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PhrasesAt the Antique MarketHa qualcosa degli anni Cinquanta?
A2

Ha qualcosa degli anni Cinquanta?

Do you have anything from the 1950s?

Pronunciation

CIN-quan-ta — three syllables; stress on the first. The 'qu' is /kw/ as in 'queen'.

When to use it

Use this when looking for mid-century Italian design — one of the most internationally acclaimed and collectible periods of Italian decorative arts.

What it means

'Degli anni Cinquanta' (of the fifties) uses 'degli' (di + gli), the masculine plural partitive. Italian decades: Venti (20s), Trenta (30s), Quaranta (40s), Cinquanta (50s), Sessanta (60s), Settanta (70s), Ottanta (80s). Mid-century Italian design (Ponti, Mollino, Scarpa, Fornasetti) is globally desirable.

Variations

Ha design italiano degli anni Sessanta?

Do you have Italian design from the sixties?

The '60s was Italy's design golden age — Sottsass, Castiglioni, De Pas

Cerca qualcosa di Fornasetti?

Are you looking for anything by Fornasetti?

Piero Fornasetti's black-and-white decorative plates are iconic Italian collectibles

Ha lampade di design italiano vintage?

Do you have vintage Italian design lamps?

Italian lighting design (Arteluce, Artemide, Flos) from the 50s–70s is highly collectible

Mini Dialogue

— Ha qualcosa degli anni Cinquanta? — Sì, questi piatti Fornasetti e questa lampada Arteluce. — La lampada funziona? — Sì, l'ho fatta controllare da un elettricista. — È di Sarfatti?

— Do you have anything from the 1950s? — Yes, these Fornasetti plates and this Arteluce lamp. — Does the lamp work? — Yes, I had it checked by an electrician. — Is it by Sarfatti?

Cultural Note

Italy's postwar 'economic miracle' (miracolo economico, 1950–1973) coincided with a golden age of Italian industrial design. Designers like Gio Ponti, Carlo Mollino, and Piero Fornasetti created pieces that are now in museum collections worldwide. Italian mid-century design is one of the most actively collected categories in global antique markets.