In Sicily and Naples, Malta
and Apulia, a unit of dry capacity.
| Locale | Comments and Equivalents | Liters |
|---|---|---|
| Malta | tummolo. stricken measure; 1/16th of a salma. See tomna. | 18.10 |
| Naples | 1/36th carro = 2 mezzette = 4 quarti = 8 stopelli = 24 misure | 55.22; Altes says 52 |
| Sicily, Messina |
for wheat, etc. tomolo generale = 1/16th salma generale or salma piccola = 4 modilli | 17.13 |
| for peas, hazelnuts, flaxseed, etc. tomolo grosso = 4 quarti or modilli = 1¼ tomolo | 21.14 |
1
La salma del grano di Napoli fa in Firenze staia xj e un terzo e ogni salma è octo tomoli.
The salma of grain of Naples makes 11 1/3 Florentine staia and each salma is 8 tomoli.
Chiarini, 1481.
2
La salma del grano di Palermo ch'è salma generale gitta in Firenze staia 10 in xj. E ogni salma è xvj tomoli.
The salma of grain in Palermo which is called the salma generale equals 10 to 11 Florentine staia. And each salma is 16 tomoli.
Chiarini, 1481.
3
Tumani trentasei napolitani che s'è uno charro fanno in Venesia stera vinti e do e trequarti.
Thirty-six Neapolitan tumani, which is a carro, make 22¾ Venetian staia.
Bartolommeo di Pasi.
Tariffa de' pesi e mesure con gratia et privilegio.
Venice: 1503.
As quoted in Edler, page 300.
4
Come responde la salma grossa de Cicilia zoe de Catania, Saragosa e de alcuni altri luoghi de Cicilia. . . . e dita salma grossa sono tumani 16...che sono a mesure de Venesia stera 4.
How the salma grossa of Sicily corresponds to that of Catania, Saragossa, and some other places of Sicily. ... and what's called the salma grossa is 16 tomoli ... which is 4 staia in Venetian measure.
Bartolommeo di Pasi.
Tariffa de' pesi e mesure con gratia et privilegio.
Venice: 1503.
As quoted in Edler, page 300.
5
Come responde la salma zeneral de Cicilia che se chiama la salma pizola; notta che ditta salma sono tumani 16 ma sono menori tumani de quelli de la salma grossa che sona stara 3 un quarto venetiana.
How the salma generale of Sicily compares to that called the salma piccola. Note that the said salma are 16 tomoli but the tomoli are smaller than those of the salma grossa, which are 3¼ Venetian staia.
Bartolommeo di Pasi.
Tariffa de' pesi e mesure con gratia et privilegio.
Venice: 1503.
As quoted in Edler.
In various Italian provinces, a unit of land area.
| Locale | Comments and Equivalents | Square meters |
|---|---|---|
| Chieti (Abruzzi) | = 1/3 salma | 3243.61 |
| Pescara (Abruzzi) | = 4 coppe | 3243.00 |
| Matera (Basilicata) | = 1/3 versura | 4088.00 |
| Potenza (Basilicata) | = 7 stoppelli | 4115.22 |
| Avellino (Campania) | = 2 mezzetti | 4004.46 |
| Benevento (Campania) | = 24 misure | 3065.91 |
| Campobasso (Molise) | = 2 mezzetti | 2352.00 |
| Brindisi (Puglia) | = 2 quartulli | 8516.44 |
| Lecce (Puglia) | = 2 quartulli | 6298.80 |
| Taranto (Puglia) | = 8 stoppelli | 6813.00 |
| Caltanissetta (Sicily) | = 1/16 salma | 2143.59 |
| Catania (Sicily) | = 1/16 salma | 2143.59 |
| Enna (Sicily) | = 1/16 salma | 2176.76 |
| Messina (Sicily) | = 1/16 salma | 1091.25 |
| Palermo (Sicily) | = 1/16 salma | 1394.00 |
| Ragusa (Sicily) | = 4 mondelli | 1744.28 |
| Siracusa (Sicily) | = 1/16 salma | 1744.28 |
| Trapani (Sicily) | = 1/16 salma | 2093.31 |
Edler gives a second meaning for tomolo, “tun, a wine measure (in Seville); cf tonnello(1).” The existence of a unit so-named may be the result of a misreading of Chiarini (1481). Edler gives (page 300):
Uno tomolo di vino di Sibilia è rove lx di misura e la rova è octo sombre in Sibilia e in Salucchare è nove sombre e ogni tomolo è bocte una e mezo o vuoi dire dua pippe.
One tomolo of wine in Seville is 60 arroba of misura and the arroba is 8 sombre in Seville and in Sanlucar la Mayor is 9 sombre and each tomolo is 1½ botte or one may say 2 pipes.
while Borlandi's transcription (page 128) of the same passage (Cap. LXX) is:
Uno tomello di vino di Sibilia è rove 60 di mixura e la rove è 8 sunbre in Sibilia e in Saluchare è 9 sunbre; e ogni tonello è botte 1½ o vuoi dire 2 pippe.
One tonello of wine in Seville is 60 arroba of misura and the arroba is 8 sombre in Seville and in Sanlucar la Mayor is 9 sombre and each tonello is 1½ botte or one may say 2 pipes.
(Borlandi observes that there is no comparable passage in Pegolotti or Uzzano.) It appears that the “m” in “tomello” is a typo for “n”, an error not repeated later in the sentence in “tonello.” From “tomello” to “tomolo” instead of “tonello” is a short step. We know of no other mention of the tomolo as a wine measure, and conclude that there was no tomolo wine measure in Seville. See tonello.
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