The Hard-Headed Women of San Remo (1879)

It is still common, in the Liguria of today, to see women carry baskets on their heads, especially women in the Cinqueterre who are bringing newly picked grapes in from the vineyards. In the town of Lavagna (Genoa), it is possible to see women transport sheets of slate on their heads without seeming terribly put upon. William Miller, in his book Wintering in the Riviera with Notes of Travel in Italy and France and Practical Hints to Travellers (1879), described the talents of the women of San Remo, whose formidable heads seem to have no modern rivals. Note too his swipe at American behavior.