Maybe Italians are being depicted accurately in the media: Highly opinionated opera director Franco Zeffirelli held a press conference in Rome yesterday concerning his company's new season. A reporter had the temerity to mention some of the many allegations about Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, to which Zeffirelli responded, "You are insulting a friend a mine, a man of valor," adding "This is a serious theater. Go away, you cretin rascal [mascalzona cretina], you asshole [stronza], go fuck off [vada a fare in culo]. You don't belong here, how dare you! Berlusconi is a friend of mine, an extraordinary man." Also, curse words sound much better in Italian, no?
Ordinary? Only to Tiger Woods.
That is totally what the 72-year-old pizza guy yelled into his cell phone last night when he got to my house and realized he had the wrong food! AND NOW I KNOW, ITALIAN AMERICANS.
I can just imagine the accompanying hand gestures
Wasn't Uncle Monty in 'Withnail & I' partially inspired by Zeffirelli? I believe so, and now it's impossible for me to read about him without picturing Richard Griffiths.
Uncle Monty's line, "Are you a sponge or a stone?" was apparently used on Bruce Robinson by Franco Zeffirelli, who is also referred to earlier (obliquely), in Withnail's comments on a story in the entertainment news:
"Oh, look at this little bastard! 'Boy lands plum role for top Italian director.' Course he does. Probably on a tenner a day, and I know what for; two pound ten a tit, and a fiver for his arse."
Stronzo is 'shit', I think. Culo is arsehole. Vada a fare just means 'to go'.
Yes, Ted, Bruce Robinson's culo was pursued on and off the set of Romeo and Juliet.
Vada a fare in culo means literally "go do [yourself] in the ass." "Fuck off" is a good translation; "go fuck yourself" is better.
Stronzo literally means "shit." If you're calling someone stronzo, you could translate it as "you piece of shit," but "asshole" works just as well and, like stronzo, has the virtue of brevity.
I really, really hope your nonna comes after you with the wooden spoon for this one. (What about "figlio di puttana"? No love?)