borgata

hamlet

noun bor-GAH-tah Rare

Also means

suburb (Roman slang)

Usage Note

Borgata has two distinct registers: in general Italian it means a small village or hamlet on the outskirts of a town; in the specific context of Rome it refers to the working-class peripheral neighborhoods, made famous by Pier Paolo Pasolini's novels. The connotation can be neutral or carry a sense of poverty and marginality.

Examples

"Vivono in una borgata alla periferia della città."

Natural Translation

They live in a hamlet on the outskirts of the city.

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