May I take a stab at it -
Fregnaccia = phallic pasta

Can I have a stab at it too? sack of s**t or bulls**t?! maybe?

Thank you Sue!

Sure I was mad!
In my very first message I didnt say: "Ann1, you are totally wrong" or "what the hell are you saying?". I just posted my point of view (that of a native speaker). I would have accepted a different point of view from an italian native speaker, as Sicula or Alice have done (and they were right), but NOT a WRONG critique by someone who obviously doesnt know all the subtleties of the language.
I remind here that there are many expressions concerning the different prepositions shown by Ann1:
Viaggio IN Italia but: un viaggio NELLA bella Italia (there is the adjective that modifies the preposition).
In the same way you say: sono A casa (finalmente)
or: lui non e' IN casa
or: NELLA casa sulla collina.
Translation and languages are full of subtelties. I am not a translator but I know my own language.

Bravo EnglishOne!
You gave the correct answer!!!
I remind here that "fregnaccia" is a kind of food but in the roman dialect it means what you have rightly written!

Hey BATUFFOLINA, glad to see you back on this forum helping out us non-Italians!!! Thanks for your recommendations re the Boscolo Hotels in Rome. We enjoyed our stay at the Aleph, and checked out the nearby Grand Hotel Palace and the elegant Exedra at Piazza della Repubblica. Posh! Too bad Boscolo doesn't have hotels near Piazza della Rotonda instead of Via Veneto (too Americanized).

Again, it's terrific to see Alice, sicula and yourself helping us Fodorites appreciate your wonderful country and beautiful language. MILLE GRAZIE from all of us!!! ><

Thank you Batuffolina! buona congettura!

PS.......... I bet that was grammatically wrong!

Travelbear,

Excellent observation. I had just finished reading the thread on the US board lamenting how homogenized this board has become since registration. I switched to the Europe board, and voila! A thread with the spirit of the old, freewheeling days... there is hope that this board can combine helpful travel discussion with entertainment value.

EnglishOne:
your italian expression is simply PURRRFECT!

Bluefan: I am glad that you enjoyed the Boscolo Hotel in Rome. I had visited Boscolo Hotels in Rome some time ago and I was so amazed by their beautiful elegance that I usually recommend them to those looking for a posh stay in Rome. Besides they have very good special offers sometime.
Thanks guys, I have been pretty busy lately so I haven't been in this forum much, but I will come back here more often and help you as much as I can with my advices on Italy.

Might I add my two cents, if the intention was to elicit a feeling of Little Italy in New York, the banner really should reflect the local dialect. How's this "Yo, A Night in Freakin Little Italy."

(Bouna Fortuna with the event and I hope you raise a nice amount of money)

Ann1: Alice is nasty?! Are you kidding? How do you translate: "Now that's the pot calling the kettle black!" into Italian? I mean, jumping in and correcting a native Italian speaker's translation of something into Italian is ballsy to say the least. Best to develop a thicker skin against the inevitable backlash if you intend to keep doing such things.

While I would never even attempt to say anything here in Italian, I do like Ryans New Yorkese Italian! I have heard it and understood it
mzadnerb, good luck on the Fundraiser!

Battufolina, I enjoyed your 'translation' and learned something too! Thank you~

This is an incredible thread...it really went the other way! Common sense should have prevailed here re: Ann1. One should never correct a native speaker on what is "right" or "wrong" in his or her own language! Brava for Alice, Batuffolina and any other true native Italian speakers. I speak fluent Italian and French, but would never be so presumptuous to assume that I know more than someone who grew up speaking it! And we wonder why Europeans often get annoyed with Americans and their egocentricities?!? One should always keep an open mind and learn as much as possible from other cultures/peoples, etc.....not criticizing them but rather consider their thoughts and opinions as another alternative or option. And that goes both ways!

Thank you Huitres8, you have summed up a very important concept.

My father is romanian and I have been taught romanian together with italian since I was 3. I can speak it pretty well but I cannot say I am a romanian native speaker (mostly because I have been using it less and less these last 10 years, apart from speaking with my father). I speak english, french, spanish and a bit of german too, but I will never think of knowing them BETTER than natives at the point of being arrogant. Better shut up than taking a poor figure...

MZ,

"togliere il suo panties, non posso aspettare il pranzo".

Monty Python

Sicula: Are you going to reveal where you are from? (Isn't it nice to know where Alice thinks you're from?)

(P.S. Don't hit me.)

OK ,, barzalletta, now I want to know where Sicula is from too!!

As Sicula is a synonym of "sicilian" I imagine she comes from Sicily, but it is just a supposition...
By the way (as this thread has taken this path): for those who don't know, the term "barzelletta" means "joke" in italian!

As long as we're all being pedantic, I don't think "Colle dei Boschi" could translate "Hollywood," even if it were a good idea to translate place names literally (and I agree with Batuffolina that it's not a good idea). "Colle dei Boschi" means "Hill of the Woods." "Hollywood" would be something like "Bosco di Agrifogli."

Scarlett: I think you already know where your friend Sicula is from. Hint: where many cars are made, where winters are cold, where cherries grow, where tornadoes sometimes hit and in fact did last week.