Luca Contile lists foggie (the plural of foggia) as one of the ten symbolic species along with the other obvious ones such as emblems and devices. He is almost the only writer who does this and particularly the only one who gives it such a high priority. Foggie, he explains, means specifically clothing and describes that clothing which gives a man a recognizable origin such as the ‘cappa alla spagnuola’, the ‘scarpa alla Francese’ and the ‘scimitarra all’Turchesca’ each of which is symbolic of the wearer’s nationality. Beyond this specific meaning, the word can mean disguise, thus clothing which conceals the identity of the wearer or as he says is a wrapping or ‘fascia’ of the wearer. And in an even more general sense, the word is synonymous with manner or appearance thus again implying a concealment or illusion, something which hides the reality of the matter. Finally, Contile says that the word can in fact be used synonymously with symbol, anything which signifies some other object or thought. As far as I know there are no other literary references to the symbolic meaning of foggie so there is no bibliography in this case.

See also: Symbols