Archive for July, 2013
Archeologi dell’aria Posted by Geoff on Jul 29, 2013
I’ve always had an interest in the history of aviation and aviation archaeology, so I was particularly fascinated when I found a news item from 2011 about the recovery of a wrecked A-20 bomber and its crew, shot down by German anti-aircraft fire just days before the end of WWII in Italy. Here is an…
So, does it make sense yet? Using the Verb Avere Posted by Serena on Jul 26, 2013
In our last blog we had a look at the verb avere (usually translated as ‘to have’) when it takes on other meanings, such as in avere senso (to make sense) or avere sonno (to be sleepy). Let’s continue the theme with some more examples of both simple and complex conjugations. avere senso (to make…
It doesn’t make sense but it has sense … doesn’t it? Posted by Serena on Jul 22, 2013
It’s very easy to get caught out by the verbs avere (to have) and fare (to do / to make), as they both have a wide variety of uses beyond their usual literal translation. Take the expression ‘to make sense’ for example. If we translate this literally into Italian we get fare senso which has…
Walking on the Clouds Posted by Geoff on Jul 19, 2013
The wind curves over the ridge tearing at shards of cloud and dragging them down towards Lago Santo which lies way below us in its natural amphitheatre. The ragged fragments of cloud dissolve amongst the pines and beeches. We are enveloped in a bigger cloud, visibility drops to a few meters. This draws our attention…
Castell’Arquato Posted by Serena on Jul 16, 2013
La settimana scorsa siamo andati a fare un giro in Emilia Romagna, per la precisione in provincia di Piacenza, una zona che non conosciamo per niente. Guardando sulle guide turistiche avevo scelto di fare un giro storico geografico che includeva prima la città romana di Veleia, di cui Geoff ha già scritto recentemente, e poi…
Veleia Romana Posted by Geoff on Jul 12, 2013
I’m lying day dreaming on a bench beneath an imposing lime tree. The almost overpowering scent of the lime flowers mingles with the hum of the thousands of insects that have come to satiate themselves on the sweet nectar. The lime is part of an avenue that leads to the 16th century chiesa di Sant’Antonino…
Il Rosso Melograno Posted by Serena on Jul 10, 2013
Last Sunday we went for a day out in the hills between Parma and Piacenza, in Emilia Romagna. While we were wandering around Castell’Arquato, a beautiful medieval town on the outskirts of the Pianura Padana, I noticed that almost every garden had un albero di melograno (a pomegranate tree), covered in bright red flowers. My…