canna

1

In Italy, and also various locations in the Levant, the French Midi and Spain, a unit of length, varying with date and locality, but between 1 and 3 meters. Primarily used for cloth.

Nineteenth Century Values
Locale	Name of Unit	Comments and equivalents	Meters all are approx.
Genoa	canna piccola	tradesman and manufacturers	2.22¹
	canna grossa	merchants	2.96¹
	canna	as used for customs	2.47¹
Rome	canna mercantile		1.99²; 1.9920³
	canna	builders; = 10 lami = 120 oncie = 600 minuti = 1200 decimi	2.234²; 2.23425³
	canna de ara or sacred canna	= 1½ sacred brasse = 9 sacred palmi	1.1250³

1. Kelly, 1835, volume I, page 159.

2. Kelly, 1835, volume I, page 295.

3. Doursther, page 84.

Sources

florence Panni lini e lani vi si vendino a braccia che 4 braccia fanno una channa.

Borlandi, page 19.

Canne 8 di panno di Firenze fanno in Vinegia braccia 28.
Canne 10 di panno di Firenze fanno in Milano bracchia 34.
Canne 100 di panno di Firenze fanno in Anchona braccia 37½ [Pegolotti says 37¼; Ussanza says 38½]

Borlandi, page 20.

La channa del panno di Napoli si è palmi 8 che palmi 8 fanno una channa di Firenzw.

The canna of cloth in Naples is 8 palmi, just as 8 palmi makes a canna in Florence.

Borlandi page 24

2

In Avignon, 14th century, a unit of liquid capacity used for oil.

Per una canna di detto olio �.j s.iiij. Per portare l'olio detto, d.ij. E peso la detta channa dell'olio libre 23 sottili di bueno peso.

For 1 canna of the aforementioned oil, 1 lira 4 soldi. For transporting the aforementioned oil, 2 denari. And the weight of the aforementioned canna of oil is 23 libbre sottile, of good weight.

Pratese writing in Avignon, 1368.
Archivio Datini. Register 142.
As quoted in Edler, page 59.