The 49th lesson on the streets and in the valleys of Bergamo looking for interesting signs. These signs also give you an idea of our travels around this area. Walking and skiing.
Biscottiera
“Cookie jar”
We stopped at Pasticceria Bigio in San Pellegrino (Val Brembana) on our way to Valtorta to go skiing. Bigio is famous for a cookie called, well, “bigio”. Bigio is the diminutive of Luigi, or Luigi Giacomo Milesi its inventor.
I never saw this word before, but it makes complete sense looking at it. The suffix iera is quite handy to know. In addition to names of jobs, professions (cameriera – waitress/maid, giardiniera – gardener, infermiera – nurse) it is found in names of objects, especially tools, containers (bandiera – flag, carriera – career, course of studies, cartucciera – cartridge belt, saliera – salt cellar, specchiera – mirror, teiera – teapot, uccelliera – aviary, zuppiera – tureen).
Culla per la vita
“Cradle for life”
This culla or cradle is in Bergamo, at the Croce Rossa.
Child abandonment in Italy is relatively rare, but there are a few cases reported each year. When we walk by this “drop off point”, I always stop and think of a parent opening that door and placing a baby in and what must be going through his or her mind.
Fiocchi d’avena
“Oat flakes”
We love our morning oat flakes. Avena is oat(s). Fiocco is flake, which makes a plural dropping O and adding CHI.
Il fumo uccide la tua reputazione, i nostri valori
“Smoking kills your reputation, our values”
We saw this sign at the entrance of the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milan. My first instinct is to read il fumo as “smoke”, which is true, but it’s better read as “smoking”. This is an example of metonymy, where a word is used to represent a related concept.
What’s also interesting about this sign is that it seems to target workers at the institute who step outside for a smoke.
la città ai tuoi pedali
“the city at your pedals”
This is used as a slogan for bike rentals in Bergamo. Even for us, this is a clever play on words. Usually, we think of something like the world in your hands or at your feet. In fact, you can think of the bike sharing slogan as a play on the latter phrase il mondo ai tuoi piedi.
QUESTO PASSAGGIO NON E' IL GABINETTO DEI CANI
"This passageway (sidewalk) is not a dog toilet"
Gabinetto is toilet or restroom. We are continue to be amazed at the number of these pick-up-after-your -dog signs we see. We never see dogs roaming. In fact, almost all dogs we see are on leashes so it's clear that the owners are right there when the business is happening.
sci snow bob ciaspole
“skis snowboards sleds snowshoes”
Valtorta in Val Brembana is one access point to the Piani di Bobbio ski area. In Italian, you can say snowboard, tavola da snowboard, or just snow. Snowshoes sometimes referred to as racchette da neve. The plural of sci is sci.
È scomparsa gatta la nostra gattina
“Our little cat has disappeared”
Her name is BLU but she has orange tufts ciuffi arancioni on her nose and back. The sign ends with se la vedete vi preghiamo di scrivere o chiamare - “if you see please write or call”. Get back home BLU.
“Cookie jar”
We stopped at Pasticceria Bigio in San Pellegrino (Val Brembana) on our way to Valtorta to go skiing. Bigio is famous for a cookie called, well, “bigio”. Bigio is the diminutive of Luigi, or Luigi Giacomo Milesi its inventor.
I never saw this word before, but it makes complete sense looking at it. The suffix iera is quite handy to know. In addition to names of jobs, professions (cameriera – waitress/maid, giardiniera – gardener, infermiera – nurse) it is found in names of objects, especially tools, containers (bandiera – flag, carriera – career, course of studies, cartucciera – cartridge belt, saliera – salt cellar, specchiera – mirror, teiera – teapot, uccelliera – aviary, zuppiera – tureen).
Culla per la vita
“Cradle for life”
This culla or cradle is in Bergamo, at the Croce Rossa.
Child abandonment in Italy is relatively rare, but there are a few cases reported each year. When we walk by this “drop off point”, I always stop and think of a parent opening that door and placing a baby in and what must be going through his or her mind.
Fiocchi d’avena
“Oat flakes”
We love our morning oat flakes. Avena is oat(s). Fiocco is flake, which makes a plural dropping O and adding CHI.
Il fumo uccide la tua reputazione, i nostri valori
“Smoking kills your reputation, our values”
We saw this sign at the entrance of the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milan. My first instinct is to read il fumo as “smoke”, which is true, but it’s better read as “smoking”. This is an example of metonymy, where a word is used to represent a related concept.
What’s also interesting about this sign is that it seems to target workers at the institute who step outside for a smoke.
la città ai tuoi pedali
“the city at your pedals”
This is used as a slogan for bike rentals in Bergamo. Even for us, this is a clever play on words. Usually, we think of something like the world in your hands or at your feet. In fact, you can think of the bike sharing slogan as a play on the latter phrase il mondo ai tuoi piedi.
QUESTO PASSAGGIO NON E' IL GABINETTO DEI CANI
"This passageway (sidewalk) is not a dog toilet"
Gabinetto is toilet or restroom. We are continue to be amazed at the number of these pick-up-after-your -dog signs we see. We never see dogs roaming. In fact, almost all dogs we see are on leashes so it's clear that the owners are right there when the business is happening.
sci snow bob ciaspole
“skis snowboards sleds snowshoes”
Valtorta in Val Brembana is one access point to the Piani di Bobbio ski area. In Italian, you can say snowboard, tavola da snowboard, or just snow. Snowshoes sometimes referred to as racchette da neve. The plural of sci is sci.
È scomparsa gatta la nostra gattina
“Our little cat has disappeared”
Her name is BLU but she has orange tufts ciuffi arancioni on her nose and back. The sign ends with se la vedete vi preghiamo di scrivere o chiamare - “if you see please write or call”. Get back home BLU.
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