Sicilian Sayings

Sicilian saying: persistence

Categories 1,000 Words about Sicily, Detti Siciliane, Italia, Life in Sicily, Sicilian diary, Sicilian language, Sicilian Sayings, Sicily, words about Sicily, words from Sicily

  Sicilian’s are seriously resilient people in a place of great historical poverty and complex modern problems of high unemployment and a neglected economy Sicilian’s seem to withstand an awful lot. So it is only natural to see this kind of saying dedicated to the art of persistence in Sicilian dialect. Once again a typical…

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Sicilian saying: arrogance

Categories 1,000 Words about Sicily, Detti Siciliane, Italia, Life in Sicily, Sicilian diary, Sicilian language, Sicilian Sayings, Sicily, words about Sicily, words from Sicily

  I love the image of an artichoke in this Sicilian saying, the idea that an artichoke is a proud or arrogant image is astounding. So yes, obviously Sicilian’s must find the artichoke a little bit aristocratic, perhaps it’s thorny thistle nature makes it difficult to understand, it definatly isn’t to everyones taste. Sicilian wild…

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Sicilian sayings: angels and devils

Categories 1,000 Words about Sicily, Detti Siciliane, Italia, Life in Sicily, Sicilian diary, Sicilian Sayings, Sicily

One of the most vital attributes of Italians and Sicilians is their sincerity. In general, Sicilian's are very honest; they don't like people who put on a false face. Hence this week's Sicilian saying, which gives us a warning about the fraudulent nature of some people. With the church-attending tradition at the foremost of our…

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Sicilian Sayings: Giuseppe Pitrè

Categories 1,000 Words about Sicily, Authentic Sicily, Detti Siciliane, Life in Sicily, Sicilia, Sicilian Sayings, Sicily2 Comments on Sicilian Sayings: Giuseppe Pitrè

I've always loved the folk wisdom of Sicily. I grew up hearing snippets of sayings from my Sicilian grandparents. When I was younger, I used to find them a little annoying, rudimentary and often with annoying sing-song rhymes. But reflecting on what they said, I realised the wisdom they contained was valuable. The rhymes helped…

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