Italian customs, language, celebrations, daily life, nostalgia and timeless traditions.
In the historic centre of Rome, a short walk from Piazza del Popolo, there is a shop window capable of stopping even the most distracted passer-by. Behind its old glass, dozens of faces stare out at the street. Some have…
CHI DORME NON PIGLIA PESCILiteral meaning: “Those who sleep don’t catch fish.”Real meaning: If you want to achieve something, you have to be active and take opportunities when they come. TRA IL DIRE E IL FARE C’è DI MEZZO IL…
Piove sul bagnato“When it rains, it pours.”Used when more problems are added to an already difficult situation, or when someone who already has plenty receives even more. Mettere il carro davanti ai buoi“To put the cart before the horse.”To do…
IN BOCCA AL LUPO!Literal meaning: “Into the wolf’s mouth!”Real meaning: Good luck!Traditional reply: “Crepi!” or, more recently, “Viva il lupo!” ACQUA IN BOCCA!Literal meaning: “Water in your mouth!”Real meaning: Keep it secret. Don’t tell anyone.Example: “I’ll tell you something, but…
Every day, a few moments before noon, three soldiers take their positions beneath the panoramic terrace of the Janiculum Hill. One checks the time, another prepares the mechanism and the third waits beside an old artillery piece aimed harmlessly across…
Sanremo: the week when Italy talks to itself Sanremo Festival history is the story of how a song contest became a shared national ritual. There are television programs, there are music competitions, and then there is Sanremo. Trying to explain…
There are periods in history that seem practical, sensible, even a little dull. And then there are periods like the 1920s, when Italy apparently looked at the modern world and decided that if life had to move forward, it might…
There was a sound once heard in almost every Italian neighborhood. Not a ringtone. Not a delivery notification. Not a message from an app. A voice. “È arrivato l’arrotino!” The knife sharpener has arrived. For anyone who grew up in…
The Fiat 900T, the shopkeepers of old Italy, and the narrow streets where an entire country earned its living There was a time in Italy when the day began with the metallic sound of a shop shutter rising. It was…
Italy, August 1963 In August 1963, Giulio Bardi did something that every mechanic in Milan considered either magnificent or idiotic: he attached a caravan to a Ferrari and told his wife they were going on holiday. Claudia stared at the…