Andreas Schimert

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

Traditional Rural Women's Attire

In rural areas, women over 30 typically wore long black dresses with modest bodices, often using a durable apron made of heavy fabric similar to denim.

Getting around

Travel on the Settebello Train

The Settebello train cost 14,000 lire for a one-way ticket between Rome and Milan, covering the distance in slightly more than six hours.

What it cost

Meat as a luxury food

Meat was often considered a luxury, with some families only able to afford it once a week, and many people in poor areas lived on simple diets of legumes and vegetables.