Men in skirts and tights

Medieval fashion for men is fairly commonly seen in old movies and period stories. They wear belted tunics and hose with leather shoes/boots/slippers, often a cloak or hat. (Think Robin Hood, Monte Python). Basically, the tunic was a long, loose shirt that slipped over the head, usually over a lighter-weight similar undershirt. The neck had an opening along one shoulder or down the breast bone that might be closed with laces, hooks, or pins. Sometimes the sleeves were cut as part of the garment itself, but sometimes added later along the side seams. The tunic became more popular in the East after the decline in popularity of garments that wrapped around the body. You see both styles in Medieval pictures. Women's dresses were of similar tunic-like design, dropping to the ankles or the floor, and perhaps a little more form fitting. A person's social status was revealed in clothing by the amount of embroidery decorating the piece, furs used as trim or lining, and the type of material used. Peasants were more likely to dress in homespun linen or cotton, while royals had silks, velvets and brocades. Clothing was adapted to the weather by adding extra layers or using heavier materials such as wool, fur and leather instead of cotton and linen. Although the basic tunic style didn't change much, "fashion" as we know it today was expressed by details of garment construction like how long or tight the sleeves might be, how full the skirt was, how many buttons it had (more about buttons next time). But pantyhose for men? Before elastic was invented? In the picture below, you can see that the hose were tied to the men's underwear, called braies--basically boxer shorts with drawstrings at the waist. Ties and laces were used in many ways in medieval clothing, but this simple solution eluded me as I thought about those tights. The picture also shows basic tunic designs and footwear, hats, and gloves.

Above, a church garment that details tunic construction; Below, menswear of medieval times

Citron, fava beans, granita, food from Sicily and blancmange?

http://www.bestofsicily.com


So I'm writing a chapter and doing research about what Bia and Ysabella would be doing in the kitchen and what kind of "stuff" would they be preserving and preparing from Leo's estate?  Check out this link above because it gives a lot of fascinating information on fava beans, citron (do you know what citron is?), blood oranges, pistachios and almonds - lots of the food known not only to Greeks and Romans, but some, like sugar cane, lemons, oranges and advanced irrigation methods, were brought to Sicily by the Arabs.  So when you're in Sicily and cooling off with a fabulous lemon granite, say a silent prayer of thanks to the Arab culture.


And one more thing perusing medieval recipes - did you know that almond milk was a staple in most medieval kitchens?  Yes, that blanc mange which I have to confess, I had to look up because I had visions of jiggly icky gelatinous pudding, and found to my relief that it wasn't.  In the medieval world, at least in Sicily, it's often more of a spiced, almond and ginger flavored rice kind of dish (as best I can make out) and all four recipes I found had a common ingredient of rosewater.  I'll have to add some rose water to my pudding some time ...

Scotland in Sicily?

Once nearly clueless about Sicily except for the Godfather movies, now I find references to Sicily and Palermo pop up a lot, some in the most unexpected places. We chanced across a 1953 movie last night, the Master of Ballantrae, with Errol Flynn. Did you know that this Scottish classic by Robert Louis Stevenson was partly filmed in Sicily? Although the story takes the hero to the West Indies, the pirate scenes were filmed near Palermo. I can only imagine the draw of Sicily for a film maker--sun, water, beaches, color, mountains, volcanos, rural life, city life, ancient and medieval temples, pagentry--just about anything a director might want. There were many films shot at least partly in Sicily, from The Leopard with Burt Lancaster to Il Postino, Divorce Italian Style, Malena, etc. So, if you pay attention, what references to Sicily will you come across in your everyday activities? What are your favorite Italian movies?

More Travel Links to Sicily - see David Lebovitz!

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2014/06/sicily-again-italy-travel/


Check it out folks - going to Sicily soon?

Solstice, Saints Days, June Saints in Italy and England - St. Thomas More and St. John the Baptist

Well, I don't know about you guys out there, but tomorrow we're getting ready to celebrate Solstice with a big party - the longest day of the year.


But if I were back in the 13th century in Italy - what would I be celebrating?  Or the 16th century in Italy or England?


Imagine my surprise - there's a PLETHORA of June Saints!  And here's a few.  St. Romauld, whose saint's day is June 19, was born in Ravenna, Italy.  His claim to fame?  You know, besides being a saint.  He founded the Camaldolese order and died in 1027. 


Next up - St. Aloysius Gonzaga.  Gonzaga.  Great basketball.  Great Renaissance name.  Unbeatable combination.  Wealthy family, riches and culture, but he wanted to be a Jesuit and indeed, that's what he became.  Died in 1591.


Now let's go to England - and anyone who's read Tudor history knows about Henry the VIII.  You know, the king who created the Church of England and cut off wives' heads, willy-nilly.  St. John Fischer, born in Yorkshire in 1469, beheaded by Henry in 1535 because he refused to render the Oath of Supremacy and upheld the validity of the Henry's marriage to Katherine of Aragon.  He got his reward in heaven.


But most surprising of all - St. Thomas More.  More Henry VIII.  Faithful counselor, heaped with honors, until, of course, he too refused to take the Oath of Supremacy and was beheaded in the same year as John Fischer - 1535. 


Last but definitely not least - all good Catholics know that the birth of John the Baptist is celebrated on June 22.  Do you think there's a link between the longest day of the year and John the Baptist?  If there is, let us know!

Monreale Abbey, Santa Maria La Nuova

I mentioned this abbey in the last post on St. Louis. Monreale is about 8 km south of Palermo's cathedral, straddling Mt. Caputo. Work on the abbey began in 1172, one year after the coronation of William II (the Good). He used this project to advance the Latin Church in Sicily over the Orthodox, Jewish, and Muslim faiths. The abbey was built like a fortress since it guarded the mountain passes near Ba'lat,a forested Arab hamlet used by the royals for hunting and falconry. It also served as a Benedictine monastery. The superstructure was finished by 1176 and the mosaics and cloister were done by 1189. The bronze doors came from Pisa in 1186. The abbey contains the largest concentration of Norman, Arab and Byzantine art in one location. 150 mosaics take up 6000 square meters of wall space, larger than St. Mark's in Venice. 228 columns surrounding the cloister feature ornate capitals carved with scenes from Norman history. Muslims rebelling over excessive taxation by the abbot of Monreale led several attacks against the abbey, the worst in 1216, but they had little overall impact. By 1246, Frederick II has put down these rebels and consolidated political control over Corleone and San Guiseppe Jato. Below are some pictures of this unique and ornate location.Pictures from IStock

Monreale Ceiling above the main altar

Monreale mosaic of Christ Pantocrator

Monreale mosaics

Monreale Mosaic of Noah building the Ark

St Louis in Sicily?

Who would ever imagine that there is a bit of St. Louis in Sicily? No, it's not the city of St. Louis, but the actual saint. The heart of Louis IX, King of France, is in a special tomb at Monreale Abbey, formally named Santa Maria la Nuova. Louis died on campaign in Tunisia in 1270. Aging and ailing, the devout king took up the battle for the true church in Tunisia after crusading in the Albigensian campaign against the Cathars in the Languedoc region of France, and in the Holy Land 1248-1250 after the fall of Jerusalem in 1244. The campaign in Tunisia may have been initiated at the behest of Louis's brother, Charles of Anjou, King of Naples and Sicily. Although Sicily was handed over to Charles by papal edict in 1262, he had to defeat King Manfred in 1266 to assume his reign. It is Charles that the Sicilian patriots rise up against in the Sicilian Vespers. But back to the heart... Louis and his troops managed to conquer Carthage in the Tunisian campaign but the army was defeated by plague. Louis died there in 1270. A long processional bearing his body back to France then wound its way through Sicily and a number of French provinces before his burial in Paris. Apparently bits and pieces of the king were left in holy shrines along the way. The population venerated Louis as a saint for many years before his formal canonization in 1297. Without Louis's power during the era, his religious devotion, and the many perks he arranged for his large family, would Charles have ever been King of Sicily? Would there have been a Sicilian Vespers massacre for us to write about?

Louis IX of France

Charles of Anjou, King of Naples and Sicily