Lucio Delfino was born Lauria and but has lived in Grumento Nova from infancy. He served as President of the Pro Loco of Grumento Nova from 2010 to 2022. During that time he edited the book A Proverb a Day, a collection of saponarese proverbs. Today Lucio is the owner of the bookstore Librarsi with his wife Carmelina Celano. Together they have adapted the book into digital format, which they present to you here.
IPA: a atːə mˌbɾɪʃəˈɾolə fat͡ʃ i ˈatːaɾiˌɛdːə t͡ʃə katʰ
Italians: La gatta frettolosa fa i gattini ciechi.
English: The hasty cat makes blind kittens.
IPA: a ˈvɛkːjə nu vuˈliə muˈɾi pəˈke anˈkɔɾə sə ˈaviə mbəˈɾa
Italians: La vecchia non voleva morire perché aveva ancora da imparare.
English: The old woman didn’t want to die because she still had much to learn.
IPA: atˈːakˈᵊ u ˈt͡ʃut͡ʃᵊ ndə volə u pəˈtɾonə
Italians: L’assino si attacca alla voluntà del patrone.
English: The donkey minds his master’s will.
IPA: a cɔɾə ei kːju bːɾutːə ra ʃcurˈt͡ʃa
Italians: La coda è piú brutto a scorticare.
English: The tail is the worst part of the animal to skin.
IPA: a mala nutˈːatᵊ ea fiʎˈːa ˈfɛmːənːə
Italians: La nottata mala è la figlia.
English: Daughters are like a bad night.