Franz Joseph de Bragança

Music

Noisy serenades for newlyweds in Rome

In Rome, people performed a boisterous late-night custom called a scampanacciata outside the windows of newlyweds, using tin buckets, pans, iron plates, and bells to create as much noise as possible.

Daily life

Lack of public water and sewage infrastructure

Public water pipes were rare; by the late 19th century, over half of municipalities lacked them, forcing people to draw water from wells or public fountains. Sewage systems were also non-existent in over 77 percent of municipalities, often leading to contaminated water.

What it cost

Worker purchasing power in post-unification Italy

Between 1862 and 1878, a worker in the construction sector could purchase approximately 2.9 baskets of essential food items per day with their salary. In the Mezzogiorno region, where prices were lower, this purchasing power increased to 3.2 baskets.

What people wore

Wedding attire and color norms

For weddings, pastel colors were still common in this period, and it was considered inappropriate for brides over 25 years old to wear a white dress and veil.

Getting around

Travel by foot and mule was common

Many ordinary people in remote or mountainous areas still traveled exclusively on foot or by mule along narrow trails. This isolation persisted because many municipalities lacked proper roads until late in the 19th century.

At the table

Polenta as a daily staple

By around 1870, peasant families in the Veneto region relied so heavily on cornmeal that they ate two to three kilograms of polenta daily, spending up to 60% of their income on it.