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Folk Sayings on Aging
Italy - Pre 1969 or Around the World, Click here

Marche, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverb or Folk Saying on Aging -- by Region -- Marche
     
      o in Italian: La vita e come una cipolla: piu si allunga e piu ti fa piangere.
      o in English: Life is like an onion -- the longer it is, the more it makes you cry.
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #1194738

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Marche, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverb or Folk Saying on Old Age -- by Region -- Marche
     
      o in Italian: Per i vecchi tanta pappa, poca pipa e niente peppa.
      o in English: For the old: lots of baby food, little pee, and no sex.
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #1884

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Marche, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverb or Folk Saying on Old Age -- by Region -- Marche
     
      o in Italian: Per i vecchi pan cotto, corona, strada piana.
      o in English: (Literally) For the old: cooked bread, a rosary and a straight road. (Meaning) For the old: bread moistened with water (bread that one can eat without teeth), prayers for one's soul, and paths that are easy to walk on (No hills!).
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #1227100

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Marche, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Old Age -- by Region -- Marche
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) Le tre "C" pericolose per li vecchj: cascata, catarru e cacarella.
      o in English: The three "Cs" dangerous to the old are: falling, catarrh [respiratory inflamation] and diarrhea.
     
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The Library of Congress #3a07990r

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Marche, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Aging -- by Region -- Marche
     
      o in Italian:(Dialect) Fina a quaranta se ride e se canta.
      o in English: Up to the age of forty one laughs and one sings.
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The Library of Congress #3b48962r

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Marche, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Aging -- by Region -- Marche
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) Chi ch'ha lo pane non ch'ha li denti, chi ch'ha li denti non c'ha lo pane!
      o in English: Who has bread doesn't have teeth, who has teeth does not have bread.
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The Library of Congress #3a47223r

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Marche, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Aging -- by Region -- Marche
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) L'invern e 'l boia di vecchi, 'l purgatori di fiulin e l'nfern di porett.
      o in English: (Literally) Winter is the executioner of the old, purgatory of babies and hell of the poor. (Possible meaning) Winter is the death of old people, purgatory of babies, and for the poor, it's hell on earth.
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The Library of Congress #13624r

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Marche, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverb or Folk Saying on Aging -- Old Women -- by Region -- Marche
     
      o in Italian: La donna quando e vecchia ha perso le virtu: le gambe cedono e la chitarra non suoa piu.
      o in English: (Literally) A woman, when she gets old, loses her worth -- her legs yield and her guitar doesn't play any more. (Meaning) Women lose their femininity with age -- they don't walk well and they're no good in bed.
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of the New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #818084

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Marche, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverb or Folk Saying on Old Age -- by Region -- Marche
     
      o in Italian; Quando un vecchio giovane vuole apparire, vuoi dire che ha perso tutti i venerdi.
      o in English: (Literally) When an old person wants to appear young, it means that he has lost all his Fridays. (Meaning) When an old person is desperate to appear young, it means he has lost his marbles [wits].
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The Library of Congress #0964r

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Marche, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverb or Folk Saying on Old Age -- by Region -- Marche
     
      o in Italian: La vecchiaia e brutta ma non arrivarci e peggio.
      o in English: Old age is ugly but not getting to be old is even worse.
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #832564

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