A Short Dictionary of South Tyrolean Understand what the locals say

And so I leave every visitor to South Tyrol with this very practical piece of advice: Doing all the outdoorsy stuff is worth it. I promise. But always, always, always ask a local how far it is to the peak and how long it will take you as an unexperienced hiker. Then triple the estimate they give you. And plan the rest of your day accordingly. Or, even better: Tell staff at your local tourist office which hike you’re planning. And ask them to convert its description from South Tyrolean Standard Time to Normal People Time. You’ll thank me.

Cassandra Han

Born and raised in the US. In 2008, she moved to South Tyrol, where her husband Lorenzo’s mother is from. In this column, she writes about how she learned to love South Tyrol’s quirks and peculiarities… and how she herself slowly became a true South Tyrolean.

A Short Dictionary of South Tyrolean

Understand what the locals say

pippln

[ˈpɪpln ̩ ]

... is what South Tyroleans say when someone drinks like a fish or has one drink too many.

Schellrodl

[ˌʃɛlˈʁɔ ͜ ʊdl ̩ ]

Someone who “is always on the Schellrodl”, a word that roughly translates as “sledge with bells”, is not a tobogganing enthusiast but rather someone who is never at home and loves being always out and about here, there and everywhere.

Hosch Fiffa?

[hɑʃ ˈfɪfa]

... is what South Tyroleans ask someone who is standing at the start of a black run but isn’t sure if they have the nerve to ski down it. In Italian, “fifa” is a colloquial word for “fear”, so the question roughly translates as “Are you scared?”