Vintage Photos of Italy: Nostalgic Pictures from the Italian Past

One of the things that keeps me so tied to Rome is how it sometimes feels frozen in time. Looking back at these vintage photos of Italy shows how much (and how little) has changed since the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

From everyday commuters, to beach loungers in Capri and country festivals – here is a collection of my favorite vintage photos of Italy from days gone by:


A schoolboy walks in Saint Mark’s Square, Venice, circa 1958 via source

Naples in 1950

Capri 1948 – Photo by Ralph Crane / Time Life Pictures via Vogue

Trattoria l’ingrasciata in Palermo, Sicily by Enzo Sellerio circa 1950-60

Stomping grapes vintage photo from Italy

Woman Stomping Grapes in Frascati, Italy in 1957

Ruth Orkin photo of an American Girl in Italy

“American Girl” by Ruth Orkin in Florence (1950), via her archive which has more on the history of the photo

Old photos of Sicily

Sicily in 1975 by Ferdinando Scianna

Herbert List ITALY. Naples. Lemonade Seller. 1949

Herbert List Lemonade seller in Naples, Italy. 1949

Spaghetti factory by Alfred Eisenstaedt (1932) via source

Vintage Italy photos

David Chim Seymour, Naples, 1957

Pisa, Italy (Date and Photographer unknown)

May Festival in the village of Bucchianico, near Chieti in Abruzzo in May 1957 via source

Photo by Mario Cattaneo, circa 1957

Boys carrying Spaghetti in vintage Italian photo

Boys carrying spaghetti in Naples, 1929

Gianni Berengo Gardin photo of Venice in 1960

Gondeliers by Gianni Berengo Gardin, in Venice, Italy 1960

The young barber (photographer and date unknown) via source

Gastone Lombardi, Milano,1950

Lace makers in Burano in 1954 via source

 

Do you have any other vintage photos of Italy that you love?

P.S. If you are looking for more, you can also follow my Vintage Italy board on Pinterest.

11 thoughts on “Vintage Photos of Italy: Nostalgic Pictures from the Italian Past

  1. Theresa Grillo says:

    Reminds me of stories told by my Grandparents from Naples, who with very little came to America. They knew how to do just about everything! Wine making, shoe repairs, beautiful organic gardening , seamstress, house repairs, and on and on…if they weren’t sure how to do something they would “wing it”, but help was never far away! Beautiful pics. !! ????

    • Joseph says:

      Yes, it so reflects Italian culture. Beautiful snapshot. We need to preserve italian culture as long and as best possible. Grazie mille

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