Figure 1.--This class photo was taken in San Pier Niceto, a Sicilian village in the hills near Messina. The photo is undated, but was probably taken in the 1960s, perhaps the late-60s. Most pupils are wearing black smocks with white collars and floppy bows. This is the classic clothing at Italian primary schools. Almost all the boys wear short pants. The collars of some boys are not made in cotton cloth, as usual, but rather knitted or made with lace. That was a little unusual for boys. A boy in the back wears a shirt and pullover without a smock. A boy in the front row wears a white shirt with short sleeves. Notice he is wearing flip flops, that was also somewhat unusual. During 1960s in some poorer Italian regions there were still some children attending school barefoot, but we have not seen other children wearing flip-flops to school. |
