Archive for the year 2011
Mimì La Gatta – La Mia Storia – Part 4 Posted by Serena on Feb 17, 2011
Sono trascorsi tre giorni e tre notti. Il passare del tempo ha un ritmo calmante. Gli uccelli si svegliano con l’alba e cominciano subito i loro canti di benvenuto al sole. Sento lo strascicare di zoccoli mentre le mucche escono dalla stalla per tornare ai loro pascoli. Si muovono al rallentatore, perché affrettarsi quando c’è…
San Valentino Posted by Serena on Feb 14, 2011
Today is the 14th of February and, as in many other countries, here in Italy we celebrate San Valentino, protettore degli innamorati (Saint Valentine’s Day – St. Valentine is the patron Saint of those in love). But who exactly was San Valentino, and why is his name so indelibly linked to those in love? San…
Grazie – Prego Posted by Serena on Feb 11, 2011
Grazie: Thank you. This, along with the corresponding reply ‘prego’, is one of the first words learnt by students of Italian. Let’s take a closer look at these words and some of the many colloquial variations that you will hear: Grazie, plural of grazia, meaning ‘essere riconoscente’ (to be grateful), comes from the verb ringraziare…
Lo stambecco che sale per il sale Posted by Serena on Feb 8, 2011
Yes, I know it’s a bit of a strange title! Let’s see if this little blog will explain its meaning. Lo stambecco – plural gli stambecchi – (ibex) is a species of mountain goat which is well known for its prodigious climbing abilities. See these pages:http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capra_ibex http://www.parchionline.it/stambecco.htm The Stambecco’s usual habitat is le pareti rocciose…
‘To’ Posted by Serena on Feb 5, 2011
When you’re learning a language it seems that every answer gives birth to at least two new questions, and my recent blog ‘In’ was no exception. In order to deal with one of the most common questions about the Italian word ‘in’ we need to have a look at the English word ‘to’. ‘To’, with…
Febbraio Posted by Serena on Feb 2, 2011
The name of the month of Febbraio (February) comes from the Latin word "februus" which means ‘purifying’, because in Roman times this month was dedicated to the purification rituals used in preparation for Spring. Principali Festività (Main Festivals): On the 2nd of February we celebrate the festival of la Candelora (Candlemas), which commemorates the Purification of…
Mimì La Gatta – part 3 – La mia Ava Posted by Serena on Jan 30, 2011
Sono figlia unica di una figlia unica di una gatta genovese. Lei stessa era discendente di una gatta cacciaratti portoghese, che è arrivata dal di là della ‘Grande Acqua’ su un veliero a tre alberi. I am the only daughter of the only daughter of a cat from Genoa. She herself was the descendent of…