In the news1763–1767
Famine in Southern Italy (1763-1767)
A devastating famine occurred in Southern Italy, killing approximately 300,000 people due to starvation and related diseases like typhus. It was caused by extreme weather, poor agricultural practices, and failed food distribution systems.
Getting around
Hours spent walking to fields
Commuting to distant fields often took several hours of walking, because agricultural lands were generally far from the villages.
At the table
Bread as the daily foundation
For ordinary families, bread was the central pillar of daily nutrition, often complemented by cheese, legumes, seasonal fruits, and occasionally pork from home-raised pigs.
What people wore
Valuable Inherited Traditions
Traditional clothing was considered a highly valuable heritage passed down through generations, often held as a precious treasure or heirloom. Families in each community were responsible for preserving the specific techniques and processes required to manufacture this traditional attire.
Music
Celebrations during the religious novenas
During novenas, people gathered at small country churches for celebrations that included religious gosos (songs of praise), poetry competitions, and traditional music and dancing until late at night.
Daily life
Primitive one-room homes for the poor
For the poor, homes were primitive, one-room ground-floor dwellings built from raw bricks or stone with packed-earth or cobblestone floors and no windows. The hearth was dug into the floor in the center of the room, and the home contained only a large parents' bed and mats for the children.