Tag: Detti e canzoni

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 saying: Nothing ventured

Categories 1,000 Words about Sicily, Detti Siciliane, In italiano, Italia, Italy, Life in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Postcards from Sicily, Sicilia, Sicily, Sicily and Sicilianess

Taking a look at the world of Sicilian sayings I'm constantly being reminded of the Sicilian down to earth nature; they say it how it is without mincing words. I love their honesty. Once again, I am reminded of my Nonni's persistent words of advice in each of these Sicilian sayings posts. My Sicilian grandparents…

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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 saying: how to get rich

Categories 1,000 Words about Sicily, Detti Siciliane, In italiano, Italia, Italy, Life in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Postcards from Sicily, Sicilia, Sicily, Sicily and Sicilianess

I think it's pretty endearing that most Sicilian sayings have an innate distrust of the wealthy. Quite literally, money becomes the root of all evil. In the once agricultural-based society of Sicily, money was less important; the focus was on work, family, friends, community and savouring the moment. Anyone with money was usually from the…

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Sicilian detto of the day: Fools

Categories 1,000 Words about Sicily, Authentic Sicily, Detti Siciliane, Italian Culture, Life in Sicily, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Sicily, words from Sicily

This week’s Sicilian saying is the quintessential mixture of astute observation, wisdom and crudeness. Symbolic of the Sicilian erudite, down to earth no-nonsense approach to life. And I love it. So the saying says: Lu minchiuni ‘un si conusci quannu nasci; si conusci quannu cresci. To break it down a little, my literal translation is:…

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