There is no particular traditional dress for Italy because it only became one united country in the 19th century, so traditional costumes are regional, for example the clothes that gondoliers wear in Venice. You can check out the different costumes on this site: www.roangelo.net/valente/costume.html
Traditional costumes for any country are used to express an identity, which is usually specific to an area or a period of history, but they can also be indicative of social, religious or even marital status. There are usually two different forms of traditional dress: The everyday versions and those that are worn for festivals and on formal occasions.
Around the, time of the French Revolution there was great unrest through much of Europe, and there came a time of romantic nationalism where peasants were idealized as what was real and natural within a country (even Marie Antoinette was known to wear the costume of a shepherdess - though you can guarantee that the only sheep that she encountered had all been washed and scrubbed as befits meeting the Queen of France!).
This meant that the clothing of peasants became idealized as well and so evolved into what was thought of as 'typical', and soon became romanticized and made into the emblem that typified the area.
Nowadays, these costumes are often worn during celebrations and other special events to indicate patriotism and an affinity with each other, particularly when those occasions are connected to cultural heritage.
In some countries, traditional costumes are worn because the law demands it. An instance of this is Bhutan, where the traditional Tibetan clothes of gho and kera are demanded for men, and the kira and toego must be worn by women, regardless of whether the people wearing them are of Tibetan heritage or not.
Traditional costumes for any country are used to express an identity, which is usually specific to an area or a period of history, but they can also be indicative of social, religious or even marital status. There are usually two different forms of traditional dress: The everyday versions and those that are worn for festivals and on formal occasions.
Around the, time of the French Revolution there was great unrest through much of Europe, and there came a time of romantic nationalism where peasants were idealized as what was real and natural within a country (even Marie Antoinette was known to wear the costume of a shepherdess - though you can guarantee that the only sheep that she encountered had all been washed and scrubbed as befits meeting the Queen of France!).
This meant that the clothing of peasants became idealized as well and so evolved into what was thought of as 'typical', and soon became romanticized and made into the emblem that typified the area.
Nowadays, these costumes are often worn during celebrations and other special events to indicate patriotism and an affinity with each other, particularly when those occasions are connected to cultural heritage.
In some countries, traditional costumes are worn because the law demands it. An instance of this is Bhutan, where the traditional Tibetan clothes of gho and kera are demanded for men, and the kira and toego must be worn by women, regardless of whether the people wearing them are of Tibetan heritage or not.
