Storia facile in italiano: il viaggio in treno

What does “C’era una volta” mean in Italian?

“C’era una volta” is how Italian fairy tales and bedtime stories begin, the same way English ones start with “Once upon a time.” Word for word it means “there was one time,” but you can’t really build it from the parts — it’s a set phrase that signals “a story is starting.” Hearing it tells a listener to settle in for something made-up and long ago. Italians know it instantly.

It opens the train story here: “C’era una volta un ragazzo di nome Leonardo” — “Once upon a time there was a boy named Leonardo.” The pieces: c’era is ci era, “there was”; una volta is “one time” or “once” (volta means a single occurrence, as in due volte, “twice”). Together they make the storybook past. You’ll also meet its closing partner, the traditional ending “e vissero felici e contenti,” roughly “and they lived happily ever after.” If you want to start your own little story in Italian, this is the phrase to reach for.