Voile, Voila!

Silk voile head fashion was all the rage for Bolognese women of a certain age (and certain income) between the 14th and 15th centuries. The silk industry put Bologna on the economic map. Back in the day, ooh say, early 13th century, the Bolognese built a complex network of canals. The water was used to power the silk mills and and the canal waterways were used to transport the silk to Ferrara, Venice and international markets. Pictures of Bologna at the time resemble Venice! But alas, the silk industry declined and the canals fell out of use and were no longer flowing with water. Instead, they became a hygiene issue and were filled in and paved over with asphalt roads in the late 19th early 20th c. The extra shows the water powered machine (that could be 2 stories high) that mechanized the process of spooling and spinning silk threads. Yes, it was another learning day at the museum: the Museo del Patrimonio Industriale