If you live in a region with unpredictable weather patterns, you likely understand the importance of layering your clothing. In Italian, this practice of donning multiple layers is aptly described as vestirsi a cipolla.
vestirsi a cipolla
to dress in layers
The phrase vestirsi a cipolla literally means “to dress like an onion.” This expression stems from the concept of onions having numerous layers that can be peeled off.
Italians tend to dress in layers during the so-called mezze-stagioni – primavera (spring) and autunno (autumn) – and when they travel to places with variable temperatures like the montagne (mountains). By dressing in layers, you never have to worry about being too hot or too cold.
Ho deciso di vestirmi a cipolla oggi. Ora fa freddo, ma dovrebbe fare più caldo nel pomeriggio.
I’ve decided to dress in layers today. It’s cold at the moment but it should be warmer in the afternoon.
Of course, “dressing like an onion” isn’t just an old trick Italian nonne use to keep the cold at bay. It’s also a clever way to craft personalised and stylish outfits!
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
