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At The Tourist Information Office in Italy Posted by on Jun 29, 2016 in Italian Language

Planning a trip to Italy? What might you want to ask when you find yourself at the local tourist information office? Here’s a short dialogue that will help you with the basics.

N.B. Although this dialogue is set in Lucca it contains a lot of vocabulary which can be used in any tourist information office in Italy.

The setting: the Azienda Promozione Turistica (Tourist Information Office) in Lucca, Tuscany
The characters: a family of tourists and the young impiegato (employee) of the APT

La città di Lucca

La città di Lucca

Impiegato: “Buongiorno, come posso esservi utile?”
Employee: “Good day, how can I help you?”

Signore: “Buongiorno, stiamo cercando un posto per un paio di notti”
Gentleman: “Good day, we are looking for accommodation for a couple of nights”

Impiegato: “Che tipologia cercate? Un albergo in città, un resort, un B&B, un agriturismo, …”
Employee: “What sort of place are you looking for? A hotel in town, a resort, a B&B, a farmhouse, …”

Figlioletta: “Un castello un castello!!!”
Young daughter: “A castle a castle!!!”

Signore (ignorando la figlia): “Qualcosa di non molto costoso, un B&B o una pensione in città, centrale ma tranquillo allo stesso tempo”
Gentleman: (ignoring his daughter) “Something not too expensive, a B&B or a boarding house in town, central but quiet as well”

Impiegato: “Questo B&B fa al caso vostro … è praticamente in centro … si può andare a piedi a tutti i monumenti principali della città … è in una vietta a traffico limitato, per cui è molto tranquillo, è semplice ma confortevole”
Employee: “This B&B is just right for you … it’s practically in the centre … you can walk to all the main monuments in town … it’s in a lane with limited traffic, so it’s very quiet, it’s simple but comfortable”

Signore: “Ha il parcheggio privato?”
Gentleman: “Has it got private parking?”

Impiegato: “Sì, ha un paio di posti macchina per gli ospiti”
Employee: “Yes, it has got a couple of parking spaces for guests”

Signora: “C’è un buon ristorante lì vicino?”
Lady: “Is there a good restaurant near it?”

Figlioletta: “Voglio la pizza … la pizza mamma!!!”
Young daughter: “I want pizza … pizza mum!!!”

Impiegato: “Ci sono vari ristoranti e pizzerie in centro, tutti a poca distanza … comunque se volete qualcosa di tipico, vi consiglio da Giulio in Pelleria, lì troverete la cucina tradizionale locale”
Employee: “There are several restaurants and pizzeria in the centre, all close by it … however, if you want something typical, I recommend Giulio’s in Pelleria, you’ll find traditional local cuisine there”

Signore: “Si può prenotare da qui?”
Man: “Can it be booked from here?”

Impiegato: “Certo. Ve li posso chiamare subito”
Employee: “Certainly. I can call them straight away”

… after the employee has finished booking the B&B for the tourists …..

Signora: “Cosa c’è da visitare in città?”
Lady: “What is there to visit in town?”

jpg-001

Una piantina di Lucca

Impiegato: “Ecco una piantina della città. Solo all’interno del centro storico ci sono tante cose molto interessanti, come il duomo, con il famoso monumento ad Ilaria del Carretto, il museo di Villa Guinigi, l’anfiteatro romano e le mura. Cose da visitare non mancano” (indicando i posti sulla piantina)
Employee: “Here’s a map of the town. Within the historical centre alone there are many really interesting things, such as the cathedral, with its famous monument to Ilaria del Carretto, the Villa Guinigi museum, the Roman amphitheatre, and the town walls. There’s no lack of things to visit” (indicating the locations on the map)

Signora: “E per i bambini c’è qualcosa di interessante da fare?”
Lady: “Is there anything interesting to do for the children?”

Impiegato: “Potete affittare le biciclette e fare il giro delle mura o andare sulla pista ciclabile del parco fluviale, appena fuori dalle mura. Se ve la sentite potete inoltre salire su in cima a torre Guinigi. Oppure c’è una piscina all’aperto qui” (indica la piantina)
Employee: You can rent bicycles and go around the town walls, or you can go along the cycle track in the river park just outside the town walls. If you feel up to it, you can also climb all the way on to the top of the Guinigi tower. Otherwise there’s an outdoor swimming pool here” (points to map)

Figlioletta: “Babbo, posso avere un gelato?”
Young daughter: “Dad, can I have an ice cream?”

Impiegato (sorridendo): “Se la signorina vuole un gelato c’è un’ottima gelateria su questo angolo qua”
Employee (smiling): “If the young lady wants an ice cream there’s a really good ice cream parlour on this corner here”

Lucca-Italy_341-001

Signore: “Grazie” (rivolgendosi alla figlia) “Prendiamo un gelato fra pochi minuti, va bene?” (guardando di nuovo l’impiegato)  “Allora, cosa si può visitare nei dintorni?”
Gentleman: “Thanks” (turning to his daughter) “We’ll get an ice cream in a few minutes, okay?” (looks at employee again) “So what can we visit in the surrounding area?”

Impiegato: “Se avete la macchina, ci sono delle bellissime località da visitare” (l’impiegato elenca varie attrazioni da visitare nei dintorni) “Inoltre la città è ben collegata a Pisa e Firenze, sia per treno che per autobus. Ecco qui dei dépliant con le varie attrazioni turistiche”
Employee: “If you have a car, there are some beautiful locations to visit” (the employee lists various attractions to visit in the area) “What’s more, the town is well connected with Pisa and Florence, both by train and by bus. Here are some leaflets with various tourist attractions”

Signore: “Grazie mille, arrivederci”
Gentleman: “Thank you very much, good day”

Impiegato: “Arrivederci e buon soggiorno
Employee: “Good day and have a nice stay”

Figlioletta: “Mamma, mi scappa la pipì!”
Young daughter: “Mum, I need a wee!”

Signora (sospirando si rivolge all’impiegato con aria sofferente): “C’è un bagno qui vicino?”
Lady (sighing and turning to the employee with a long suffering expression): “Is there a toilet nearby?”

Impiegato (con sguardo comprensivo): “Certo, ce n’è uno qui, in fondo al corridoio a destra”
Employee (with an understanding glance): “Of course, there’s one here, at the end of the corridor on the right”

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Comments:

  1. Ruth:

    I enjoyed reading this text. It is about the right level for my current Italian language skills, so I felt a sense of achievement by the time I reached the end. I like the way that Serena broke it into smallish chunks, enabling me to absorb/check/confirm text without feeling ‘swamped’. For me, it is text that I shall keep to go over again so that I can solidify my learning. Thanks


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