Wearing White in the Med

Island of Vulcano, Sicily---Now that summer is in full swing, the heat has followed as it always does. I can understand why so much white clothing is sold in shops in the Med. Most every shop I have been in, organizes the clothing by color no matter what the style or the designer.

Some shops have the largest percentage of area designated to white only. I found myself going straight to those areas without thinking.

I had packed few white things to take on the trip thinking life on a boat would destroy anything white. However, now that I’m here, it’s all I want to wear especially when I go ashore. Sailing cloths are either swimsuits or designated “salty clothes”.

All the whites; from dresses to flowing pants and tops, are a hit with tourists and local, women and men. The fabric is very light and airy. Regardless, several items now occupy my bunk area and I am happy and thankful to have them.
However, in Greece, the opposite of this is true for the numerous old women seen wearing all black. Cloaked in solid black; mostly long skirts, long sleeve blouses and black shawls or head scarves. These women seen sitting in the doorways or moving slowly among the crowds, almost un-noticed by the tourists. They are always solemn. They seem sad. Tradition has it that widows wear black for a time period after the death of their husband, according to my research on the Internet. Some choose to continue it for the rest of their lives. To me, it seems like a curse to wear dark in such hot areas when you are old and frail. Maybe it is their version of mourning and the pain is externalized.

Following fashion, my all-black clothing stage was left for the 1990’s and now, here in the Mediterranean, I choose white.