You don't want to do it like that! Italian town harnessing the skills of its umarell - busybody pensioners

Among Roberto Cremona's circle of friends are one or two umarell - retired Italian men who spend their time peering through the mesh fencing of construction works, offering up unsolicited advice.

- Angela Giuffrida

Villasanta mong Roberto Cremona's circle of friends are one or two umarell - retired Italian men who spend their time peering through the mesh fencing of construction works, offering up unsolicited advice.

"When we meet for coffee, they often say: 'Did you see that construction site over there? They're doing this or that wrong, we could do a better job'. These characters are everywhere," said Cremona.

Coined by the Italian writer Danilo Masotti in 2005, the term umarell comes from umarel, a dialect word from his native city of Bologna meaning "little guy".

As gatherings of the busybody pensioners, who are especially passionate about roadworks, became more noticeable across Italy, the word took on a life of its own. It even featured in a Burger King advert in 2016 in response to incessant questions from Milan's umarell about when the company's new premises would be completed. Then, in 2021, the word entered the Italian dictionary.

The umarell typically operate in packs, usually after they've had breakfast together at a bar. Their stereotypical look is an anorak and cap, and they tend to peer over construction works with their hands clasped behind their backs.

A UK equivalent might be Mr "You Don't Want to Do It Like That", the irritating know-it-all TV character invented by the comedian Harry Enfield in the 1990s.