WHEN IN ROME, DO AS THE ROMANS DO - 1

The English proverb "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", shows the influence if Rome on the popular cultural of different countries.

Therefore, it is not a bad idea to know some Roman proverb or popular saying, even because, when in Rome, it will easily happen that a Roman will try to translate it to English assuming that everyone will understand it. Actually speaking, once I did it, translating a popular saying into English, and the result was ilarious. By the way, a foreigner that is able to use the popular Roman sayings will get a lot of respect.

In its long history, Rome has seen everything. Therefore, Romans have a strong sense of irony and a sisenchanted character that might also appear to be cynical and sarcastic.

That's the way to look at popular sayings.

Let's start with the first

Morto 'n papa, se ne fa 'n'antro

One pope dies, another one is elected

Sometimes people believe to be very important, much more than they actually are. A Roman will say to them that even a pope can be replaced, so they have to lower their self-consideration.

Another interpretation is that if something goes wrong, there will always be another opportunity.
By the way, sometimes, although not really frequently, a new pope is elected even if the old one is still alive. Nowadays we are living in a time with two popes.

Vincenzo

St. John Villa

Villa Borghese Guest House