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Traditional
Costumes
of Torre and Calabria
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 When
Ulysses mythically landed in Calabria, he commented not only the hospitality
offered by the people but also that the women of this lush land were
the most beautiful that he ever saw. The apparel that Calabrians wore
evolved with the Greek and Roman conquests and remained the same until
the last century. Up until early 1900, Calabria was known throughout
Europe as a producer of fine silk and traditional costumes reflect this.
Today, Calabria is known as a silk producer to a smaller market, peoples
who've been lucky enough to discover its secrets of style, colors and
prices from a hundred years ago. Sila piccola, depicted to the
left, features the classic silk shawls hand woven in Tiriolo. Worn on
the shoulders, they are long and colorful and are still worn in high
fashion in Italy today.
Torre
di Ruggiero
 Given
its strategic position as a passing point between three seas, the Ionian,
Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean, Torre became an important center for trade,
political influence and, subsequently, spirituality and the church.
Hence, Peoples from a wide region eventually settled here. Two traditional
costumes are attributed to Torre: Sila Piccola and Serre (to
the right), denoting the mountains that rise from the Ionian on the
east and the bluffs that eventually dive into the Mediterranean near
Sicily in the South and the Tyhrennian on the west coast of the Calabrian/Italian
peninsula.
Grecanica
Even
considering the dominant Ancient Greek influence on the colonies
of di Kaulon, Kroton, Sybaris and others, today's village of Bova
probably retains the most of ancient Greek culture. This costume
was exclusive for this town.
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Sila Greca
The
Sila Greca is from the area encompassing the antique Sybaris,
today Sibari, to the high mountains of the Sila range until San
Giovanni in Fiore in the province of Cosenza. Even one thousand
six hundred years ago, this area was bustling with tourism-hence
the welcoming flowers typical of the costume. |
Lametina
The
area where Lamezia Terme is located has been a traditional spot
for cures of decease since the Ancient Romans discovered the natural
hot springs almost two thousand years ago. Most of the costumes
are nurse-like as this was the predominant industry of the day.
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Locride
The
only area for a traditional costume that encompasses strictly
flatlands near the sea, Locride depicts a working class society
that benefited from the lush farmlands down from the mountains.
The area may very well be the first that was inhabited by the
ancient Greeks as it includes Riace noted as the place where
Ulysses was finally given a flotilla to return to Greece after
his long journey.
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Pollino
Traditional
apparel for the area once called Pollino, today the city of
Cosenza and its outlying areas, is decisively different from
all other costumes. The colorful, bright emblazons depict big
city life even one thousand years ago.
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Taurina
The
traditional garb of the area Taurina signifies what is
now the southern most point of Calabria: from Goia Tauro, where
the straits to Sicily are, up until Tropea on the west coats to
the foot of the Aspromonte mountains on the east. |
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| Both
images above depict 18th century working class Calabrian men. On
the left is a farmer and the right a shepherd. |
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