The history of bra is incredibly connected with Rocca Sinibalda, near Rome.
Rocca Sinibalda, a place of sumptuous and pure shapes, stands towering to the sky as an indefatigable noblewoman. And as a woman of the past she hides her secrets. In fact, only by watching it from above, can you discover the form of an eagle. But among much else, digging into its history you will discover that Rocca Sinibalda is related to the genesis of the brassiere – the bra.
Among those rooms full of events of great history, full of beauty, there stayed for many a year the rich American woman who designed the most intriguing and seductive female undergarment, to be precise: the bra.
Caresse Cosby, a woman of charm and resourcefulness. Dressed always in vanguard, legs elegantly and expertly put on display in 1914 patented the progenitor of the bra, triangles of fabric, lace, organza and silk that make men and women dream and go crazy.
The intuition came while she was preparing for her debutante ball, she was 19 years old. She thought of two triangles of cloth that could cover, hold up, hold tight, but not "choke" the breasts of a woman that, until then, had been forced into corsets that repressed their breath, female armour.
Mary Phelps Jacob, later to be known as Caresse was the original American eccentric, a wise protagonist of the intellectual life of her time. Travelling always between America and Europe, as the final stop in her story, acquired Rocca Sinibalda, and for twenty years was the "caresser" of those locales, until her death in 1970.
In the magnificent Rocca, Caresse, taking a long and deep breath, realized and founded the "Center of the Citizens of the World" and the Association "Women Against War". She was a magnet inviting and hosting the leading intellectuals of the time: from Gregory Corso to Allen Ginsberg, from Ezra Pound to her extraordinary friend Peggy Guggenheim.
Three years ago, an intriguing historical exhibition was held with a nice illustrated catalogue. Many photos were included documenting the thousands of international famous people from around the planet that this lady attracted to her incredible artifact of Architecture and Italian Beauty.
Walking through the alleys, Lilliputian compared to the Cyclopean measures of the Castle, I was able to try out the delicious courtesy of the inhabitants of the village. One lady offered me coffee, another a freshly baked donut... the third, still sitting in front of her house, to even stay for lunch ... we shared a baked pasta for which I have inadequate adjectives!
I am not going to tell more so that everyone remains intrigued by the mystery or mysteries ... unrevealed!
Follow us