Page 18 - Italian American Herald - February 2022

18 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | FEBRUARY2022 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD ITALIAN MADE FUN & SIMPLE
This month we present the traditional lesson 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;’ the two young lovers from Verona immortal- izedbyShakespearein “RomeoeGiulietta;” 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.
The truth is that although Italy may be the country of love and lovers, the holiday as is 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 friendsdonotexchangecardsorpresents.
However, for those who are in love Valentine's Day in Italy, it is an important one 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 cioccolatini.
The Italian language is rich in a vocab- ulary 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" is preferred.
Here are some words and key phrases to impress your “tesoro” this Valentine’s Day.
• gli abbracci – hugs
• affettuoso – affectionate
• l'amante – lover
• i baci – kisses
• la cartolina d'auguri per San Valentino –Valentine's Day card
•icioccolatini–chocolates
• il diamante – diamond
• la festa di San Valentino – the festival of St. Valentine
• il/la fidanzato/a – fiancé/fiancée • i fiori – flowers
• gli innamorati – lovers
• provocante – provocative, sexy • sedurre – to seduce
• sessuale – sexual
• le smancerie – over-wrought,
cloying sentiments
• il mio tesoro – my darling
• Ti penso sempre – I always think of you.
“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,”theprobabilityismorelikely 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-Ro- magna.
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
• Mi manchi – I miss you.
• Come sei bella – How beautiful you are.
• Voglio vederti stasera – I want to see you tonight.
• Tu sei una stella ... la mia stella – You are a star ... my star.
•Caramia,tivogliobene–Mydarling, I love you.
This month’s proverb
This month’s proverb is from one of many Sicilian proverbs dedicated to love.
Siciliano: L’amuri c’un veni di lu cori è comu ‘na minestra senza sali.
Italiano: L’amor che non vien dal cuore è come una minestra senza sale.
English: Love that does not come from the heart is bland like soup without salt.
This month’s falso amico
It is grazioso. Translated to English, it means pretty, not gracious. Gracious in Italian is best reflected by the word clemente.
Next lesson: Carnival and Lent.
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 Italiansurname Infact"Innamorata"isa song written in 1955. It was written for the 1955 Martin and Lewis film “Artists and Models.” In Italian, the word innamorata means "in love." The biggest selling record- ing 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 Innamo- rata 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. Who hasn’t heard of the 20th century silver screen’s best known actor/lover Rudolph Valentino? 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 St. Valentine or to an ancestor born on Valentine’s Day.
Next month it’s back to our regular format as we continue with the letter “G.” IAH
Italian surnames reflect the Valentine’s Day passion of love
Dean Martin made the Italian word and surname Innamorata a household word across America in the 1950s.
Italian-American Herald
Because many Italian Americans are inquisitive about how their surnames came to be, particularly their historic derivation and in some cases a loose translation or meaning of their surname in English, we continue
to run this column each month to closely examine this subject. Many readers have commented on how much they enjoy this feature. As some readers may recollect from reading earlier columns, it was the fall of Rome and the subsequent foreign invasions and occupations that gave way to modern Italian names. Today an Italian surname can be traced back not only to Old Latin, but to French, Spanish, Portuguese German, Greek, Arabic, and even biblical Hebrew. Examples include Sicilian surnames starting with “calta” from Arabic Qal`at, meaning fortress or Nazzari which derives from nazzareno, an inhabitant of Nazareth.
In this issue we are skipping our regular monthly surname alphabetical sequence to examine a few common Italian surnames that relate to Valentine’s Day and terms of love and endearment, for which Italians are well known.
AMATO – This surname is From the Latin amatus, meaning loved by God. It ranks among the most common of Italian surnames and is registered in all 20 regions, most heavily in Sicily and least common in the Aosta Valley. Variations: Amata, Amatucci, Amatulli.
AMORETTI – One possible derivation is from the nickname given at times to children born out of wedlock: child of love. This surname is found in 16 of Italy’s 20 regions, mostly in Liguria and least in Sardinia. Varia- tions: Amorelli, Amorese, Amori.
AMOROSO – This word as most might know in English translates to the adjective
You can research your surname on these two websites:
• surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/italian/ • cognomix.it/mappe-dei-cognomi-italiani.