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This 41st edition of Street Sign Language lesson is all about animals: cats, dogs, pigeons, deer, foxes, and mosquitoes (they are in the animal kingdom).
[1] CERTE MACCHIE LASCIANO IL SEGNO. LASCIAMO IL VERDE DEL SUO COLORE.
“Certain spots leave their mark. Let’s leave green its color.”
The share of households in Italy owning at least one dog is 25% according to statista.com. (According to that statistic, the country with the highest ownership: Poland at almost 50% of households.) The Animalidacompagnia.it says about 40% of Italians families have a pet and about 50% are dogs, or 20% in the ballpark of the other number.
In Bergamo, with the large number of signs and notices aimed at dog owners, you might think the number of dog owners would be greater than 20-25%. But bad behavior doesn’t require large numbers.
[2] E’ BUONA EDUCAZIONE PULIRE DOVE IL PROPRIO CANE SPORCA!
“It’s common courtesy to clean where you dog has gone to the bathroom.”
See? Another dog-related sign in Bergamo. Honestly, Bergamo is a clean city and dog-poop isn’t a huge problem. Maybe the dog owners are reading the signs?
[3] Mi sono smarrito in zone Monterosso, ho 6 anni, sono bianco e crema, ho gli occhi azzurrissimi, segno particolare: naso a pois neri. Non cercate di prendermi ho molta paura.
“I got lost in Monterosso. I am 6 years old. I am white and cream colored. I have very blue eyes. A distinguishing mark: black polka dot nose. Don’t try to catch me, I’m really scared.”
Finally, something about cats. You never see signs lamenting bad cat behavior. Just lost cats like this one. Love the naso a pois neri or “polka dot nose”. Monterosso is a neighborhood of Bergamo.
[4] NO CIBO! NON DARMI CIBO! PER ME É NOCIVO!
“No food! Don’t feed me! For me, it’s harmful!”
We saw this sign on a hike in Tuscany. See Hike to the Source of the Arno River and Lago degli Idoli (Lake of the Idols). The interesting word here is nocivo – noxious or harmful.
NO CIBO! NON TOCCARMI! NON PREMDERMI! NON SONO ABBANDONATO. LA MIA MAMMA É NELLE VICINANZE.
“No food! Don’t touch me! Don’t take me! I’m not abandoned. My mother is nearby.”
On that same hike, this sign as well. Just leave these animals alone! Interesting phrase here nelle vicinanze or “nearby”.
[5] IN QUESTO LUOGO SI SVOLGE IL PIANO DI CONTENIMENTO DELLE COLONIE DI COLOMBI
“In this area, a containment plan for pigeon colonies is underway.”
Back in Bergamo and now we are dealing with pigeons. A friend once tried to convince us of the intelligence of pigeons. We were not swayed. A piano di continemento or “containment plan” is underway in this park. Please don’t bring your old loaves of bread here and feed the pigeons. Make breadcrumbs instead and use sprinkled over pasta (ground finely) or over salads.
[6] Viaggiare con gli animali. SONO AMMESSI A BORDO CANI DI TUTTE LE TAGLIE SOLO SE PROVVISTI DI MUSERUOLA, GUINZAGLIO E IDONEO DOCUMENTO DI VIAGGIO.
“Travelling with animals. Dogs of all sizes are allowed aboard only if they have a muzzle, leash, and a valid travel document.”
We saw this sign on the San Vigilio funicular in Bergamo. Interesting words here are museruola or “muzzle” and guinzaglio or “leash”.
[7] VIETATO DARE DA MANGIARE AI DAINI
“It’s forbidden to feed the fallow deer.”
More well-meaning people trying to feed animals, this time at Monte Poieto. The deer in question are fallow deer, a deer native to parts of Europe. These deer were in a large pen. Fallow refers to the pale brown color of this species.
[8] Zanzara Tigre. Per un’estate senza noia, il tuo aiuto è fondamentale per non subire l’invasione della tigre.
“Zanzara tigre. For a summer without issues, your help is essential for undergo an invasion of the tiger mosquito.”
The zanzara tigre is Aedes albopictus or the tiger mosquito. The interesting term in this sign seen in Bergamo is senza noia, which translated directly means without boredom, literally. But it’s the figurative sense of noia here that makes sense as “without issues”.
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