One of the first things that any visitor notices while walking the cobble stone streets of cities like Milan, Florence, Naples, Turin and Rome is how well dressed the Italians are. Irrespective of time of day, Italians of all age, seem to be always immaculately turned out. The clothes are invariably well fitted, the colour combinations tasteful and the choice of fabrics and leather always exquisite. The need for sartorial elegance seems to be second nature to most Italians, a preferred part of their every day life. In fact there is an even a unique and much loved tradition in Italy called passeggiata which refers to the daily evening stroll along the piazza and main streets of towns and cities for which men and women wear their finest clothes.
The Italian love affair with clothing and style goes back all the way to Renaissance, a period in which dressing well was considered as much an art by the rich and mighty, as painting, sculpture and architecture. It is something which over the centuries would go on seize the imagination of the average Italian, and in turn lead to the country becoming a great centre for manufacture of quality silk, wool, cotton and linen, and setting up of the great Italian textile factories of the 19th century in areas around Tuscany, Lombardy and Venice, the legacy of which can be seen even today in the fact that some of the best fabrics in the world are still made by mills in the region.
Hand in hand with evolution of quality textiles, came the development of now world famous Italian skill at tailoring in cities like and Naples, Rome, Milan and Palermo, as well as the handcrafted leather tradition of Marches and Tuscany, areas which still produce some of the best shoes and bags in the world. With so much of history behind them, is it then surprising that a large proportion of the fashion houses that dominate the world are Italian.
What binds the likes Salvatore Ferragamo, Valentino, Versace, Gucci, Emilio Pucci, Laura Biagiotti, Roberto Cavalli, Brioni and Bottega Veneta and hundreds of others is their continuing obsession with quality, and passionate attention to details. It is an attribute that extends to every aspect of life in the country including cars, motorcycles, furniture and even a world class beer like the iconic Peroni Nastro Azzurro.
Made from the finest ingredients since 1963, its handcrafted, crisp nature makes it a lager of the very highest quality. A sip of this refreshing beer will show you why the Italians value elegance, class and sophistication.
