Flash

Going To The Mattresses*

Nancy's Notes šŸ–ŠļøšŸŽ¶

Written for Weekend Writing Prompt #381 where
Sammi asks us to use the prompt word “bungle” and
get creative in exactly 41 words. Here’s my flash.

Ā© Pinterest

Dio mio! Iā€™m afraid Iā€™ve bungled things quite badly.

While planning the seating arrangement for my son’s wedding, I inadvertently placed Zia Carmella at Table 1 and her sister, Zia Francesca, at Table 2.

An insult! Disgrazia!

This means war!

NARĀ©2024
41 Words

* In times of war or siege, Italian families would vacate their homes and rent apartments in safer areas. In order to protect themselves they would hire soldiers to sleep on the floor in shifts. The meaning of the phrase “going to the mattresses” symbolizes the association inĀ Italian folk-memory of mattresses with safety in wartime. The phrase wasn’t well known outside the US and Italy prior to the Godfather movies. It was used there, and later in The Sopranos, to mean “preparing for battle”.

Weekend Writing Prompt #381 – Bungle

When Kay met Michael, scenes from an Italian wedding (Godfather, 1972) featuring Al Martino as Johnny Fontane. This is “I Have But One Heart (O Marenariello)”

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantā€™s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARĀ©2017-present.

34 thoughts on “Going To The Mattresses*”

    1. I’m always surprised when people tell me they’ve never seen the Godfather movies or just watched one for the first time. I’ve probably seen them all, especially 1 & 2, at least 10 times since 1972; their excellence is compelling and every time I land on one while channel surfing, I simply have to watch. I’m so glad you saw your first one and thought it was brilliant. There really is no other word to describe them. Welcome to the club! šŸŽ„šŸ†šŸŒŸ

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  8. Oh boy! That could be a nasty war. šŸ™‚ Thanks for the Godfather clip. Haven’t seen that in a while. We visited Sicily in 2018 and loved it! I laughed when I saw ads for a “Godfather Movie Tour” in Taormina. We didn’t have time to check it out, but I bet it would have been interesting.

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    1. Oh, that’s too funny, Debbie! I’m sure the Godfather franchise is just about the best thing to happen to Sicily in the 20th Century! The “Godfather Movie Tour” was an offer they couldn’t refuse and it’s still paying off! That’s a classic story!

      I’ve been to plenty of weddings where the people sitting on one side of the room wouldn’t talk to the people on the other side. It’s a very real thing.

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    1. It’s true, Liz. Sicilians are extremely proud of their heritage. My father made it very clear to us at an early age that we are Sicilian and if people asked, that’s the answer we gave. Not that there’s anything wrong with Italian; far from it! Sicilians are very proud and will never lose sight of that. Thanks for your interest.

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    1. Yes, there are some differences between Sicilians and Italians, including language, culture, and heritage. Sicilian is an official language separate from Italian, and is influenced by Greek, Arabic, French, Catalan, and Spanish. whereasĀ Italian is almost entirely Latin based.Ā Most Sicilians speak a dialect that is unique to their area. Sicilian food is different. Sicilians think of themselves as Sicilians first, and Italians second. Sicily has its own government and president; it has its own flag. One of the biggest differences is Sicily is its own country within a country.

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        1. As someone who loves research, Jim, you’d probably enjoy reading about the “mob”. While there is definitely a Mafia is Italy, the origins of the Mafia and Cosa Nostra are in Sicily. But being Sicilian doesn’t automatically mean someone is ‘connected’.

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