Lipari, Salina, Filicudi, Alicudi, Vulcano, Stromboli and Panarea

Aeolian Genealogy

Aeolian Proverbs

Some are in Italian, others in dialect.
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Italian	English
Tale mamma tale figghia	Like mother like daughter
Iettare l'acqua u ventu	Lit. To throw water in the wind. (To be a squanderer, especially in spending money)
Cu scecchi caccia e fimmini cridi, faccia di paradisu nun ni vidi	He who tries to chase away donkeys and believes in women, will not see heaven
U saccu vuotu nun pò stari (non staccia) a dritta	An empty sack will stay upright
Pani e vinu rinforza a schina	Bread and wine reinforces the body
Pi fari 'me-e' a pecura pirdu' u muzzicunu	To go 'baa' the sheep lost a bite
U rispettu e musuratu, e cu porta l'avi purtatu	Respect is returned in equal measure as is it given. To receive respect one must first give it
U munzungnaru chianci u chiu forti	The liar/hypocrite cries the loudest/makes the most fuss
Pignata vuardata nun vuddi mai	A watched pot never boils
U travagghiu d'autru nun si senti	One doesn't feel the work of others
Chiddu chi c'e` 'nta pignata u sapi sula a cucchiara ca rimina	The ingredients in the pot are only known by the spoon that stirs them
Di cui sunu i figghi, si annaca	Look after your own children
U pisci fete da testa	The fish smells from the head
'un affidari a pecura a u lupu	Don't put a sheep in the care of a wolf
cu pratica cu zuoppu, zuppia	If you hang around with the lame, you will learn to limp
'a vecchia avia cent'anni e ancora si imparava	The old lady was 100 and she was still learning
Trovare u pilu 'nta l'uovu	To find a hair in the egg (to find fault)
Carni cotta e pisci crudu	Meat is to be cooked well done and fish is better eaten uncooked

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Proverbs Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10