Ferdinand II of Naples

What people wore

Restrictions on jewelry for young adults

Sumptuary laws issued in 1516 forbade residents under thirty from wearing jewels or pearls, though they were permitted to own no more than three rings decorated with precious stones.

Daily life

Practical schooling and early childhood guidance

Merchant children attended abacus schools that taught reading, writing, and arithmetic in a practical way specifically for trade. By age four or five, play toys like swords and hobby horses were used to direct children toward their future societal roles.

Work

The Rhythm of the Working Day

Workdays began at dawn and ended at sunset, regulated by church bells, with the number of effective work days per year estimated at only about 230 due to numerous holidays. Apprenticeships typically started between ages 10 and 11 and lasted at least 3 years, with families sometimes paying masters to host and train their children.

Music

Religious Choirs and Musical Recycling

Devotional companies known as laudesi sang monophonic laude in veneration of the Virgin Mary, and by 1500, they frequently performed three- or four-part polyphony. These groups often recycled melodies from secular carnival songs for their religious hymns, a process known as contrafacture.

At the table

Daily meal schedule for the poor

The poor consumed three scarce daily meals: bread soaked in wine upon waking, lunch around eleven, and dinner after sunset.

Getting around

Transport via pack animals and ox carts

In the 16th century, mountain road transport was done entirely by pack animals, while carts pulled by oxen were only used on flat roads with rudimentary paving.

What it cost

Cost of footwear

While basic shoes were affordable at around 2 soldi, a pair of nice shoes could cost as much as 2 florins, equivalent to about 140 soldi.