Bianca Cappello

Bianca Cappello was an Italian noblewoman, the Grand Duchess consort of Tuscany by marriage to Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. She was Francesco's mistress, who later became his consort when she married him.

The everyday lucco robe for men

In summer, Florentine men of age eighteen or older often wore a long black robe called a lucco, which was made of serge or black cloth and reached nearly to their heels. For winter, this comfortable garment was often lined with fur or velvet to provide additional warmth.

The trend of men wearing beards

While once clean-shaven faces were common, by the mid-sixteenth century, about ninety-five out of every hundred Florentine men adopted the trend of wearing beards, which was considered more masculine. Those who chose to remain clean-shaven were often mocked as old-fashioned and labeled with the derisive term zazzeroni.

Civic wind ensembles played for celebrations

Civic wind bands known as pifferi, typically consisting of shawms and trombones, provided music for major public ceremonies, banquets, and religious festivals.

Popular Carnival songs and street theater

Florentine Carnival songs were popular secular tunes performed by costumed groups during street festivals, often featuring witty, satirical lyrics about different trades.

Dangerous mountain travel required extreme caution

Traveling the Apennines was so dangerous and arduous that travelers often made wills and held religious ceremonies before departing to protect themselves from bandits and accidents. Even royal visitors, like Galeazzo Sforza in 1471, had to have their carriages dismantled and moved by mule back.

Pack animals dominated 16th-century travel

In the 16th century, travel across mountain routes was done exclusively by pack animals like mules, as carriages could not navigate the terrain. Large carts used on flat roads were often pulled by oxen, while carriages were rare and uncomfortable, lacking suspension.

Amenities and sleeping arrangements in homes

Wealthy Florentine homes featured private wells for water and used fireplaces for heat, while tapestries were hung on walls to provide insulation. Several people often shared a single large bed for sleeping.

Diet and food preservation methods

Because refrigerators did not exist, food was heavily spiced to help preserve it, leading to gout among the rich who consumed significant amounts of meat. Poorer families relied on simpler diets consisting mainly of vegetables, legumes, and animal innards.

Daily meals for poor families

Poor Florentine families typically ate three modest daily meals: bread soaked in wine upon waking, a midday lunch, and dinner after sunset. Saltless bread was the foundational staple for every meal, supplemented by affordable vegetables like onions, fava beans, and black cabbage.

Meat as a rare treat

When a pig was slaughtered, it was customary for neighbors to share blood sausage as a gesture of friendship and good luck. Meat was otherwise rarely consumed by the poor, reserved primarily for special occasions like holidays.

Desperate food sources during famine

In desperate conditions, the poor consumed unusual sources of food; mice were purchased for one giulio each, and cats were sold for forty soldi.

Meat prices during crisis periods

During times of crisis, a pound of veal cost between 40 and 50 soldi, while donkey meat was available for one carlino.

Limited annual work days

Florentines did not work more than 230 days per year due to numerous mandatory, unpaid feast days that broke the annual work rhythm. Apprenticeships often began between ages 10 and 11, and families sometimes had to pay the employer to have their children trained.

Textiles were the primary industry

Textile production, particularly the wool and growing silk industries, was the largest employer, while other common trades included baking, butchery, and day labor. Many laborers were unskilled and worked in primary processing, such as wool-beating, for subsistence-level wages.

Couriers traveled on foot to deliver mail

For everyday long-distance communication, merchants and others often relied on couriers hired through innkeepers, who traveled primarily on foot covering about 60 to 70 kilometers per day. Private individuals might also send letters via acquaintances or passing transport drivers for shorter distances.

Letters took days between major cities

Travel times varied significantly, with letters between Rome and Florence typically taking 2 to 3 days to arrive. Delivery could sometimes be delayed by officials who held up couriers to prepare their own official correspondence.