The most literal meaning of the Italian word cielo (masculine, plural: cieli) in English is sky.
There are various ways of describing the sky in Italian depending on the atmospheric conditions and the time of day:
- cielo azzurro / blu = blue sky
- cielo limpido / sereno = clear sky
- cielo coperto = overcast sky
- cielo nuvoloso = cloudy sky
- cielo livido = dark / stormy sky
- cielo notturno = night sky
- cielo stellato = starry sky
Il cielo è coperto di nuvole oggi.
The sky is filled with clouds today.
A common expression in Italian is a cielo aperto which refers to things or events that take place outdoors or out in the open. For example, an open-air exhibition is a mostra a cielo aperto whereas a palestra a cielo aperto is an outdoor gym. Those who enjoys camping will have certainly slept under the stars (dormire a cielo aperto) at least once in their lifetime, an experience which is decidedly more pleasant than an intervento a cielo aperto (open surgery)!
Figuratively speaking, cielo can also refer directly to Heaven, as in the case of the expression salire al cielo (to go to Heaven), or indirectly to God as revealed by the following exclamations:
- Grazie al cielo! (Lit: Thank the sky!) = Thank God / goodness!
- Per amor del cielo! (Lit: For the love of the sky!) = God forbid!
- Santo cielo! (Lit: Saint sky!) = Good God! Goodness gracious!
Expressions featuring ‘cielo’
Ci corre quanto dal cielo alla terra
Literal translation: it runs as if from heaven to earth
English meaning: there is a big difference between…
Essere al settimo cielo
Literal translation: to be on the seventh sky
English meaning: to be in seventh heaven / on cloud nine
Non stare né in cielo né in terra
Literal translation: to not be in the sky or on earth
English meaning: to be absurd, something that makes no sense
Toccare il cielo con un dito
Literal translation: to touch the sky with a finger
English meaning: to be very happy
Piovere dal cielo
Literal translation: to rain from the sky
English meaning: something unexpected arrived or happened
Zucchero – Indaco dagli Occhi del Cielo
Indaco dagli Occhi del Cielo (literally Indigo with the Eyes of the Sky) is Zucchero’s beautiful cover of the song Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime by the Korgis. It was released in 2004 on the Italian version of the album Zu & Co.
Oramai
Mi consola
Oramai
Mi sorvola
L’amore invano
Cosi’ leggero
E piovono baci dal cielo
Leggeri come fiori di melo
Gocce di mercurio dal cielo
Oramai baby
Sono immune
Oramai
È come un fiume
L’amore invano
Cosi’ leggero
E piovono baci dal cielo
Leggeri come fiori di melo
Indaco dagli occhi del cielo
Sinceramente
Yeah sinceramente
Cosi’ leggero
Ti soffio tanti baci dal cielo
Leggeri come fiori di melo
Gocce di mercurio dal cielo
Esplodono baci dal cielo
E i nostri bei figli sul melo
Indaco dagli occhi del cielo
Indaco dagli occhi del cielo
Indaco dagli occhi del cielo
At this point
It comforts me
At this point
The love overlooks me
In vain
So light
And kisses rain from the sky
Light like apple tree flowers
Mercury droplets from the sky
At this point baby
I am immune
At this point
It’s like a river
The love in vain
So light
And kisses rain from the sky
Light like apple tree flowers
Indigo with the Eyes of the Sky
Sincerely
Yeah sincerely
So light
I blow lots of kisses from the sky to you
Light like apple tree flowers
Mercury droplets from the sky
Kisses from the sky explode
And our beautiful children on the apple tree
Indigo with the eyes of the sky
Indigo with the eyes of the sky
Indigo with the eyes of the sky
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.
