Archive for the year 2011
La Vespa Killer Posted by Serena on Sep 23, 2011
No, it’s not an assassin who rides a scooter but a Chinese wasp that is causing widespread destruction to the Italian chestnut woods. Here is an excerpt from a recent newspaper article: Una vespa killer cinese distrugge i castagneti. Ora sta arrivando il suo parassita antagonista. Si chiama ‘Dryocosmus Kuriphilus’, ma nei boschi della Lunigiana…
I Mestieri nel Borgo – part 2 Posted by Serena on Sep 21, 2011
I Mestieri nel Borgo, rievocazione storica della vita quotidiana di una piccola comunità contadina della Lunigiana = Trades in the village, historic re-enactment of the daily life of a small peasant farmer community in Lunigiana. Let’s continue our photo documentary of this year’s festival in Ponticello, Lunigiana: 1. La Cottura nei Testi – 1 = …
I Pastori di Gabriele d’Annunzio Posted by Serena on Sep 20, 2011
Yesterday it rained and rained all day and all night. This morning there is a new freshness in the air, and with it the feeling that the summer is drawing to an end. The seasonal change reminds me of a poem by Gabriele d’Annunzio entitled I Pastori (The Shepherds). Gabriele d’Annunzio was born in Pescara…
I Mestieri nel Borgo – part 1 Posted by Serena on Sep 16, 2011
Every August in the little borgo of Ponticello in northern Tuscany, a fascinating and picturesque festival is held: I Mestieri nel Borgo, rievocazione storica della vita quotidiana di una piccola comunità contadina della Lunigiana = Trades in the village, historic re-enactment of the daily life of a small peasant farmer community in Lunigiana. This year…
Come Non Parcheggiare la Macchina Posted by Serena on Sep 14, 2011
They say that in La Spezia parking spaces are at a premium. However, us Italians are famous for finding creative solutions to life’s little impediments, as you can see from the photos below! Now here is the true story behind the photos: Incidente incredibile questa mattina a La Spezia in prossimità della rotonda tra Via…
Quanto Spesso? Posted by Serena on Sep 12, 2011
In my last blog Quanto Tempo I explained the use of two important expressions that we use when we talk about how long things take. Today, I’m going to continue with the ‘time’ theme by looking at possible replies to the question quanto spesso? – how often? spesso – often: vado spesso a Bergamo per lavoro…
Quanto Tempo? Posted by Serena on Sep 9, 2011
Let’s have a look at a couple of useful expressions that we use when we’re discussing time: 1. quanto tempo ci vuole? – This common expression is used in an impersonal sense to mean ‘how much time is needed?’ e.g.: quanto tempo ci vuole per fare il pane in casa? – how much time is…