66 Rare Photos Of 1980s Italy Reveal The True Meaning Of ‘Living La Dolce Vita’
For over fifty years photographer Charles H. Traub has been capturing expressive moments around him, but his most impressive works have to be the ones from the 80s, when he first traveled to Italy and witnessed the iconic street life Italians call 'La Dolce Vita.'
During the 1980s Traub visited various parts of Italy for 2 to 3 weeks at a time, documenting the intriguing lifestyle he called La Dolce Via (the Sweet Way). The freedom, slow pace, and diversity were the trademarks of the time which is now witnessed mainly in photos.
According to the photographer, this street culture is now almost gone as Italy struggles to overcome the problems that arose together with the global economy. Traub describes these photos as “a time capsule” of the Italy that no longer exists.
You can experience the full series in his book Dolce Via: Italy In the 1980's.
More info: Charles H. Traub (h/t: businessinsider, demilked)
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No, today you can't. 30 years ago probably yes
Load More Replies...Couldn't believe this Photo, especially today, she's letting us know that she's ok. Bless you Binks.x
I used to have a 410 camera! Then I got a Le Click camera that used disc film. Ah, sweet memories.
I was living in Italy in the early 80's..this is an amazing picture! you have captured the essence perfectly my friend.
I thought nuns made their own habits. You know they look way more stylish than the American nuns I grew up with. he shoes they are wearing are really cute. If they were American nuns they would be Dominican sisters.
They thinking ' if only we could go in there and buy a few things ' and go on the town tonight.
I grew up in Italy in the 80s. Of course we ate watermelon in the street but this still happens! And how much I miss pines! Beautiful trees.
This picture was taken in France not in Italy (see the toilettes sign)
That is how Italians (at least here in the south) identify their WC's, too.
Load More Replies...That's the result of the penance they gave the model. They look so smug.
That's a Ciao. If you had a Ciao you were a loser, the real thing was the "Si".
it isn't typical italian, it is rather french....
Load More Replies...Drying clothes in the fresh air. Here in the USA, many communities have by-laws saying you cannot have one in your yard! A shame really. Of course with all the air pollution, one might bring in soiled garments.
Back then kids played outside. I used to be outside all day playing with my friends. Kids now play games online. They're missing out
wrong go to a park go to a playground go to a gym go to a school 60% of kids would rather go outside please don't group then or stereotype them(a reason why kids are online is that they have homework online!) also maybe if parents introduced some kids to the outside world instead of giving them devices they would go outside!
Load More Replies...Americans leap from back to front...I guess Europeans like to spread their legs a little wider.
"Look here, sonny boy, in my day, if we wanted to send a text, we used a stone tablet and a chisel...and we liked it that way"
doca means nothing in Italian, dolce means sweet indeed. Dolce vita = sweet life
Load More Replies..."Ore 21 precise". My 20+ years of living in Italy make me sceptical that it ever started at 9pm promptly...
Entro i tre quarti d'ora li consideriamo ancora "precisi" ahahahahahahahaha
Load More Replies...When I was little (in Rome) we children were naked at the beach. Now it wouldn't be possible.
Well, she's lying down anyway. Many boobs look flat when you lie down.
Load More Replies...Yeah, they start the speedo training on them when they are young......
Load More Replies...The bridge from the changing rooms to the swimming pool, then you had to choose between steps into the water or the high slide down 💕 🏊🏽👱🏽👧🏽 🤽🏽
Yeah, they start the speedo training on them when they are young......
The boy in black likes wild parties, but the girls love to watch formal dancing,so the boy in blue held some big balls they could watch.
Is this the fountain from European vacation where Clark gets his camcorder stolen from while they stand in it?
That's exactly what i thought at first glance 🤣💝
Load More Replies...Protect your skin! I got actinic keratoses (skin damage) with 35 years of sun in Rome!
You know that little Nonna could slap anybody who messed with their ball back into Saturday.
That little girl is absolutely adorable...such a sweet face, rosy cheeks, awwh!
or its to protect his head from the sun, and he didn't have a hat with him...
Mmm... Should I cross this street. Nah. But I've already started. Eh, I guess so.
Give the man a mustache ...and a rolled up pack of cigarettes in his sleeve...it could be Schinder , the handyman..
What was the name of that show? Had valerie bertanelli in it? When I was little and home sick from school, I used to watch it in 80's..
I am impressed at this lady's balance. My butt hanging over this thing would look like I got hit in both rear cheeks with a bag of nickels..
this is not 80´s, at least 1995 because that car is a Fiat Barchetta
I was looking to all this photos and I was thinking the same thing.. But they all look great!
Load More Replies...See that man looking at her? That's what happen in Italy every day. Men are always looking at women, ALL DAY.
thats why we're only seeing them now.....
Load More Replies...What's that woman doing in the background? Hugging the other person to death?
Her shoes perfectly co-ordinate with her belt and the guys ties! Italian attention to style :)
One at the front reminds me of a young Oliver Reed, god he was so gorgeous then...💕 ❤ 😁😇
Lol....awwh, but kit Harrington is so cute when he is brooding,( or, has the cringy look, haha)
Load More Replies..."Pleeeeaase, I promise to take care of him, I love you so much, I will never ask you for anything ever again, oh please, can we get one?
I have already bought them for you, dear..Happy Birthday..I love you too.....Haha
Load More Replies...Florence? It looks a lot like a place I saw in Florence, but I guess there could be several similar places.
yes https://www.google.com/maps/@43.769144,11.255899,3a,75y,274.4h,87.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sGnRbUfob3ubHtgFpP_Hkaw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Load More Replies...Vespa was expensive back those days. Motorcycles Piaggio Ciao,Bravo and sì were about 500 nowadays dollars.
Load More Replies...They'll have all died of lung cancer by now, with all the smoking they're doing!
Load More Replies...girl#1 - why you wear a bra, so they up where they're suppose to be....
I would appreciate a description, what are these gentlemen waiting for here.
I grew up in Rome in the 80s and these photos are amazing. Thank you for posting them!
My soulmate is Italian, nice to see how life was before he came to England... He is back in Italy again now and I love and miss him so much 💝 ❤ 🐶 🤗 🌹 💏🏽 🌈 😘
The one thing that stuck in my mind most, from my two trips to Italy, in the mid-late -60s, was the huge number of farmers/hunters, who rode their Vespas and had shotguns slung over their shoulders. They drove everywhere with them, in the towns, on the roads, and anywhere they would stop to talk with anyone. I had always thought European countries had pretty much outlawed firearms, but the guns were everywhere. This showed up in the European north of Italy, perhaps not the Mediterranean south, to the best of my knowledge. I'm surprised that there are no pictures of this here, because it was very common during my stays.
It says these are pictures from the 1980s, not late 1960s. Many things can change in over a decade. Specifically in Italy, inbetween these two eras they had huge problems with guns due to politics, it's also called also "anni di piombo". They probably did something about it and took radical measures and outlawed guns by then.
Load More Replies...I loved these photos. Lots of affection, children, Vespas, cobblestones and fountains. This is an old country and I love everything about it. Lots of older men dressed in suits and smoking was abundant!
Mother, I have one sentence for you: funk the time and place you decided to bring me to life to.
look...not a single n****r, paki or arab. How beautiful it was back then.
My soulmate is Italian, nice to see how life was before he came to England... He is back in Italy again now and I love and miss him so much 💝 ❤ 🐶 🤗 🌹 💏🏽 🌈 😘
The one thing that stuck in my mind most, from my two trips to Italy, in the mid-late -60s, was the huge number of farmers/hunters, who rode their Vespas and had shotguns slung over their shoulders. They drove everywhere with them, in the towns, on the roads, and anywhere they would stop to talk with anyone. I had always thought European countries had pretty much outlawed firearms, but the guns were everywhere. This showed up in the European north of Italy, perhaps not the Mediterranean south, to the best of my knowledge. I'm surprised that there are no pictures of this here, because it was very common during my stays.
It says these are pictures from the 1980s, not late 1960s. Many things can change in over a decade. Specifically in Italy, inbetween these two eras they had huge problems with guns due to politics, it's also called also "anni di piombo". They probably did something about it and took radical measures and outlawed guns by then.
Load More Replies...I loved these photos. Lots of affection, children, Vespas, cobblestones and fountains. This is an old country and I love everything about it. Lots of older men dressed in suits and smoking was abundant!
Mother, I have one sentence for you: funk the time and place you decided to bring me to life to.
look...not a single n****r, paki or arab. How beautiful it was back then.
