{"id":10948,"date":"2016-02-03T10:31:15","date_gmt":"2016-02-03T09:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=10948"},"modified":"2016-02-03T10:31:42","modified_gmt":"2016-02-03T09:31:42","slug":"la-pennichella-italiana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/la-pennichella-italiana\/","title":{"rendered":"La Pennichella Italiana"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first time that I heard the English\/American expression \u2018power nap\u2019 I was curious to know how it differed from the traditional Italian pennichella<\/strong>.
\nBut let\u2019s begin from the beginning shall we,\u00a0 what exactly\u00a0is\u00a0a pennichella<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A little quiz for our readers: Who could that be sleeping in the box in this family photo? Please leave a comment.
<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Etimologia di Pennichella:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Pennichella is a Roman\/Neapolitan word now widely used all over Italy to describe il riposino pomeridiano<\/strong> (the afternoon\u2019s little rest). It comes from the Latin \u2018pendiculare\u2019 (to be suspended, to dangle to one side), and describes the dangling of one\u2019s head when one falls asleep in a seated position, an event that seems to occur ever more frequently as I get older.<\/p>\n

A.K.A. Pisolino<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Pisolino, from the redundant word pisolo<\/strong>, a short and light sleep, is\u00a0probably the most\u00a0common term for a postprandial snooze. The etymology of this word is similar to that of pennichella, as it comes from the Latin \u2018pesolare\u2019 (to dangle from side to side). A common expression for taking a nap is schiacciare un pisolino<\/strong> (literally: to squash a nap, don\u2019t ask me why!), e.g. ho sonno,\u00a0vado a schiacciare un pisolino<\/strong>\u00a0(I\u2019m sleepy, I\u2019m going to take a nap)<\/p>\n

You can use either pennichella or pisolino, the choice is yours. My personal preference is, as you may have guessed, pennichella. This is partly because pisolino sounds to much like pisellino<\/strong> for my liking. Pisellino<\/strong> is\u00a0the children\u2019s word from willy, or little penis. I prefer to avoid confusion!<\/p>\n

\"0pennica<\/a><\/p>\n

Pennichella vs Powernap<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Growing up as I did in a northern European culture I know for a fact\u00a0that the pennichella, or as we knew it back in the day, the (Spanish) siesta, was solid proof that those Mediterranean types were lazy good for nothings. Well really \u2026\u00a0sleeping during the day \u2026\u00a0how disgraceful!<\/p>\n

I have since, I\u2019m glad to announce, learned the error of my ways. I\u2019ve taken the full conversion course, which\u00a0involved making\u00a0the enormous sacrifice of coming to live in Italy, letting go of my guilt, accepting my inherent\u00a0\u2018laziness\u2019, and becoming a dedicated \u2018pennichellerista\u2019. N.B. I just invented that last word, but I\u2019m sure an Italian would recognise it as meaning \u2018someone who is devoted to their pennichella\u2019.<\/p>\n

So, what exactly is the difference between a power nap and a pennichella? Exactly this: a power nap is simply\u00a0a pennichella that has been given a fancy industrious sounding name in order to alleviate the guilt of the workaholic. \u201cI am NOT sleeping \u2026 I\u2019m POWER-NAPPING!\u201d Yeah \u2026 whatever \u2026<\/p>\n

\"Think<\/a>

Think about it …<\/p><\/div>\n

But if you really struggle with the guilt of doing nothing when your conscience tells you that you should be doing something then rest assured that when you take a pennichella you are NOT doing nothing. And here\u2019s where science comes to your rescue. Check out the following headlines:<\/p>\n

La pennichella fa bene. <\/span>
\nThe pennichella is good for you.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Gli scienziati decantano i vantaggi del sonno pomeridiano per la memoria e la creativit\u00e0<\/strong><\/a><\/span>
\nScientists praise the advantages of an afternoon sleep for one’s memory and creativity<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

La conferma della scienza. Diventiamo pi\u00f9 creativi e lavoriamo meglio<\/strong><\/a><\/span>
\nScience confirms: We become more creative and work better<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

La pennichella fa bene al cuore<\/strong><\/a><\/span>
\nThe pennichella is good for the heart<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

However,\u00a0 if trying to read through that lot brings on the familiar dangling head sensation let me assist you with a quick summary:<\/p>\n

Le ultime ricerche delle migliori universit\u00e0 anglosassoni ci dicono, infatti, che la pennichella aumenta del 40 per cento la nostra creativit\u00e0 e del 30 per cento le nostre prestazioni fisiche e intellettuali.
\n<\/strong>The latest research from the best Anglo-Saxon universities tell us, in fact, that the pennichella enhances our creativity by 40 percent and our physical and intellectual performance by 30 percent.<\/p>\n

I guess that explains my almost superhuman abilities then \u2026 \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Other sleep related articles by us:<\/span>
\nSo Sleepy<\/a><\/span>
\nWakey Wakey
\n<\/a>Ninna Nanna<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

The first time that I heard the English\/American expression \u2018power nap\u2019 I was curious to know how it differed from the traditional Italian pennichella. But let\u2019s begin from the beginning shall we,\u00a0 what exactly\u00a0is\u00a0a pennichella? Etimologia di Pennichella: Pennichella is a Roman\/Neapolitan word now widely used all over Italy to describe il riposino pomeridiano (the…<\/p>\n

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