Anna Colonna

What people wore

Passing Down Heirloom Clothing and Textiles

Clothing and accessories were historically valued as tools for social integration and communication, and they were commonly passed down from one generation to the next. Items were analyzed in archives through inventories, jewelry lists, and fabric samples that documented how people dressed.

At the table

Rural diet of beans and chestnuts

During times of severe famine, country dwellers survived by consuming minimal food, such as beans and chestnuts, as cities prioritized their own limited grain supplies over feeding the rural population.

News and letters

Postal Networks and Improved Delivery Times

By the seventeenth century, a public postal network of regular couriers allowed ordinary people to send mail, whereas previously they relied on miscellaneous travelers. Letters that once took two weeks to arrive could then be delivered in five days.

Getting around

Travel and Communication in the Duchy

In the early 17th century, the Via Emilia was a vital, though sometimes poorly maintained, route for transit between Piacenza, Parma, and Bologna, featuring regular services by couriers and messengers who operated on fixed schedules. Travel on this route was managed via post stations where riders could change horses to maintain efficient communication networks.

What it cost

Strict grain rationing in Parma

During the 1590-1593 famine, authorities strictly limited grain transactions, prohibiting any individual deal involving more than 4.7 kg of grain to prevent hoarding.

Daily life

Bread rationing for the poor

To prevent riots during food shortages, the state rationed bread, forcing the poor to eat smaller loaves made from pulses and low-quality cereals. Luxury bread and sweets were strictly forbidden during these times of scarcity.

Work

Public works for the poor

In 1591, the construction of the Parma Citadel was ordered specifically to provide employment for a labor force of 2,500 poor city residents.