On words – a woman’s prerogative
…is to change her mind. Though actually, I think that should be a designer’s prerogative, or even better, a human’s. I’ve rabbited on rather tiresomely (here and here, for instance) about my contempt for slogans and phrases painted or stuck on walls. But I love this idea:
Writing on the floor - ATCASA via Head over Heels
Why has this changed my mind? Well, first, I’ll admit, anything seems better in Italian, even the most banal statement takes on operatic qualities. (Did I ever tell you I wrote my university dissertation on early 17th century Italian opera?) Second, laying out your message in tiny mosaic tiles is a true labor of love, second only to carving it in wood or stone. Third, the hand-written quality is the necessary touch of extravagance in this pared down interior. I love it!
UPDATE: Yes, it would be nice to know what it means (see comments) – unfortunately the entire phrase is not in the picture. With help from my good friend Davide, I now know the fifth word is “colpisce“, so, quite literally :
The love when it hits you is always …?
? …. when love …
OR
The love that hits you is always ….
Davide wasn’t prepared to hazard a guess at the first word in the second line – I think it might be “limite“?
Maybe some of you smart people out there have a better idea?
Ciao
Thanks Kate – super sleuthing on your part! Though I was looking forward to the field trip…
It’s a line from a poem written by his son Efisio:
“L’amore quando ti colpisce è senza limite, quando l’ amore ti colpisce è proprio innamorato.”
This is pretty literal: “Love when it hits you is without limits; when love hits you it is its own lover.”
Most of us [translators] would probably prefer something like “When love strikes, it knows no bounds…”
Caveat: IT>EN is not one of my working pairs, so this is just my best guess.
I think you are exactly right, John. I love that “wandering baseline’. Though I would also love to puzzle out the meaning.
Paul and Brian: Oh, you men are so literal – what does it matter what it says, it’s beautiful! It’s in Milan and it belongs to designer Antonio Marras – here’s the full link – the picture is 11 of 14, but nothing more is revealed. That word that looks like “olpisce” is way beyond my opera Italian. There is a slideshow of the showroom here but sadly, it does not include the bathroom. I recommend a field trip…
I think we like it because of the script, and combined with the foreign language and wandering baseline it comes off more decorative than plain, English words would be…and as you mentioned, the spare surroundings help.
I would like to know what it says too please.
I also agree with Paul, more pictures would be great. I love the look of this bathroom and a few more shots would be excellent.
I can’t read what it says. Is there a better photo of it? I agree, EVERYTHING sounds better in Italian. The language has meter for crying out loud. I like to order in Italian at Starbucks from time to time just to give the kids an opportunity to roll their eyes. It amuses me to no end though. Now, back to the phrase on that floor…