Italian Idiomatic Expressions: Hearing the Other Bell

I love Italian idiomatic expressions – those sayings you just can’t translate directly but which make the Italian language the colorful and charming language it is.

Today’s saying offers a musical take on fairness:

Sentiamo anche l’altra campana.

This is what you’d say if you were trying to indicate, “Let’s hear the other side of the story,” but the literal translation is, “Let’s hear the other bell.” I’ve no idea what this could be connected to, although in a Catholic country like Italy there is no shortage of church bells to hear on a daily basis.

I’ll keep sharing Italian idiomatic expressions with you periodically; and if you’ve got a favorite saying, let me know!

If you like this one, check out some of the other Italian idiomatic expressions I’ve posted about, too.