The main word you will learn in this article is: cappello

The “coppola” is a flat kind of cappello (cap) that is traditionally used in Sicily, Calabria and Sardinia.

Probably the name “coppola” is an adjustment of the English word “cap”. Its etymological meaning derives from the latin word “caput” (head) that in Italian is translated as “capo” and in some dialects is “capa”.

At the beginning of the 18th century a cap similar to the coppola was used by the English aristocracy. In the middle of the 19th century it was used by the lower class. In the early years of the 20th century people who drove a car wore it.

Today in Italy it is the symbol of the culture of Sicily, Calabria and Sardinia.

Jim Carrey has worn one of this traditional cap in a scene of “The Truman Show” a movie of Peter Weir.

The most important word that you have learnt is:

Cappello: hat or cap, in Italian you can also find “berretto” but the meaning is the same. A coppola is a kind of cappello (as pictured above)

There is an Italian expression that you can use when you appreciate someone, you can say “tanto di cappello”.

 

Alessandra Martinetto

 

(Thank you for the photo to Barbara Goria, manager of “La coppola storta” in Turin)