Umarell

Umarell (Italian pronunciation: [umaˈrɛl]; modern revisitation of the Bolognese dialect word umarèl [umaˈrɛːl]) is a folk term in Bologna referring specifically to men of retirement age who pass the time watching construction sites, especially roadworks — stereotypically with hands clasped behind their back and offering unwanted advice.[1] Its literal meaning is "little man" (also umarèin), and it is often pluralized in spelling by adding a l and a final s (out of English influence).[2] The term is increasingly used in other parts of Italy,[3] sometimes in association with zdaura (or żdåura [ˈðdʌu̯ra]) referring to an umarell's wife.[4] With the above-described meaning, the term has been admittedly created by the writer Danilo Masotti in 2005, deliberately distorting the classical dialect of Bologna.[5][6] Masotti subsequently wrote two books and created an associated successful blog.[7][8]

Umarells observing re-paving at the corner of Palazzo Re Enzo and via Rizzoli, Bologna (2016)

Instances of use

In 2015, the city of Riccione, approximately 130 kilometres (80 miles) southeast of Bologna, allocated an €11,000 budget to pay a stipend to umarells to oversee worksites in the city – counting the number of trucks in and out to ensure materials were delivered/removed according to the receipts, and guard against theft when the site was otherwise unattended.[9] The town of San Lazzaro di Savena, 6 km (3 1⁄2 mi) to the South-East of Bologna, awarded the "Umarell of the year" prize to a local resident, Mr. Franco Bonini.[10][11]

In 2016, the local cultural association Succede solo a Bologna ["It only happens in Bologna"] released the "Umarèl card" as a fundraiser for continued restoration of the San Petronio church.[12][13] Separately, a smartphone app called Umarells was released that tracked the location of ongoing roadworks and construction sites.[14][15] The fast food restaurant chain Burger King also "hired" several umarells as part of a social media marketing campaign promoting its increased presence in the country.[16]

In July 2017, the Bologna city council's "consultative commission for the naming of street" approved the naming of a public square to the East of the city centre in the Cirenaica district Piazzetta degli Umarells in recognition of the local fame of the concept and the name – noting with conscious irony that the square was under construction at the time.[17][18][19][20] In April 2018 the public square was inaugurated by city councillor Matteo Lepore, the district president Simone Borsari, the "lord of the umarells" Franco Bonini, the stand-up comedian Maurizio Pagliari aka Duilio Pizzocchi and the writer Danilo Masotti.[21] In October 2019 the street-sign for the square was stolen.[22] In April 2020 the comic magazine Topolino dedicated an episode to the umarell Gerindo Persichetti.[23]

gollark: There is one somewhere.
gollark: Wow, my private data harvesting was REMARKABLY successful.
gollark: Unlikely, even the voice audiosource bit is synchronous.
gollark: I have various choices:- copy-paste internal API code, make async, use- reimplement internal API asynchronously (unlikely)- make it somehow wait for the asynchronous thing synchronously?
gollark: Oh dear, I think this is some undocumented internal API. It's not even async.

See also

References
  1. "Umarèlls a Bologna, pensionati in prima fila per assistere ai lavori in corso. "Ogni giorno controlliamo quel che succede nei cantieri" (VIDEO, FOTO)". L’Huffington Post. 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  2. "I libri che parlano degli UMARELLS". Umarells (in Italian). 2011-12-07. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  3. "Gli umarells da Bologna si sono spostati a Firenze - DIRE.it". DIRE.it (in Italian). 2016-06-04. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  4. Bianchini, Margherita (2011). 101 cose da fare a Bologna almeno una volta nella vita. Newton Compton Editori. pp. Item 40. ISBN 9788854125469.
  5. "stravolgendo il dialetto bolognese classico" https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2018/04/21/bologna-allinaugurazione-di-piazzetta-degli-umarells-cerano-tutti-pure-i-contestatori/4305185/
  6. https://www.ferraraitalia.it/la-nostalgia-degli-umarells-e-paralizzante-bisogna-cominciare-a-immaginarsi-un-futuro-diverso-9013.html
  7. ""Oltre il cantiere. Fenomenologia degli umarells": se ne parla con Masotti". BolognaToday. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  8. "Esce 'Oltre il cantiere' di Masotti - Emilia-Romagna". ANSA.it (in Italian). 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  9. "Riccione, il Comune paga i pensionati per sorvegliare i cantieri". Repubblica.it (in Italian). 2015-12-18. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  10. "Anziano al cantiere: premiato il migliore del 2015". Corriere di Bologna (in Italian). Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  11. "Un bolognese realizza il sogno dei pensionati: nominato capo cantiere - Tgcom24". Tgcom24. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  12. "Le nostre Card". www.succedesoloabologna.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  13. "Bologna per gli anziani: ecco la Umarèl card per seguire i cantieri in prima fila". La Repubblica. 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  14. ""Trova il cantiere": una app per gli umarells". Repubblica.it (in Italian). 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  15. "Ecco Umarells, l'app che segnala ai pensionati tutti i lavori in corso". Corriere della Sera. 2016-01-14. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  16. "Burger King Recruits Construction-Spotting Pensioners to Oversee its Expansion in Italy - Video - Creativity Online". Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  17. "L'omaggio del Comune Nasce in Cirenaica la piazza degli Umarells - la Repubblica.it". Archivio - la Repubblica.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  18. online, Redazione. "A Bologna arriva la piazzetta dedicata agli "Umarells"". Corriere di Bologna (in Italian). Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  19. "'Umarell': una piazza dedicata in Cirenaica". BolognaToday. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  20. "Blog | Bologna, e piazzetta degli umarells sia". Il Fatto Quotidiano. 2017-07-23. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  21. http://www.comune.bologna.it/news/inaugurata-cirenaica-la-piazzetta-degli-umarells
  22. "Bologna, rubato il cartello di piazzetta degli Umarells". La Repubblica. 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  23. "Gli Umarells vigilano anche a Paperopoli". Il Resto del Carlino. 2020-04-21. Retrieved 2020-04-21.

Bibliography
  • Umarells 2.0. Sono tanti, vivono in mezzo a noi, ci osservano... e noi osserviamo loro [Umarells 2.0. They are many, they live amongst us, they obvserve us... and we observe them]. Bologna, Pendragon Press (2010) by Danilo Masotti. ISBN 978-8883428579
  • Oltre il cantiere: fenomenologia degli Umarells [Beyond the construction site: the phenomenology of the Umarells]. Bologna, Pendragon Press (2016) by Danilo Masotti. ISBN 978-8865988077
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