Archive for June, 2010
Finché, o finché non? Posted by Serena on Jun 30, 2010
Finché is a tricky little word that can create a few problems for the student of Italian due to the fact that it changes meaning depending on whether or not it is followed by ‘non’. Let’s have a look: Finché means ‘per tutto il tempo che’ (for all the time that), and it is normally…
Bocca di Rosa Posted by Serena on Jun 27, 2010
A few days ago all the major Italian newspapers reported that Liliana Tassio, who is believed to have been the inspiration behind the song Bocca di Rosa (Rose Mouth) by il cantautore (the singer-song-writer) Fabrizio De Andrè, had died in Genova, at the age of 88. Published in 1967, Bocca di Rosa is a ballade…
Ricetta del Nocino Posted by Serena on Jun 24, 2010
Today is the 24th of June, il giorno di San Giovanni (Saint John’s Day), the traditional day on which to begin making il Nocino, a liqueur concocted from noci col mallo (green walnuts) that has its origins in the Emilia-Romagna region. A small glass of Nocino is often drunk after meals as a digestivo (digestive)…
Fidarsi – part 3 Posted by Serena on Jun 21, 2010
Fidarsi – ‘to trust’, is an intransitive reflexive verb, in other words a reflexive verb that is followed by a preposition. When we want to say that we trust someone or something we use the preposition ‘di’, hence ‘fidarsi di qualcuno/qualcosa’. Here are some examples of how to use it: Present: mi fido di te…
Fidarsi – Part 2 Posted by Serena on Jun 18, 2010
In "Fidarsi – Part 1" I wrote about an article that I had recently read in the Italian magazine ‘Focus’ entitled "Fidarsi è rischioso, non fidarsi è peggio" ("To trust is risky, not to trust is worse"), which is a more optimistic version of the Italian proverb "fidarsi è bene, non fidarsi è meglio" (to…
Fidarsi – Part 1 Posted by Serena on Jun 15, 2010
I recently wrote a couple of articles about Italian detti (‘sayings’. See: ‘Una Mela al Giorno’). Here is another well known ‘detto’ that perhaps reflects one of the negative sides of the Italian character: ‘Fidarsi è bene, non fidarsi è meglio’ (‘to trust is good, not to trust is better’). I have never particularly liked…
Bed and Breakfast 2 – Ancora Ospiti Posted by Serena on Jun 11, 2010
Once again, live from ‘Ai Chiosi’, the B&B that me and Geoff are managing for our friend Adriana, here is another brief description of a few of the ospiti (guests) that have recently come to stay with us: Mia cugina Maria Pia è venuta a fare una breve vacanza al B&B insieme col suo compagno…