Al Fresco | English Vocabulary


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Al fresco (or alfresco) is a borrowed Italian term in English. In English, it means outside, in the fresh air. Al fresco is almost exclusively used to refer to eating outdoors.

Al fresco only occasionally used in regards to other outdoor activities, such as in reference to outdoor concerts or other performances. It may sometimes be spelled as one word.

Examples Of How to Use Al Fresco in a Sentence

“We were happy to be able to eat at restaurants al fresco during the pandemic.”

“The nice thing about living in the country is that we can grill outdoors and eat al fresco in the summer.”

“Our patio is open for al fresco dining.”

“The theater club is giving an alfresco Shakespeare performance on Saturday.”

“There’s an al fresco cafe just around the corner. We can stop there for lunch.”

“During our vacation on the coast, we had the best al fresco seafood dinner.”

Origin

Although it is often claimed that the Italian al fresco translates to ‘in the fresh air’ or ‘outside,’ the truth is that the meaning changed when borrowed into English. This is not how Italians use the term. Although the word fresco can mean fresh, Italians usually use it to mean cold, cool, or chilly.

Often, al fresco is used to mean in the fridge or in a cool place for storage, which would, of course, serve to keep it fresh.

However, al fresco is also used, idiomatically, to mean ‘in prison.’ This may be a reference to prisons being cold.

So, if you travel to Italy, don’t ask to dine ‘al fresco’ unless you want to be laughed at. You will either be asking to dine in a refrigerator or in prison. There are different phrases used to mean eat outside in Italian.

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