We are all al verde

We are all al verde

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Thu 14 Mar 2013 1:00 AM

While Italy and many Italians may be al verde (hard up), it’s not all doom and gloom across the Boot. The festivities of St. Patrick’s Day are a reminder to take life’s problems with a few ounces of joy and at the end of the day to wash it all down with a pint of cold beer. While Italy may be ‘green’ with debt, the emerald four-leaf clovers that bring good luck and the leprechauns of St. Paddy’s promise hope and prosperity for the future. And The Florentine is celebrating this year with a free Irish dance lesson at The Fiddler’s Elbow (see page 7 for details).

 

During this turbulent time, many Italians are thinking about moving abroad. Some may be inspired by the St. Patrick’s celebrations to move to the fresher, greener pastures of Ireland, but those heading to America may find themselves lost in translation when it comes to money talk: while Italians with pockets to let may be ‘in the green,’ Americans with ‘with plenty of green’ are rolling in it, and if you don’t have green in English, you’re in the red. Faced with such complex language entanglements as these, Italians looking to go abroad may just decide that it’s better to stay in Italy, even if they are al verde!

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

 

 

[This article has been revised to correct the following sentence, published in print in TF 179: “… the emerald four-leaf clovers and leprechauns of St. Paddy’s promise hope and good luck for the future.” Four-leaf clovers are not lucky for the Irish (though they are for the rest of the world), while three-left shamrocks are. The sentence has been revised online to avoid any confusion. We apologize for the inconvenience.]

 

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