone to swaying on uneven ground.
What it cost
Food prices for daily necessities
Bread cost 6 grana per rotolo (approx. 890 grams), while beef cost 16 grana and a liter of wine was 3 grana. Pasta was a staple, with machine-made pasta costing 7 grana and finer varieties reaching 8 grana per rotolo.
Music
Music in religious festivals
Religious processions and festivals were vibrant musical events where people sang devotional songs and participated in popular theatre performances. These celebrations often merged music, dance, and collective banqueting to strengthen community bonds.
Daily life
Peasant homes in Fardella
Peasant homes in Fardella typically consisted of a ground floor for stables and storage, and a single first-floor room where families cooked, ate, and slept; they lacked both drinking water and electricity.