The next time you pass a statue of Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi – of which there are many – take a moment to focus on this distinguished icon: he’s lent his name to a red wool shirt, predecessor of the blouse, as well as a beard style, but look beyond, to his bottom half, and you just might find he’s actually wearing jeans. Jeans? In the 1800s? Outrageous.

Alas, history tells us that Commander Garibaldi once took to the high seas wearing a pair of pants made from the same type of blue woven cotton fabric you’re most likely wearing right now, a fabric that is part of a centuries-long legacy belonging to Liguria’s capital city. Garibaldi’s pants, your pants, the most-worn garment in the world, are deeply woven into the cultural and creative fabric of Genova (all puns intended).