This is a song that is all about Rome, the city I was born in and I consider to this day my home. A place I highly recommend everybody to visit at least once in their life (especially if you love Italian).
The song has the flavour of the market place that is a symbol of Rome. Claudio Baglioni is absolutely at his best. An older song that is still so modern. Hope you will enjoy it.
The You Tube Video
The Lyrics
E' domenica mattina
si è svegliato già il mercato
in licenza son tornato e sono qua
per comprarmi dei blue jeans
al posto di questa divisa
e stasera poi le faccio una sorpresa...
C'è la vecchia cha ha sul banco
foto di Papa Giovanni
lei sta qui da quarant'anni o forse più
e i suoi occhi han visto re
scannati ricchi ed impiegati
capelloni ladri artisti e figli di...
- e figli di...
Porta Portese
Porta Portese
Porta Portese
cosa avrai di più?...
Vado avanti a gomitate
tra la gente che si affolla
le patacche che ti ammolla quello la
ci ha di tutto pezzi d'auto
spade antiche quadri falsi
e la foto nuda di Brigitte Bardot...
- Brigitte Bardot...
Porta Portese
Porta Portese
Porta Portese
cosa avrai di più?...
Tutti rotti quei calzoni
si vabbè che è roba usata
ma chissà chi l'ha portata, quanto vuoi?
Quella li non è possibile
che è lei insieme a un altro
non è certo suo fratello quello
e se l'è scelto proprio bello
ci son cascato come un pollo io...
"A ragà ...
ma che hai fatto?
Ma 'sti carzoni li vòi o nun li vòi?"
Porta Portese
Porta Portese
Porta Portese
cosa avrai tu?
Porta Portese
Porta Portese
Porta Portese
cosa avrai tu?
Porta Portese
Porta Portese
Porta Portese
cosa avrai di più?
"Fiore de sale
l'amore fa penà ma nun se mòre...
d'amore nun se mòre
ma se sta male..."
The Wordle
The location
Activity Ideas
So this song you must have gathered, from the video link, is a short story of a boy who comes back from his military duties and wants to surprise his girlfriend that evening by getting ready for a nice date. Since he has not much to wear other than his military stuff, he goes to the market place and describes the wonders and business of the experience, through the song. The lyrics truly speak to the spirit you find at the "bancarelle" at Porta Portese, even though that experience has slightly changed over the last few decades.
So this song you must have gathered, from the video link, is a short story of a boy who comes back from his military duties and wants to surprise his girlfriend that evening by getting ready for a nice date. Since he has not much to wear other than his military stuff, he goes to the market place and describes the wonders and business of the experience, through the song. The lyrics truly speak to the spirit you find at the "bancarelle" at Porta Portese, even though that experience has slightly changed over the last few decades.
- Invite students to imagine the scenery described by the lyrics of the song, and create a poster collage (in paper format or online - you can do one online for free using Photo Collage Maker or other simple online tools) - The poster should contain as many images related to the emotions and the actual facts mentioned in the song and give a students' version of what they may feel is the experience of being at the market.
- Consider using this song to actually accompany a dramatization of a marketplace scene as part of a unit. Students can either interpret one of the characters mentioned in the lyrics or create new ones, with language, noises, smells and colours that evoke the idea of the place.
- I found a few neat links to some history about Porta Portese that you may find of interest to investigate furrther. You can use these to ask students to research the history of the market and get a feel for its culture and importance in the life of Rome.
- The wikipage link in English - and in Italian
- Brief Description of the Market (Italian)
- There are several other market places in Rome. Ask students to investigate one and make an original presentation to the class. More info can begin here.
Another idea, more on the historical side of things, is to have a conversation about mandatory conscription which was a fact in Italy until the late 90s. Boys were called in to serve the country for 15 months of so, when they turned 18. This impacted their ability to begin post-seondary studies and find a job, as well as travel outside the country. Ask students to research about this topic and engage in a short debate - should a country have mandatory conscription or not? And why?
More information at these sites:
- Servizio Militare di Leva
- La Leva Militare - articolo
Finally, the song is a bit sad, as it turns out the boy's girlfriend was not that into him. You may want to investigate expressions and idioms that young people use when relationships do not workout as planned. The song talks about "Ci son cascato come un pollo"....maybe you want to find out a few more. You can use inspiration from here: Glossario delle Frasi Fatte
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