Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark

Music

Social dancing in local ballrooms

During the 1950s, ballroom dance halls were central to social life, where people danced to the rhythms of filuzzi, polka, and mazurka.

Daily life

Rural home water and heating habits

In rural homes, families often kept a communal water bucket with a ladle on the sink, covering it with a cloth to keep out flies. To stay warm in unheated bedrooms during winter, people used a wooden frame called a 'prete' (priest) to hold a metal warmer containing hot embers under the bedsheets.

News and letters

Slow Delivery Times for Mail

Between 1950 and 1974, ordinary letters in Italy often took at least a week to arrive, while postcards and printed matter could take months. Express letters could also take anywhere from three days to two weeks to be delivered.

What people wore

The Single Sunday Suit

Country men owned only one dark suit for feast days and weddings, which was passed down through generations and frequently resoled when the leather shoes wore out.

Getting around

Long Journeys in Basilicata

In parts of Basilicata, residents sometimes spent over 12 to 14 hours traveling to Naples, a journey that could take 5 hours elsewhere.

What it cost

Cost of bread and shoes

A kilogram of bread cost 100 lire in 1950, increasing to 170 lire in 1965 and 230 lire by 1970, while a pair of shoes cost around 6,000 lire in 1965.