General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
The 1830s · Maria is born
In the news1835–1837
Deadly cholera epidemic hits Italy in 1835
A cholera epidemic struck Italy between 1835 and 1837, resulting in over 140,000 deaths, including nearly 20,000 in Naples alone. Poor sanitation in urban centers favored the spread of the disease, which disproportionately affected the poor.
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.
Around the world1832
Cholera spreads around the world
A cholera pandemic from India reached Europe and the Americas; cities learned the hard way about clean water and sewers.
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.
What people wore
Sorrento women's feast day attire
On feast days, peasant women in Sorrento wore bodices of damask with braided trim, styled their hair in a Chinese fashion, and wore a special pin called a spadella with a ribbon hanging down their necks.
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.
At the table
Scrap fish for a soldo
For one soldo, a poor resident could buy a small paper cone of fried fish known as fragaglia, which were the scraps from the bottom of fishmongers' baskets.