Archive for the year 2008
È arrivata la neve, the snow has arrived! Posted by Serena on Nov 24, 2008
Opening the shutters this morning I was greeted by a world magically transformed overnight by la neve (the snow). The late autumn mauves, blues, golds and ambers of yesterday now seem a thing of the distant past, having been replaced by an almost monochromatic landscape. As usual, when the snow arrives, the world seems strangely…
Mamma Mia! Posted by Serena on Nov 22, 2008
Today I’ll try to shed a bit of light on the use of the aggettivi possessivi (possessive adjectives). Lets first have a quick look at them: My = mio, mia, miei, mie Your (sing.) = tuo, tua, tuoi, tue His/her/its/Your (polite) = suo, sua, suoi, sue Our = nostro, nostra, nostri, nostre Your (plur.)…
La Castagna (The Chestnut) Posted by Serena on Nov 20, 2008
November. It’s time to sit around a log fire and savor a handful of hot caldarroste (roasted chestnuts) with a glass of vino novello (new wine). What more could you ask for? Large parts of central and northern Italy are covered with castagneti (chestnut woods) and for centuries chestnuts were the main source of food…
A Walk in the Mountains Posted by Geoff on Nov 19, 2008
Anyone who has done a bit of walking in Italy will sooner or later notice the little red and white stripes painted on trees, rocks, telegraph poles, old buildings etc. These segnali (signs) mark the routes of sentieri (footpaths) most of which have been created by CAI the Club Alpino Italiano (Italian Alpine Club). Going…
L’alfabeto telefonico Posted by Serena on Nov 15, 2008
It’s always tricky trying to spell a word over the telephone because several letters are difficult to distinguish from each other, e.g. p and b, m and n, etc. Of course you can use the international alphabet system: alpha, bravo, charlie … but I personally can never remember it. In Italy we use a system…
A Hat Full of Cherries Posted by Serena on Nov 12, 2008
I’ve just finished reading Un cappello pieno di ciliege (A Hat Full of Cherries), the last book by Oriana Fallaci posthumously published on the 31st July 2008, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Oriana Fallaci (1929-2006) was a famous journalist, war-reporter and writer. She had always been interested in her family history, an interest nurtured by…
The Olive Harvest Posted by Serena on Nov 11, 2008
November to December is the period in which the Raccolta delle Olive (Olive Harvest) generally takes place here in Toscana (Tuscany) and last weekend we were busy helping our friends who have several hectares of Olives near Pistoia to collect their harvest. At this time of year the ground under the olive trees has to…