An apripista means a snow plough or bulldozer, but it’s also something or someone that clears a metaphorical path for others: what’s known in English as a trailblazer. Il dottor Zampetti è un apripista nel suo campo. Dr. Zampetti is a pioneer in his field.
Apripista (hear it pronounced here) might look like a bit of a tongue twister at first, so it can help mentally to break it down into its component parts: apri (open) and pista (track or trail). You’ll see the word appear in the news from time to time – most recently in quotes from Florence’s centre-left mayor Sara Funaro, who wants her city’s expanding ban on new tourist lets to pave the way for other councils to set their own restrictions. “We were the first in Italy to put this kind of block in place inside the Unesco area,” she told reporters. “We’re now the first to bring in restrictions outside the Unesco area as well.” “Speriamo che Firenze possa fare da apripista anche per altre città”, she added: “We hope Florence can lead the way for other cities”. Note that the way to talk about something (or something) “blazing a trail” is with the expression fare da apripista (literally, “to act as a trailblazer”). La nostra azienda sta facendo da apripista nel rivoluzionare il settore dell'ospitalità.
Our company is leading the way in revolutionising the hospitality industry. Unusually for an Italian noun, apripista can be masculine or feminine, singular or plural depending on who it’s referring to; like fellow portmanteau mozzafiato, the word ending never changes. Le tue zie furono delle vere apripista a loro tempo. Your aunts were real trailblazers in their day.
As well as being a trailblazer, an apripista can also be used to describe something that opens doors (literally a ‘door opener’) Saper parlare un’altra lingua può essere un apripista nel mondo del lavoro. Knowing another language can open doors in the job market. Do you have an Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
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