Page 14 - Italian American Herald - February 2020

14 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | FEBRUARY 2020 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD ITALIAN MADE FUN&SIMPLE
This month’s lesson is dedicated to Valentine’s Day, Italian style. Italian lovers are famous throughout history: Paolo and Francesca, the ill-fated pair described in Dante’s “La Divina Commedia”; Romeo and Juliet, the two young lovers from Verona immortalized
by Shakespeare; and Renzo and Lucia in “I Promessi Sposi,” written by Alessandro Manzoni from 1825-27, who succeeded in marrying each other only after overcoming many difficulties and obstacles.
In classical history, the Roman holiday Lupercalia was a pagan spring celebration. Priests called luperci participated in ritual sacrifices and fertility rites during the wild, chaotic festivities.
So with all this history of love and romance, spring lust and eros, debauchery and revelry, it would only seem natural that Italy, the purported land of romance, would celebrate Valentine’s Day with great passion and joy.
Truth is that although Italy may be the country of love and lovers, the holiday celebrated today in Italy has taken on an American flavor, much like Halloween or Mother’s Day. The big difference is that in Italy, it is exclusively a celebration for couples or lovers. Children, family members, and friends do not exchange cards or presents.
However, for those who are in love, Valentine’s Day in Italy is an important day to show their beloved how much they care. Depending on the age of the pair, gifts could include red roses or perfume, diamonds, or the traditional box of ciccolatini.
The Italian language is rich in a vocabulary of expressions and idioms, and frasi d’amore on Valentine’s Day are especially endearing. In English, the expression “I love you” is ubiquitous; while in Italian “Ti amo” is used only between lovers, never with friends, family, or inanimate objects. Instead, the expression “Ti voglio bene” are preferred.
Surnames and Their Origins
Here are some words and key phrases to impress your
gli abbracci affettuoso l’amante
i baci
la cartolina d’auguri per San Valentino i cioccolatini
il diamante
la festa di San Valentino
il/la fidanzato/a i fiori
gli innamorati provocante sedurre sessuale
le smancerie
il mio tesoro
Ti penso sempre
Mi manchi
Come sei bella
Voglio vederti stasera
Tu sei una stella ... la mia stella Cara mia, ti voglio bene
This month’s proverb
“tesoro” this Valentine’s Day. hugs
affectionate
lover
kisses
Valentine’s Day card
chocolates
diamond
the festival of Saint Valentine fiancé/fiancée
flowers
lovers
provocative, sexy
to seduce
sexual
over-wrought, cloying sentiments my darling
I always think of you.
I miss you.
How beautiful you are.
I want to see you tonight.
You are a star ... my star.
My darling, I love you.
Dating back centuries, Italians have been noted for being great lovers. Therefore it stands to reason that as surnames evolved over the centuries, many of them were rooted in a vocabulary of Italian words associated with love. In this issue we are deviating from our regular alphabetical sequence to examine a few common Italian surnames that relate to Valentine’s Day and/ or terms of love and endearment.
AMOROSO — This word as most might know in English translates to the adjective “loving” or as a noun beau or sweetheart. It of course also can translate to amorous, though it Italian this meaning is mildly erotic. However, before people with this surname get to thinking they descend from a line of “Casanovas,” the probability is more likely that they had ancestors who were simply known for their act of loving kindness.
ANELLO — In English this translates to “ring.” The origin of this as a surname is clear, which accounts for the fact that it is not among the most common of surnames. At best the name is connected to the jewelry trade. In is most found in Sicily and least found in the Marche region.
CARO — In English this translates to “dear.” Italian letters as English letters always start out with “caro.” As a surname, it is not common. Once again Sicily is where it is most found and least found on the other famous Italian island of Sardinia.
D’AMORE — This Italian surname is fairly common throughout Italy. It translates to “of love.” Ancestors of these present-day families were probably known to be born to parents that demonstrated strong love and affection toward each other, hence D’Amore, out of love. It is most heard in the Campania region and least heard in the region of Emilia-Romagna.
DOLCI — This surname comes from the Italian word for sweet, “dolce.” In
the form”dolci,” it means sweets. Does
this mean that past relatives had sweet personalities? Not necessarily. The ancestors of these present-day families were probably in the candy or some sort of dessert business. The highest number of Dolci families is recorded in the Latium region, the lowest number is recorded as being in the neighboring Umbria region.
INNAMORATA — For most this word brings to mind a song title rather than an Italian surname. In fact “Innamorata” is a song written in 1955. It was written for the 1955 Martin and Lewis film, “Artists and Models.” In Italian, the word innamorata means “my love.” The biggest selling recording of the song was sung by Dean Martin in the same year. On the Cash
Box magazine Best-Selling Records chart, which combined all versions of the song,
it reached position No. 17. As an Italian surname it doesn’t rank anywhere close to the recognition or popularity of the song title. There is little documentation on the evolution of Innamorata as a surname and this is evident by the fact that there are only two regions in Italy that have a very small number of families registered with this surname, Campania and Friuli Venezia- Giulia.
VALENTINO — Finally we come to the surname that shares its name with the “Holiday for Lovers.” Of the surnames that we can associate with this day, none are as widespread as the surname Valentino. It
is a surname owned by families in all 20 regions. It is most frequent in Campania and least heard in Val D’Aosta. Its evolution
into a surname is attributed to ancestors that were devoted to Saint Valentine or to an ancestor born on Valentine’s Day.
This month’s proverb is from Calabria and dedicated to Valentine’s Day.
Calabrese: A’muri chi non veni du cori, è comu na minestra senza sali. Italiano: L’amore che non viene dal cuore, è come una minestra senza sale. English: Love that doesn’t come from the heart is like a bland soup.
This month’s falso amico
This month’s falso amico is sensibile. Translated to English, it means sensitive. The Italian sensibile equivalent in English is perceivable.
Next lesson: Carnival and Lent.
You can research your surname on these two websites:
• surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/italian/ • cognomix.it/mappe-dei-cognomi-italiani.
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