Marie-Antoinette of Austria-Este

At the table

Leftover Bread Soup Traditions

Peasants commonly prepared large pots of vegetable and bread soup, specifically adhering to meatless diets on Fridays. Leftover soup was often reboiled with bread in the following days to create ribollita.

What people wore

Coral jewelry for festive occasions

On feast days, ordinary women often adorned themselves with coral jewelry, which was meticulously categorized into fourteen different shades, ranging from blood-red to black. This industry was so significant that it drew the interest of foreign travelers who observed the detailed production process in Livorno.

Getting around

Extra animals for steep terrain

Travelers often needed extra horses or mules to navigate steep or sandy mountain terrain, paying extra fees for these additional animals.

What it cost

Self-Sufficiency and Rural Debt

Many rural families produced their own food and clothing instead of buying them, often paying artisans like cobblers or tailors with their own farm products rather than using money. In some areas, sharecropping families were frequently deeply indebted to their landlords, with average debts reaching 82 scudi.

Music

Pergolesi's Stabat Mater tradition

During Lent in Florence, a popular and recurring musical event was the performance of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, which became a hallowed tradition.

Daily life

Rural Homes and Living Conditions

In rural areas, many families lived on the upper floors of small stone buildings, keeping their pigs and chickens on the ground floor. Water was obtained from wells or cisterns that collected rainwater, while candles provided light during long winter nights.