The son carries the itch of the father — children inherit not only material things from their parents but also their faults, habits, and character defects. Like father, like son.
The rogna (mange, itch) was originally a skin disease — a contagious condition passed from animal to animal or person to person. Applied to character, it became a metaphor for inherited vice: the drinking father produces the drinking son; the dishonest merchant produces the dishonest heir; the aggressive father produces the aggressive child. In the family businesses of Lombard industry — the textile factories, the hardware shops, the workshops — this dynamic was visible across generations. The proverb is not entirely fatalistic: it acknowledges the pattern without saying it cannot be broken. But it is realistic: the Milanese see what they see, and what they see is that children tend to reproduce the patterns of their parents, for better or for worse.
Milanese family proverb. The rogna (mange) as a metaphor for inherited vice is ancient, found in various forms across northern Italy.
Neighbours discussing a local family
— Il figlio di Roncalli si è messo anche lui a bere. — El fiol el porta la rogna del pà. È sempre andata così in quella famiglia.
— El hijo de Roncalli también ha empezado a beber. — El hijo lleva la sarna del padre. Siempre ha sido así en esa familia.
A Milanese grandmother watching her grandchildren
Quel bambino ha già lo stesso carattere testardo del padre. El fiol el porta la rogna del pà — ma almeno anche le qualità, per fortuna.
Ese niño ya tiene el mismo carácter testarudo que su padre. El hijo lleva la sarna del padre — pero también las cualidades, por suerte.
A psychologist at a Milanese clinic
I pattern familiari si trasmettono. El fiol el porta la rogna del pà — ma il lavoro terapeutico serve proprio a rompere questa catena.
Los patrones familiares se transmiten. El hijo lleva la sarna del padre — pero el trabajo terapéutico sirve precisamente para romper esta cadena.
A Lombard family business discussion
Il padre era un pessimo gestore. Speriamo che il figlio sia diverso. Ma el fiol el porta la rogna del pà — ho qualche dubbio.
El padre era un pésimo gestor. Esperemos que el hijo sea diferente. Pero el hijo lleva la sarna del padre — tengo mis dudas.