Italian Sandals


Figure 1.--This Italian school group was photographed on a trip in the early 1950s. Note the boy wearing sandals. He looks to be about 13 or 14 years old. He wears a pair of what look to be classis English school closed-toe sandals.

Sandals appear to have been very popular in Italy, especially after World War I. We we have noted Italian boys wearing a variety of styles. Open-toe sandals seem common in Italy well beforte they were seen in northern Europe. We also note closed-toe sandals. To some extent social-class was a factor. Children from affluent families were more likely to wear closed-toe sandals. Here there were also regionsal factors. We see closed-toe sandals mnore commonly in northern thsan southermn Europe. Seasonal factors probably played a role in the popularity of sandals. Italy's relative poverty probably was another factor. They were to some extent seasonal, but they were also seen as a style for children throughout the year. While sneakers in the 1970s provided a popular alternative, snadals still continue to be worn, especially in the summer. The Italian term for sandals is "sandali". Italian movies during the 1940's to the 60's seem to show any child not yet a teenager wearing sandals. Even some older boys wore them. During the summer boys often wore sandals without socks. Sandals now seem to be much less commonly worn in Italy. An Italian reader confirms that indeed sandals have been commonly worn in Italy and still are in the 2000s, although not as much as in the past. An Italian reader tells us about "ciocie" (singular "ciocia") which were typical footwear in the country near Rome. We are not sure if they should be considered am of sandal.

Terminology

The Italian term for sandals is "sandali" (plural) / "sandalo" (singular). There are not specific terms for closed-toe and open-toe, but you can say respectively "sandali chiusi" and "sandali aperti". A closed-toe school sandal would be "sandali chiusi della scuola".

Popularity

We note large numbers of Italian children wearing sandals in the photographic record. One HBC contributor agrees that sandals were commonly worn in Italy. He reports that it seems sandals were very much more common in Italy than America. Italian movies during the 1940's to the 60's seem to show any child not yet a teenager wearing sandals. Even some older boys wore them.

Chronology

I don’t know exactly when Italian boy began wearing sandals. The photos of 19th century and early 20th show boys and girls barefooted or wearing shoes. We do not know if sdsandalse woirn in the 19th century. We believe that boys began wearing sandals in the 1920s, but have few details. We note many boys and girls wearing sandals in the 1930s. Since that time sandals have been very popular, with some differences in the time. Before World War II (1939-45), boys and girls wore often sandals (closed and open toe, with and without socks), however in that time a lot of younger boys and girls went barefoot or wore wooden shoes, especially in rural areas. After World War II, until 1960s' boys and girls wore often sandals in summer. A HBC reader writes, "In 1961 when I visited the Naples area of Italy, boys (and girls) were wearing the closed toe sandals, usually with socks. They wore white sandals for dress up occasions (church) and black (navy?) for other occasions. From a distance they looked like two straps, but they actually had only one strap." Since the 1970s, sneakers have become increasingly common, but sandals have not disappeared.

Types

Italian boys have worn both closed and open-toed sandals. Open-toe sandals seem very commonn in Italy. We see large numbers of children wearing them in the first half of the 20th century. The photographic record shows this. Closed-toe sandals were particularly common in southern Italy. There were different types of open-toe sandals. Italian boys usually woire open-toe sabdals without socks. Regional and social class factors affected the type of sandals worn. We see various styles, both single and double-bar sasndals. We see the same basic styles as worn in other countries. We see clsed-toe sandals being worn in northern Italy which seem more like the pattern in northern Europe. Closed-toe sadals were more likely to ber worn with socvks. The sandals worn in Italy now are more like the ones worn in the rest of Europe. Closed-toe sandals are now worn mostly by younger children; strap shoes now only by very youngest girls. Open-toe sandals are worn also by older boy and girls.

Regional Differences

An Italian reader reports that there are destinct regional differences in Italy concerning sandals. In some depressed areas children still went barefoot, even to school.

Conventions

Now is the sneaker era, but since some years more boys and especially girls wear sandals in summer (with or without socks) even as formal footwear (for example at Sunday Mass).

Seasonality

As summer informal footwear were and still now are common sandals and also slipper without backstrap, generally without socks. (This is common for girls and younger boys in rural areas and also in villages, less in towns). More mother in the 2000s than some years ago put sandals on their children in summer.

Popularity

I think that sandals are enough popular with boy. Till I was 12 or 13 (1960s early 1970s) I spent all summer in slipper or sandals without socks, wearing shoes only in some occasions. Actually, in 1980s' - 1990s' older boys liked better sneaker, but recently more boy wear open-toe sandals in summer. Sandals were always more popular with girls.

Hosiery

Younger boys and girls wear socks or no according to mothers decision (the weather is enough warm, it is too cold), but I think that the children like better without socks. Most of older boys and girls wear sandals without socks. However there are some boys and especially girls that wear sandals also in spring and autumn: in that case they wear often socks. The regional differences concern especially how many boys and girls wear sandals and haw long in the year. Generally in southern warmer regions sandals are worn more. The connection between open-toe and close-toe sandals in Italy and the use of socks with sandals have many variations. It is not easy to give a general rule. School portraits help to show the compklexities of the subject. One class portrait was taken in Carini, near Palermo (Sicily). Here the boys, going to school, wear with socks both open-toe and close-toe sandals. On the contrary in Castellammare di Stabia, near Naples, the schoolboys wear both types of sandals without socks. Many HBC pages shoiw children wearing didderent kinds of sandals, with sand wijhoy socks. A good example is Agnola village children during 1973. One consistency is the children from any specific family were likely to follow the same convention. in children taken in Agnola,

Schoolwear

We notice many Italian children wearing sandals to school. In fact we see a wide range of footwear, including diffent kinds of shoes. Many children came to school barefoot as well. We notice different kinds of sandals, including both closed and open toe types. There were several different styles of both. In public primary schools there were no uniforms, unless smocks were considered a uniform. But there were no rules about no rules about footwear. So it was up to the family. Private schools might have rules, but they were often not strict. We note the children wearing sandals both with and without socks. Both boys and girls wore sandals. socks).

Ciocie

An Italian reader tells us about "ciocie" (singular "ciocia") which were typical footwear in the country near Rome. The "ciocie" were very primitive footwear. They were a leather piece joined to leg by laces. Men and women, adults and children wore "ciocie". Today "ciocie" are worn only in folk festivals, but in little villages they was worn before 2nd World War. "Ciocie" was worn with socks or with a cloth enveloped to the foot, but also with bare feet. In the 1st picture we have a group of school children in 1924. They lived in ca rural village south of Rome.






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Last updated: 2:30 AM 7/9/2009