“A Ufo”

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In the Florentine vernacular, it is very common to hear the expression “a ufo”. This expression is used in a negative sense when someone does something without paying. Where does this expression come from? It comes from Florence! We must go back to the Latin language used in medieval times. During the construction of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, building materials came from areas close to “Fiorenza” (Florence). Those materials were labelled “A.U.F.O.”, which in Latin meant Ad Usum Florentiae Operae: that inscription indicated the materials that had to be used in Florence to build the cathedral, materials that were free of taxes. That is why Florentines say “a ufo” when they want to say “for free”, or better….tax free.

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