Italian words that we need

I still think about Mr. Van Soest, English teacher at St. Willibrord College. He could get so lost in nirvana during class that he almost ascended. “In Dutch you say: kinderwagen, in English… poetic silence… perambulator. Or something else. Refrigerator. Brrr. In English… Refrigerator.”

When I here in Italy taking out the trash (every Tuesday and Friday, four bags, one organic, one plastic, one paper, and one for caps and corks and anything I couldn't bring home under the other categories), I think of Mr. Van Soest. Spazzatura, doesn’t that sound like a cocktail? Hence this little list. And they really have a specific word for everything here. Or do you know the Dutch equivalent of parcheggiatore (someone who ensures everything runs smoothly in the parking lot)?

Molestatore or molestatrice

Doesn’t this capture the term ‘stalker’ much better? And more Italian? And it’s also good that they have a male and a female variant.

Sprezzatura

Not to be confused with spazzatura (trash, remember?). Sprezzatura is the Italian equivalent of ‘je ne sais quoi’: effortless elegance without it looking like you tried hard.

Crepuscolo

That magical moment when twilight peeks around the corner and everything here seems to take on a pink, golden glow and the clouds turn into cotton candy.

Cucciolo (pronounced: koo-cho-lo)

Used to refer to anything that is baby, kitten, small, and cute. But of course, you can keep applying it to children and loved ones. And then immediately use it often for the best effect.

Mozzafiato

If something really stops you in your tracks because it’s so beautiful, then you are mozzafiato. Or mozzafiata, if you are a woman. It literally means: breath taken away.

Then a few more Mr. Van Soest moments to finish it off.

Stray dogs (you have a lot of them here): cani randagi (pronounced: ran-dá-djie)

Parsley: prezzemolo (pronounced: pre-zé-mo-lo)

Dishwasher: lavastoviglie (pronounced: la-vas-to-ví-lie-je)

Have a nice day!