Is this the train to Feerenzy?

Sitting here on the train to Firenze and waiting for it to depart. I didn’t think that I could run into anyone with terrible pronunciation, but I did. I need to point out one thing about the Italian language and, by the way, this is true for all languages. There are some words that simply do not get translated into Italian from English. These mostly have to do with computers and technology. Still, if you don’t pronounce these words with an Italian accent, the Italians won’t understand you. It sounds strange, I know, let me tell you that it’s even stranger when it actually happens to you and you get corrected on the proper pronunciation of an English word. I point this out to illustrate that the proper pronunciation makes a world of difference and it’s the difference of being understood and not.

So, while waiting, an obviously American woman (only Americans wear flip flops in a medieval town like Siena) walks into the train car that I am in. She blurts out a question, in despair, since the train is about to leave: “Is this the train to Feerenzy?” The first syllable was eaten (was this lady Roman?) so it sounded more like frenzy. Well, I thought, goodness, I didn’t buy a ticket to frenzy. That’s the last place I would want to go. Anyhow, usually, I sit and laugh at this but if anyone needed help, it was definitely this woman. So, I told her yes, it was the train (I didn’t even try to repeat her pronunciation) but also wondered if she knew that the English translation for Firenze was Florence. The Italians on the train car with me, sat there, completely confused by this woman’s question. As I mentioned, if you don’t pronounce it right, they won’t understand you and this was very much the case today.