Shoes

In Italian "Scarpe” ( it’s feminine -surprise surprise- and plural because chances are, you want two of them..). In English there is a similar word but the meaning is different.

The Italian word “Scarpa” has a Germanic origin; it probably derives from “Scharpf” from the German root “Skar” (to cut, that’s why “Sharp” in English) because shoes are made out of leather, cut in a certain way.

The word “Scarp” in English means a low steep slope or the inner side of a ditch etc. (probably because  walking down a scarp it’s very difficult due to the fact that your feet come before your head); in Italian the same word is “Scarpata”.

Now that you know, don’t forget to leave your Italian shoes home when you climb a steep scarp..

A presto.

Pier