Even though I was on vacation with my family in Sicily with no intention of getting any blog fodder, nevertheless I happened on several lingerie experiences that I thought I should share with you all. Given that I was only in Sicily a week, I am hardly an expert on the local lingerie, but I thought I would share with you some of my observations.

I knew that lingerie just could not be avoided when I was admiring the amazing mosaics at the beautiful Villa Romana del Casale and saw a mosaic known as the ‘Bikini Girls’.

The women pictured are actually athletes holding various pieces of athletic equipment to participate in popular Roman sports of the time such as long jump and discus. It’s amazing how contemporary this mosaic from the 4th century AD looks! I think it’s pretty safe to say that the bikini is an ancient, rather than a modern, invention– although of course the name is terribly anachronistic. If yuo ever get a chance to go to Sicily, visiting this site is an absolute must, as there are so many more amazing mosaics.

I also spotted these bras and panties at an outdoor market (that also sold fish and vegetables) in Siracusa. I didn’t get much of a chance to examine the pieces closely, but it seems pretty clear they didn’t view these as clothes necessary for trying on. The style of the knickers seemed quite plain and old fashioned, which made me think this was a more popular place to buy underwear for more functional than fashionable purposes.

I had more of a complete lingerie experience visiting the Italian lingerie chains Intimissimi and Yamamay. I had visited both of these stores in previous visits to Italy, but this time I really got a chance to see what was available at these fashionable, widespread chains.

The aesthetic of Intimissimi is one that immediately appeals to me– it’s got a very simple yet girly style. They used to sell Intimissimi products in Victoria’s Secret stores about 6 or 7 years ago, but currently I don’t believe they are currently available in the United States (they do have locations across Europe).

I don’t speak much Italian, which meant that communication with the shop assistant involved a lot of point and miming and well as me frantically trying to remember how to say ’34’ or ’32’. I was instantly drawn to a sweet white set with nautical details, which I actually purchased and will be reviewing later this week.

What I didn’t realize when I entered the store was the extremely limited sizing that was available. When I asked to try a 32C in the bra that I liked, the shop assistant informed me that they “only had size B.” Which means they only has 32B, 34B, 36B (maybe 38?). Once I learned that, I took a closer look around the shop and say that there were only a few bras that were marked with A-B-C sizes and even fewer that went to a D-cup. These were marked with a special sign!

Basically, it seems like getting any cup size other than a B is ‘special sizing.’ I ended up buying a 34B, and I will be sharing my thoughts on that size when I do a review. I’m still reeling from a store that makes Victoria’s Secret’s sizing look wide-ranging! Also, when I visited the other lingerie store, Yamamay, it seemed that they simple offered 1B-2B-3B sizing in their bras, as far as I could tell, so this seems like a regular thing to do there.

Yamamay was a store I had visited several years before and really liked, but I was disappointed with the selection when I was there this time. The styles seemed boring and the materials were low quality.

Overall, I really enjoyed seeing what lingerie was available in Sicily and I would love to hear what you think!

What experiences you have had with Italian lingerie?