Traditional Austrian Clothing (Photo)

Two young Südtiroler in traditional costume on the way to the Tirolerball, held annually at Vienna's Rathaus (council house / town hall).

I met this friendly couple in the U-Bahn (subway, underground) this evening. I asked in German if I could take their picture. They fixed their costumes and said, "certainly." They even offered to stand up! I asked if they were dressed up for a special occasion. They explained that they were from Südtirol (South Tyrol - thanks Stefano), and were in Vienna to attend a Tyrolian ball (yes, the kind of ball where one waltzes).

South Tyrol was once part of Austria, before it was sliced away and made a part of Italy after WWI. The couple are German-speaking northern Italians. I imagine they speak Italian, too, but I didn't seem to get too far when I spoke English.

As an aside, I actually attended the 2001 version of the Bo-Ku Ball, held in the Hofburg Palace. Bo-Ku stands for Bodenkultur (agriculture). The "Aggie Ball" - an appropriate place for a Texan to debut in Vienna...

Check out my Perchtenlauf  article for pictures of an entirely different type of traditional Austrian costume.