The Traditional Costume

The traditional Tesino dress is the direct reflection of centuries of travels, exchanges and cultural contaminations that few other folkloric costumes can boast. Born from the transformation of the Tesino people from mountain shepherds to traveling merchants ("crömeri"), this costume tells the story of a people who knew how to reinvent themselves when, starting from the mid-16th century, the pastoral economic model went into crisis.

Every fabric and accessory was brought as a gift by the "perteganti" to their wives, fiancées or courtship interests: colorful shawls from Eastern Europe, garnet necklaces from Carinthia, French velvet and precious namoletot. It was the result of a meticulous search for uniqueness and refinement in what had almost become a social competition, making the female Tesino dress unique in the world for its variety of cultural influences.

Since 1981, the Banda Folk di Castello Tesino has proudly worn this extraordinary cultural heritage, passed down from mother to daughter for four centuries. Thanks to some modern conveniences like velcro, dressing has become more practical, but the meaning remains unchanged: it is not just a costume, but the living testimony of a commercial tradition that took our ancestors to the four corners of Europe.