Traditional Calabrian costumes: history and museums to visit

When one thinks of traditional Calabrian dress, a female figure very dear to the folklore of southern Italy immediately springs to mind: the pacchiana. The term ‘pacchiàna’, probably of Greek origin, refers to a young peasant woman wearing the traditional Calabrian dress, a typical costume first documented in the 17th century, where it is described in terms of a number of unmistakable features, which are found, with some variations, throughout the region.

The pacchiana wears the traditional Calabrian costume, which consists of a long skirt decorated in various colours and an arabesque-patterned black velvet bodice, beneath which peeks a white blouse with wide sleeves, often three-quarter length. The traditional Calabrian women’s costume is completed by a long stole that covers the head and shoulders (in some cases, a highly valuable item, such as the typical vancàli of Tiriolo, in the Province of Cosenza), an apron worn over the skirt, traditional footwear, and a range of family jewellery (brillòcchi) including necklaces and brooches. The hair is styled in a long braid gathered at the nape of the neck. On feast days, young women (aged 15–16) who were looking for a husband were made to wear the traditional Calabrian women’s costumes. 

Men also wore the traditional Calabrian attire, which consisted of the characteristic moleskin or black velvet jacket with metal buttons, a high-necked white shirt, a tightly buttoned waistcoat (worn by older men), and knee-length trousers, sometimes open at the sides, held in place by a wide leather belt (currìja) to which work tools were attached. The farmer is wearing coarse woollen stockings and work boots. The accessories that complete the traditional Calabrian men’s outfit are a hat (birrìtta) and a handkerchief tied around the neck. Shepherds wear a goatskin cloak padded with sheep’s wool to protect themselves from the elements.

Today, the wearing of Calabrian costumes has almost disappeared, just as it has in many other regions of Italy. However, those who wish to see traditional Calabrian clothing can visit the numerous costume museums located throughout the region, or attend religious and folk festivals, where, even today, local communities wear the costumes for parades, dances and folk processions at various times of the year. Among the communities most committed to preserving their traditional clothing are the three ethno-linguistic minorities living in Calabria: the Albanian, Grecanico and Occitan communities.

The history of Calabrian textiles and traditional costumes is preserved in the region's various costume and folklore museums, and a visit to these museums provides an opportunity to learn about the communities that host them and to explore their respective historic centres.

The main museums of Calabrian costume are as follows:

• Regional Costume Museum of Tiriolo (CZ)
• Museo del Territorio e del Costume Arbëreshë in Santa Sofia d’Epiro (Province of Cosenza)
• Arbëreshë Costume Museum in Vaccarizzo Albanese (Province of Cosenza)
• Albanian Costume Museum in Frascineto (Province of Cosenza)
• Museum of Calabrian Textile Craftsmanship, Silk, Costume and Fashion in Reggio Calabria