Street Sign Language Lesson LVI

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In this round of Street Sign Language Lesson, we deal with a fascist-era sign spotted during a bathroom break, try to understand if a place is open or closed in Bergamo, and why people think drinking collagen will help their skin.

I Sigg. CLIENTI SONO PREGATI DI ORINARE ALL’INTERNO DELLA CASA ONDE EVITARE DI LORDARE LA PUBBLICA, ANNO 1929 (VIII) EF.
“Gentlemen customers are kindly requested to urinate inside the establishment to avoid dirtying the public space outside.”


Really, we just stopped for a pee-break and thought this looked like an interesting sign. We were at Snack Bar Giusy (near Passo Pordio) skiing the Sellaronda. We didn’t expect to get a history lesson out of it. Perfect for Travelmarx.

This sign is a little time capsule of Italian public‑hygiene regulation, social class performance, and Fascist‑era dating conventions, all wrapped in a politely stern voice.

The sign addresses “I Sigg. Clienti” — “Gentlemen customers” — and asks them to urinate inside the establishment rather than in the street, “to avoid dirtying the public road.” Then it ends with “Anno 1929 (VII° E.F.)”, meaning year 1929, year 7 of the Fascist Era (Era Fascista), which was the official dating system used by Mussolini’s regime. What!? Didn't know that.

Urban sanitation in the early 20th century was uneven. Bars, cafés, and osterie often had to remind patrons not to relieve themselves outside. This sign is part of that everyday infrastructure of discipline.

The “VII° E.F.” signals the sign (or at least the original) was produced after 1926, when the regime mandated Fascist dating. It reflects the regime’s obsession with order, cleanliness, and public discipline. Even mundane signage became part of the ideological landscape.

What’s curious here is this that this sign is likely some kind of reproduction. Why was it put here? What are the owners trying to signal? Humor or something else?



PREZZI IN ALLESTIMENTO
“Prices under set-up”

Shops use this kind of signage when the display is ready but the price tags aren’t finalized or haven’t been placed yet. It’s a kind of moment in retail when the shelf is complete, but the economic meaning hasn’t been attached.

The sign is nearby some prostate medicine, so I was fixated on the sign being relevant to only that product. However, the pharmacist explained that the sign really applies to all prices marked (non drug-items) as a way to sort of cover the fact that not all prices are show for all products and/or the prices aren’t updated. Kind of a cover-your-ass thing.

MOSTRA IN DISALLESTIMENTO, ESPOZIONE IN RIALLESTIMENTO
“Exhibition being taken down, display being re-installed".

I guess you can say this gallery space is not fully closed nor fully open, but in transition. It’s a polite way of saying don’t expect too much of us at the moment. This reminds us of the famous “open” until we’re not state of places. Often we see a sign that says a place is open, the hours are right, but the place is closed.




Diamoci del tu
“Let’s be informal (between us)”

Dare del tu - “to address somebody informally” and Dare del lei - “to address somebody formally”. This ad for the new (and very much improved) Bernareggi museum is very simple and effective. Come on in and let’s get to know each other



SAN BENEDETTO – COLLAGENE + ZINCO + ACIDO IALURONICO
“San Benedetto – collagen, zinc, hyaluronic acid"

A ritualized wellness product: a small, daily gesture that makes people feel they’re caring for their skin from the inside. More specious products selling the narrative of inside-outside beauty. Collagen consumed is broken down into amino acids. It doesn’t stay as intact collagen molecules that magically patch your skin.

Zinc could be useful if your diet is low in this mineral, but this is rare, and you’d being buying a supplement instead of overpriced water.

Now to hyaluronic acid, this typical skincare additive is useful for holding water in the skin. However, ingesting it doesn’t act like a topical moisturizer.

At the end of the San Benedetto commercials, the model/actor turns to the camera and says “San Benedetto, my secret”. The only secret is how they get away with marketing this stuff.


 

Carote al selenio; Selenella – La carota
“Selenium carrots”

Here we go again. This time, it’s selenium in carrots.

Selenium is a trace mineral essential for human health. In general, in a country like Italy, selenium deficiency isn’t an issue in normal diets at least you wouldn’t think it is until you start reading packaging.

The selenium in these carrots comes from soil management, not genetic modification. Producers add selenium to the soil or select naturally selenium‑rich areas. The most visible brand is Selenella, a consortium of Italian growers that promotes potatoes, onions, and carrots as fonte di selenio (source of selenium). This marketing niche has been around since 2011.

The taste? We haven’t done a blind taste test but we’ve not heard that selenium-enriched carrots taste any different. We are so done with “functional foods”.

CEROTTI PER HERPES LABIALE
"Cold sore patches"

Sounds so much nicer in English. If this poor girl shown on the packaging had just had drank more Skin Care water and eaten more selenium-enriched carrots, then she would not have ended up in this situation.

GATTO CICCIONE E COCCOLOSO DI 7 ANNI CERCA CASA. CRESCIUTO IN APPARTAMENTO. PIGRO E MANSUETO.
“Fat, cuddly 7-year-old cat looking for a home. Raised in an apartment. Lazy and meek.”


What a mammone! Even the cats in Italy jeez.

What drew our eye to this ad was the word mansueto, as we never had seen it used before.

I got news for the current owners; it’s all an act.