Umarell is a folk term in Bologna referring specifically to men of retirement age who pass the time watching construction sites, especially roadworks — stereotypically with hands clasped behind their back and offering unwanted advice. Its literal meaning is "little man", and it is often pluralized in spelling by adding a l and a final s. The term is increasingly used in other parts of Italy, sometimes in association with zdaura referring to an umarell's wife. With the above-described meaning, the term has been admittedly created by the writer Danilo Masotti in 2005, deliberately distorting the classical dialect of Bologna. Masotti subsequently wrote two books and created an associated successful blog.
Instances of use
In 2015, the city of Riccione, approximately southeast of Bologna, allocated an €11,000 budget to pay a stipend to umarells to oversee worksites in the city – counting the number of trucks in and out to ensure materials were delivered/removed according to the receipts, and guard against theft when the site was otherwise unattended. The town of San Lazzaro di Savena, to the South-East of Bologna, awarded the "Umarell of the year" prize to a local resident, Mr. Franco Bonini. In 2016, the local cultural association Succede solo a Bologna released the "Umarèl card" as a fundraiser for continued restoration of the San Petronio church. Separately, a smartphone app called Umarells was released that tracked the location of ongoing roadworks and construction sites. The fast food restaurant chainBurger King also "hired" several umarells as part of a social media marketing campaign promoting its increased presence in the country. In July 2017, the Bologna city council's "consultative commission for the naming of street" approved the naming of a public square to the East of the city centre in the Cirenaica district Piazzetta degli Umarells in recognition of the local fame of the concept and the name – noting with conscious irony that the square was under construction at the time. In April 2018the public square was inaugurated by city councillor Matteo Lepore, the district president Simone Borsari, the "lord of the umarells" Franco Bonini, the stand-up comedian Maurizio Pagliari aka Duilio Pizzocchi and the writer Danilo Masotti. In October 2019 the street-sign for the square was stolen. In April 2020 the comic magazineTopolino dedicated an episode to the umarell Gerindo Persichetti.
