Le tradizioni: l'abito della Montesina
The dress of the “Montesina” (little woman of Monte di Procida)
The typical dress of the woman of Monte d Procida is the result of the close descent between the island of Procida and Monte di Procida. "The Procidan women’s clothes recalled the Greek riches. The young girls went with their heads uncovered, while the married women wore the linen handkerchief that hung carelessly from their heads. The famous Greek dress, worn as an outfit by the girls of a wealthy family, consisted of breastplate, linen shirt or Dutch canvas, with crepes on the chest, sleeves and shoulders, the corsage. The underskirt, called “rubretto”, was dominated by a scarlet red Armesin canvas flounce. The red, pink, white or light blue silk skirt embroidered in gold and the red or green satin blouse embroidered in gold. In Procida the tradition of “Graziella” enhances the beauty of the woman, a beauty sought after for its regular features, the expressive face, the corpulence of the forms that has been exalted, by many artists, as classic beauty of Greek type". (cit. G. Diana)
The dress of the woman of Monte is poorer for embroidery and colors; it is much simpler, but the goal of this dress is practically the same: to emphasize its beauty, its physiognomy with African traits mixed with beauty as Greek ideal. It is a dress composed of a white linen shirt with a chastened and never excessive neckline, the hair always collected in a linen handkerchief; a wide black skirt, long up to the ankles, used both in mourning occasions and in everyday life. On the skirt Our female ancestors always wore an apron in which they stored fruits and vegetables harvested in the countryside. This dress was not worn by the "home nuns", those women who were no longer in a position to get married, devoting themselves to the assistance of relatives or the priest. These ones wore the traditional skirt and shirt, in addition they wore a black veil on the shoulders in the house and when they went out, they put it on the head and wore boots. They were said to possess divine gifts: they saw through a painting the unknown present. Above all, they gave news about people as distant as sailors and emigrants.
L’abito della Montesina
The typical dress of the woman of Monte d Procida is the result of the close descent between the island of Procida and Monte di Procida. "The Procidan women’s clothes recalled the Greek riches. The young girls went with their heads uncovered, while the married women wore the linen handkerchief that hung carelessly from their heads. The famous Greek dress, worn as an outfit by the girls of a wealthy family, consisted of breastplate, linen shirt or Dutch canvas, with crepes on the chest, sleeves and shoulders, the corsage. The underskirt, called “rubretto”, was dominated by a scarlet red Armesin canvas flounce. The red, pink, white or light blue silk skirt embroidered in gold and the red or green satin blouse embroidered in gold. In Procida the tradition of “Graziella” enhances the beauty of the woman, a beauty sought after for its regular features, the expressive face, the corpulence of the forms that has been exalted, by many artists, as classic beauty of Greek type". (cit. G. Diana)
The dress of the woman of Monte is poorer for embroidery and colors; it is much simpler, but the goal of this dress is practically the same: to emphasize its beauty, its physiognomy with African traits mixed with beauty as Greek ideal. It is a dress composed of a white linen shirt with a chastened and never excessive neckline, the hair always collected in a linen handkerchief; a wide black skirt, long up to the ankles, used both in mourning occasions and in everyday life. On the skirt Our female ancestors always wore an apron in which they stored fruits and vegetables harvested in the countryside. This dress was not worn by the "home nuns", those women who were no longer in a position to get married, devoting themselves to the assistance of relatives or the priest. These ones wore the traditional skirt and shirt, in addition they wore a black veil on the shoulders in the house and when they went out, they put it on the head and wore boots. They were said to possess divine gifts: they saw through a painting the unknown present. Above all, they gave news about people as distant as sailors and emigrants.
