Every once in a while, a sign catches my eye for one reason or another and I take a photo. Often, something about it made me smile, so I thought I’d share a few Italian signs in a blogpost. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy them, as well.
FOOD
I came across this Italian sign outside a restaurant in Santa Domenica di Ricadi, just south of Tropea. You could say that the sentiment is a Calabrian classic, but it’s a concept felt throughout Italy.
Declaration in front of restaurant
At this restaurant, you follow the faithful’s diet,
You eat as if you were in heaven and hope for a miracle.
To eat “da dio” or “from God” indicates consuming food of such exceptional quality and taste that it seems divine. Perhaps a more common way of saying it in English would be to eat “like a king,” which puts more emphasis on the rank of the person eating the food rather than the paradisical place from where it came. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to partake in this potentially heavenly experience, but I was left with the impression of a very favorable prospect.
The next sign falls in the category of street art, a small painting hanging on a stone wall in Zungri. Here, la luna calabrese, the Calabrian moon resembles and has been entitled “la soppressata” or the classic “pressed” sausage.
Amusing street art in Zungri
SHOPS
The following, handwritten Italian signs were posted outside a small, folksy giftshop in San Giovanni in Fiore. I got the impression that there may have been a copycat or two in the handworker’s midst.
Handwritten signs by shop
Potranno rubarmi un’idea
Ma non potranno mai rubarmi il talento.
You can rob me of an idea,
but you can’t ever take my talent away.
Svendo tutto per esaurimento pazienza
e mi faccio monaco.
I’m selling everything due to exhaustion of patience
and I’ll be a monk.
Clever signs entice loitering and perhaps a purchase.
Doorway in Scilla
This doorway in Scilla focuses on wine. The locale wasn’t open when I snapped the photo, but it would seem that the proprietor is setting out a few ground rules for potential rowdies, emboldened by the consumption of his orange wine.
A little advice in Italian
Se bevi per dimenticare, paga prima.
If you’re drinking to forget, pay first.
Un giorno senza vizi (e vino) è un giorno perso.
A day without vices (and wine) is a lost day.
Dopo mezzanotte c’è bisogno di vino e silenzio.
After midnight, you need wine and silence.
COMMANDS
Many Italian signs tell you what you can’t do, and occasionally, what you can.
Don’t touch!
Don’t touch the peperoncini!
God sees you from on high… and so do I!
As everywhere, the lack of gentility and common sense forces proprietors to post practical directives in their restrooms. The vintner who composed this sign for his winery’s lavatory gave an extra effort for the reading pleasure of his more esteemed clientele.
Italian style dos and don’ts
I came across this crate bench at the archeological museum of the lost city of Sybaris, and while it was clear that it wasn’t ancient art, I briefly wondered whether the seat was an installation of some sort…
Is it art?
Siediti – non sono un’opera d’arte.
Sit down – I’m not a work of art.
At the sanctuary of St. Francis of Paola, there are numerous “No photos” signs, particularly where you may want to take a picture. The chapel with the saint’s relics in the old basilica admonishes you from taking other actions, as well.
NON TOCCARE – NON BACIARE!
I was familiar with the image of a camera with an X through it, as well as “Don’t touch” in this context, but I hadn’t expected, “Don’t kiss.” I respectfully refrained from kissing the protective glass.
When it’s acceptable to kiss the protective glass
Join me on one of my small-group Calabria Tours (I have three itineraries) or on my Basilicata Tour of Calabria’s northern neighbor and see a few Italian signs in person.
Read about the fascinating Calabrian region in my book Calabria: The Other Italy, described by Publisher’s Weekly as “an intoxicating blend of humor, joy, and reverence for this area in Italy’s deep south,” and explore Calabria’s northern neighbor in my book Basilicata: Authentic Italy, “recommended to readers who appreciate all things Italian” by the Library Journal.
Follow me on social media: Basilicata Facebook page, Calabria: The Other Italy’s Facebook page, Karen’s Instagram and Karen’s Twitter for beautiful pictures and information.
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