Metterci una pietra sopra is an Italian expression meaning to definitively put an unpleasant matter or argument, or to put a painful memory to rest. The imagery is pretty clear – by placing a stone on top of something, it becomes impossible to see and easy to forget. In many ways, it is similar to the English “to let bygones by bygones,” “to forgive and forget” or more simply, “to put something behind oneself.”
metterci una pietra sopra
to put something behind you
According to Vigilio Sapere, the origin of this idiom is rather morbid, recalling the final act of sealing a tomb with a stone.
È successo molto tempo fa, mettiamoci una pietra sopra.
It happened a long time ago, let’s put it behind us.
You may be wondering why there is a ci attached to the end of mettere (to put). In this case, it is an adverb that means “there,” so we are literally saying “to put (on) there.”
Nonostante il disaccordo, ha deciso di metterci una pietra sopra e chiudere la questione.
Despite the disagreement, he decided to put it behind him and close the matter.
Interestingly, you can also use this idiom to talk about the future, in which case it means something similar to not giving up on an idea. For example:
Stai ancora pensando di trasferirti in Italia? – Non ci ho ancora messo una pietra sopra!
Are you still thinking about moving to Italy? – I haven’t given up on the idea yet!
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.
