Archive for September, 2009
La Festa della Santa Croce Posted by Serena on Sep 28, 2009
By far the most important religious and social event that takes place in Lucca is La Festa della Esaltazione della Santa Croce (The Festival of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross) which happens each year on the 13th and 14th of September. This year, for the first time in ages we decided to go into…
La Mantide Religiosa Posted by Serena on Sep 25, 2009
September is the time of year when we start noticing le mantidi religiose (the praying mantises), which are very common here in Italy. I had always wondered why they seemed to appear so late in the year, and where they arrived from, but a quick investigation revealed the simple fact that they are already present…
A night at the opera Posted by Serena on Sep 22, 2009
‘O.K., before all you opera fans start getting excited I will openly admit that on the whole I’m not that keen on it. That is, I’m not completely adverse to some of the tunes, especially the famous arias such as Nessun Dorma, but I wouldn’t normally go out of my way to see a performance, in…
Mind where you put your adjectives! Posted by Serena on Sep 19, 2009
At the end of my previous blog dealing with adjectives and their positions I said: “Finally, there are some cases in which adjectives change meaning according to their position, but I will save that for a rainy day!” Well il giorno piovoso (the rainy day) has finally arrived after almost two months of siccità (dryness), so…
Mike Bongiorno, il Re del Quiz Posted by Serena on Sep 16, 2009
On the 8th September 2009 Mike Bongiorno, il Re del Quiz (The King of the Quiz), passed away from a heart attack, aged 85. Born in the United States of an Italian mother and Italian-American father, Mike Bongiorno was one of the very first Italian television presenters, having been on air since the birth of the new media in…
Come non liberarsi dei calabroni! Posted by Serena on Sep 13, 2009
Earlier this summer I wrote that this year was a good year for insects, I was thinking, of course, about the beneficial effects that insect have on the environment. However, as my husband discovered when he was bitten by a couple of zecche (ticks), a good year for insects isn’t necessarily a good one for…
Parmigiana di Melanzane Posted by Serena on Sep 10, 2009
Melanzane, melanzane e ancora melanzane! (Eggplants, eggplants and more eggplants! or aubergines as they are called in the U.K.) This long hot summer the melanzane on our orto (vegetable garden) have been very prolific, and I’m trying to find different ways to cook them. This old traditional recipe is definitely our favorite: la parmigiana di melanzane!…