I was on the same quest not long ago. Luckily, my Italian professor was able to transcribe the lyrics for me. Here they are:
Stornelli amorosi

E' scritto nel tuo cuore
Il mio destino
Anche se l'esistenza m'avvelena
Anche se l'esistenza m'avvelena

Voglio restare sempre a te vicino
Per quella bocca rossa
E bella profumata

Ci perdo volentieri la mia vita
Ci perdo volentieri la mia vita

Per poter dire al mondo l'ho baciata
Se tu fossi regina
Ed io regnante
Ti colmerei di perle dell'oriente
Ti colmerei di perle dell'oriente.
In cambio del tuo amore affascinante.

Rough translation:
it has been written in your heart
my destiny
even my own existence is poisoned (2x)
i want to stay always close to you
for that red mouth and beautiful perfume
for those I'd willingly loose my life (2x)
for the ability to say to the world that
i have kissed your mouth
if you were a queen and I had a kingdom
I would laden you with pearls from the Orient (2x)
in exchange for your fascinating love.

Classy,eh? Hope this answer finds you... nearly a year after you posted this request.
Arrivederci

alyssadevlin, April 29, 2007; 8:52 PM

To avoid any confusion or protest, the correct title to the song is "STORNELLI
AMORISI". I understand that the grammatically correct word is "AMOROSI", but
these old country songs were written as peasant songs, therefore, a lot of lyrics
and titles were not written in the traditional italian language. Also; I don't
understand why for so long, so many people have been posting only the first three
verses of the song as if it was the complete song (lazy), and many people just
accept it as such. Everywhere you look, you'll find only the first three verses. NO
MORE! HERE ARE THE COMPLETE LYRICS... Along with english translation under
each line, with a few suggestions as to what certain words mean. Furthermore,
please bare in mind that "Stornelli" are mostly written in poetic form, reason why
words seem to be out of order.

E' SCRITTO NEL TUO CUORE
It’s written on my heart
IL MIO DESTINO
My destiny (My destiny is written on your heart)
ANCHE SE L'ESISTENZA M'AVVENENO
Even if my existence poisons me
ANCHE SE L'ESISTENZA M'AVVENENO
Even if my existence poisons me
VOGLIO RESTARE SEMPRE A TÈ VICINO
I always want to be close to you

PER QUELLA BOCCA ROSSA
For that red mouth (crimson, ruby lips)
E PROFUMATA
And that scent
CI PERDO VOLENTIERI LA MIA VITA
I voluntarily lose my life
CI PERDO VOLENTIERI LA MIA VITA
I voluntarily lose my life
PER POTER DIRE AL MONDO L'HO BACIATA
To be able to tell the world “I’ve kissed her”

SE TU FOSSI REGINA
If you were a queen
ED IO REGNANTE
And I king (the reigning king)
TI COLMEREI DI PERLE DELL'ORIENTE
I would lavish you with pearls from the orient (adorn, decorate)
TI COLMEREI DI PERLE DELL'ORIENTE
I would lavish you with pearls from the orient
IN CAMBIO DEL TUO AMORE AFFASCINANTE
In exchange for you fascinating love

SON COSE BELLI IL SOLE COLLA LUNA
Beautiful things are sun and the moon
SARANNO BELLE È PURE LE SIRENE
Mermaids are beautiful and pure (sirens)
SARANNO BELLE È PURE LE SIRENE
Mermaids are beautiful and pure
MA BELLA COME TE NON C’È NESSUNA
But as beautiful as you there are none (there is none)

PERDONA I MIEI SOSPIRI
Forgive my sighs
E I MIEI LAMENTI
And my laments (moaning, weeping)
MA IL CUORE MIO NON VIVE CHE DI I CANTI
But my heart doesn’t live if not for songs (singing of my hopeless love)
IL CUORE MIO NON VIVE CHE DI I CANTI
My heart doesn’t live if not for songs
E IL NOSTRO AMOR LO CANTO A I QUATTRO VENTI
And of our love I will sing to the four winds (for all to hear)

DA QUANDO L’AMOR TUO
From the moment your love
IL CORE M’ACCESSE
Touched my heart (accessed, got a hold of, lighted)
STÒ COLTIVANDO VIOLE, GIGLI E ROSE
I’ve been cultivating violets, lilies and roses (planting, growing)
STÒ COLTIVANDO VIOLE, GIGLI E ROSE
I’ve been cultivating violets, lilies and roses
TI CONDURRÒ AL ALTARE A FINE MESE
I’ll conduct you to the altar at the end of the month (bring, lead)

I hope you will be glad to finally have the complete lyrics to such a beautiful song.

-BRUNO

noldejesus, December 16, 2015; 2:51 AM

Stornelli Amorosi,
Sung by Claudio Villa

The April 29, 2007 answer gives only the first half of the lyrics, and doesn't help much with the actual phrasing of each verse, both of which I'll address.

The December 16, 2015 answer is much, much better, and I am indebted to BRUNO for several words which I could not make out clearly, and therefore mistook, and would have mistranslated, had I not seen his effort. However, I believe there are a couple of very minor errors in both his Italian and English, of which I will give my attempt.

But first:
This performance is an artistic masterpiece in every possible way, vocally and musically, in Villa's singing, poetically in the beauty of the lyrics and use of words, the mastery of the literary form, and, most deeply, in the beauty of the thoughts the words express. Perhaps I am influenced in making this judgment by the fortuitous fact that I first heard it on the radio while driving the California coast between Point Reyes and Muir Woods, which has to be one of the most beautiful seacoasts in the world (think: the Amalfi coast in Italy, but without the villages--or traffic--and lush, with tall forest green) on a perfectly sunny San Francisco day, and while sitting with the love of my life.

Before giving my account of the lyrics, and translation, I'll comment on several of the above.

This style of singing is an amazing, refined, art form that is probably in danger of dying out, that is exquisitely executed by Villa, who deserves the highest plaudits both for contributing to its preservation, and for the general excellence of his performance of it.

Although his is not an "operatic" voice, I have heard many hundreds of that style, live and up close, and would rank his performance as thrilling as only a few, such as the most beautiful sound(s) I ever heard: Kathleen Battle, along with that of Natalie Dessay as well as Kiri Te Kanawa. If only more opera singers knew how to sing as he (and they) did, and still do! Instead, too many lyrical voices attempt a muscular, athletic and aggressive delivery that is ignorant of the refinement evident in Villa's ornamentation and delivery and which is found in much operatic composition. In delivery and refinement, Villa knows that the beauty of the human singing voice does not consist in how much you can put "on" a note; but in what you can take "off" of it, in order to give it the emotional expression the words convey. He reminds one of the great Marilyn Horne, who, although not necessarily possessing the most beautiful natural sound, was stunning and jaw-dropping (like Villa) in her refinement, and in the foundational and technical control that made it possible to deliver the most sophisticated and expressive sound imaginable for the human voice.

The style of singing, with all the elaborate vocal ornament, is unheard on my side of the Atlantic, and so a style with which I have the most fleeting acquaintance from having only rarely heard it. I imagine it is what might be called a "folk" style, but not in the same sense as used here in the States; rather in the sense of the European "folk" style of singing. Perhaps that is what it is; I wish I knew.

If anyone knows exactly where this style of singing arose, and what it is properly called, please let me know.

Turning from the musical to the poetic:
These verses are "stornelli," plural of "stornello."
What exactly is a "stornello"?

You don't find the word in a typical Italian-English dictionary, which is an indication it isn't a common word. But I have found it in a an Italian reference dictionary, a detailed etymological dictionary published in 1907, which ought to assure authenticity in the real meaning of this probably very old art form.

My translation of the Italian dictionary meaning is:
"Popular poetic composition which includes a phrase or sentence, for the most part amorous, and which with its three rimed verses forms a type of small turn around [passage]."
"From the verb 'stornare' in the sense of turn around, make a circuit."
The first definition given for "stornare" is: "to make [something] turn around."

Here is the text of Stornelli Amorosi, as sung by Claudio Villa, followed by my translation. Note: since I use an English keyboard, I have to use the apostrophe key both for Italian contractions (to indicate omission of a letter, just as in English) and for accent marks; for example, in the first word, where it is an accent mark.

E' scritto nel tuo cuore
Il mio destino,
Anche se l'esistenza m'avvelena.

Anche se l'esistenza . . .
M'avvelena,
Voglio restare sempre a te vicino.


Per quella bocca rossa
E profumata
Ci perdo volentieri la mia vita.

Ci perdo volentieri . . .
La mia vita,
Per poter dire al mondo l'ho baciata.


Se tu fossi regina
Ed io regnante
Ti colmerei di perle dell'oriente.

Ti colmerei di perle . . .
Dell'oriente,
In cambio del tuo amore affascinante.


Son cose belle: il sole
Colla luna;
Saranno belle e pure le sirene.

Saranno belle e pure . . .
Le sirene,
Ma bella come te non c'e' nessuna.


Perdona i miei sospiri
E i miei lamenti
Ma il cuore mio non vive che di canti.

Il cuore mio non vive . . .
Che di canti,
E il nostro amor--lo canto ai quattro venti.


Da quando l'amor tuo
Il core m'accese
Sto coltivando viole, gigli, e rose.

Sto coltivando viole,
Gigli, e rose,
Ti condurro' all'altare a fine mese.



In your heart is written
My destiny,
Even if existence poisons me.
[Freer translation: "Even if it leads to my death (of a broken heart)"].

Even if existence . . .
Poisons me,
I want to stay always close to you.


For that mouth—red
And perfumed—
I willingly lose my life.

I willingly lose . . .
My life,
To be able to tell the world that I have kissed it.


If you were a queen,
And I sovereign,
I would lavish you with pearls of the orient.

I would lavish you with pearls . . .
Of the orient,
In exchange for your ravishing love.


They are beautiful things: the sun,
With the moon;
No less beauteous: the sirens.

No less beauteous, . . .
The sirens,
But as beautiful as you, there is nothing [none].


Forgive my sighs,
And my laments.
But my heart lives for nothing but song.

My heart lives for . . .
Nothing but song.
And our love—I sing it to the four winds.


Since love for you
Inflamed my heart,
I harvest violets, lilies, roses.

I harvest violets, . . .
Lilies, roses.
I will take you to the altar by month's end.


Echoes of Petrarch, Laura.

frankstachyra, June 13, 2017; 3:34 PM