braccio [Italian]

In Italy, 14ᵗʰ – 20ᵗʰ centuries, a unit of length used almost exclusively for cloth, 550 - 700 millimeters. The braccio was used for cut pieces and the canna for length as woven. Braccio also means “arm”, and is in concept the length of an arm.

Nineteenth Century Braccio, from Doursther
Locale Comments and Equivalences millimeters
Bergamo   655.3
Bologna   640
Ferrara for silk cloth 634.4
for cotton, wool, etc. cloth 673.6
Florence = 2 palmi = 20 soldi = 60 quattrini = 240 denari = 2880 punti 583.6
Genoa = 2 13 palmi 581.25
Livorno = 2 palmi = 12 crazie = 20 soldi = 60 quattrini = 240 denari = 2880 punti 583.6
Milan = 12 oncie = 144 punti = 1728 atomi. In Milan the braccio was metricized in 1803, being redefined as = 1 meter = 10 palmi = 100 ditti = 1000 atomi. 594.9
Naples = 2 2/5 palmi 698.7
Padua for silk cloth 637.5
for wool and linen cloth 681
Parma for silk cloth 588
for linen and wool cloth 640
braccio di legno, (“braccio of wood”), used in surveying and stating road mileage, = 12 onces = 144 punti = 1728 atomi. 542.15
Pisa braccio di panno, = 12 crazie = 20 soldi = 60 quattrini = 240 denari 583.6
Rome braccio d'ara or sacred braccio, = 6 sacred palmi 750
braccio of the weavers, = 3 palmi 636
braccio of the merchants, = 4 palmi 848
Sienna for wool cloth 377.6
for cotton cloth 600.3
Venice for silk cloth 638.7
for wool cloth 683.4

sources

1

Braza 100 venetiane fano in Fiorenza bra. 113 in 114.

One hundred Venetian braccia make between 113 and 114 Florentine braccia.

Bartolommeo di Pasi.
Tariffa de' pesi e mesure con gratia et privilegio.
Venice: 1503.

2

Panni lini e lani vi [in Florence] si vendono a braccia che quattro braccia fa una canna, e a questa misura si vende tucte chose che sieno da misura.

[In Florence] linen and wool cloth is sold by the bracchio, 4 of which make 1 canna, and by this measure they sell all things which ? the measure.

Chiarini, 1481.

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