You Don't Really Want to Dine “Al Fresco” in Italy

Just Hope There's Not A Prison Nearby

A lot of people like to toss around foreign words and phrases they've picked up as a means of making themselves sound more worldly, cultured, well-traveled, or whatever. And frequently they wind up sounding just the opposite. Take “al fresco” for example.

“We'll be dining al fresco today,” is a fancy way of saying that you plan to eat outdoors. Whether it be on the patio of an upscale restaurant or at a picnic table in the backyard, “al fresco” just seems to carry a certain....catchet, another often misused word. I mean, would you rather sit outside to eat or would you prefer to “dine al fresco?”

Perhaps because the phrase starts with “al” and ends in a vowel, everybody thinks it's Italian. There are even a number of Italian-American restaurants around the country that bear the name “Al Fresco.” So who can blame someone for visiting their favorite Italian eatery and asking to dine “al fresco?” At most Italian-American places, you'd be shown to a lovely seat outdoors. In Italy, however, such a request would get you a shocked or bemused response from the waitstaff and you'd likely be laughed at or at least given a look that says “pazzo turista.”

You see, while“al fresco” is indeed a correct and legitimate term in particular cases, most people aren't very particular in the way they use it. While it is commonly believed that the term is a universal reference to dining in the fresh air, that's technically only the case in Spain, from whence the phrase originated and where it is still properly used to mean sitting outside in the cool open air.

But isn't it also an Italian term for the same thing? Not so much. Yes, fresco is the Italian word for “fresh.” It can also be used to refer to keeping something in the cool or chilled. And al does usually translate loosely to “of the” or “in the manner of.” So it's reasonable to assume that al fresco would mean “in the cool fresh air” like it does in Spanish. But that's where that old linguistic bugaboo idiom comes in.

Most languages are chock full of weird idioms. Believe me, if you tell an Italian you're sitting on the fence over a certain issue, he's gonna look at you real funny. But then that same Italian might tell you that the issue is farsene un baffo. What he's saying is that it's like a mustache; it's there, so don't make a big deal out of it. I'm an actor and it's common for me to say “break a leg” when wishing someone good luck. The Italian equivalent would be “in bocca al lupo,” which translates to “in the mouth of the wolf.” See, you don't ever wish someone “good luck” (buono fortuna) because that means something bad will probably happen. No, you should refer to the legend of Romulus and Remus who were saved from certain doom by being carried away in the mouth of a she-wolf who suckled and raised them to become the founders of Rome. And, for goodness' sake, don't respond to “in bocca al lupo” with “grazie” (thank you). That would be awful. Say instead, “crepi il lupo.” That means “may the wolf die.” Or you can just say “crepi.” Don't ask me why; it's an Italian thing.

But it's also why you don't use the phrase “al fresco” in reference to dining outdoors in Italy. If you want to do that, it would be “al fuori” or “all'aperto. Both mean “outdoors” or “outside.” If you tell an Italian waiter you want to dine “al fresco,” he's gonna look at you funny because you just said you want to eat in prison. Yep. Prison. Aren't idioms fun?

So all you Italian-American restaurateurs who are putting the name “Al Fresco” above your door might want to rethink that moniker. Not many veri italiani are going to want to enter your establishment. And all you would-be Italian diners who want to employ the phrase to sound more Italian should hope there isn't a jail or prison nearby.

Ciao e in bocca al lupo!