“Il Toni”

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Another common expression used by old and new generations in Florence and the environs is “Il Toni” to refer to sweatsuits, in sentences like “Domani vado in palestra, mi metto il toni” (tomorrow I am going to the gym, I will put my “toni” on). Outside the city, people are often surprised when they hear such an unusual expression. Its origin dates back to WWII, when American soldiers served their Country in Florence. While waiting to be repatriated, they sewed the words “To NY” (meaning “to New York”) on their sweatshirts. Many of those sweatsuits were never sent, so they ended up in San Lorenzo Market, where Florentines bought them as second-hand clothes. That is the time when people made the connection sweatsuit/toNY, the latter then Italianized into “toni”.

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