Archive for February, 2012
Ponti d’Italia – 2. Ponte Scaligero Posted by Serena on Feb 15, 2012
“L’opera più audace e mirabile del medioevo in Verona” (“The most audacious and wondrous work of the middle ages in Verona”) is how historians describe il Ponte Scaligero (the Scaligero Bridge), also known as Ponte di Castelvecchio, the beautiful brick and marble bridge which spans the river Adige from the Torre del Mastio (Master Tower)…
Nevicata Posted by Serena on Feb 13, 2012
Snow is dominating our lives here in Italy at the moment. This winter started off unusually mild, but now it’s hitting us with everything it’s got. A sprinkling of snow has even fallen on the small island of Pantelleria, just 70 km from the North African coast! The snow does, however, have its aesthetic aspect…
Neve, neve e ancora neve! Posted by Serena on Feb 10, 2012
Yesterday we had a bit of respite, the ventaccio gelido (horrible freezing wind) finally dropped and the snow and ice began to thaw. Che bella sopresa (what a lovely surprise) then, to wake up this morning and find more snow. Cavolo! Yes, it looks lovely in photos, but in reality the novelty of snow quickly…
Come Smacchiare Posted by Serena on Feb 8, 2012
Whilst writing my blog Come si faceva il bucato una volta (How the washing was done once upon a time) I remembered a little handbook that I sometimes refer to, which explains come smacchiare (how to remove stains). I asked myself how many people still bother to try and save a piece of clothing when…
Come si faceva il bucato una volta Posted by Serena on Feb 6, 2012
When our 78 year old neighbour Dina was a girl, la gente andava giù al fiume a fare il bucato (people went down to the river to do their washing). The freshly washed clothes were left stretched out on big rocks to dry in the sun. Dina remembers that ‘i panni lavati così erano tutta…
Ponti d’Italia – 1. Il Ponte dei Sospiri Posted by Serena on Feb 3, 2012
Il Ponte dei Sospiri (The Bridge of Sighs) is one of the most famous of the roughly 400 bridges which span i canali di Venezia (Venice’s canals). Designed by the Swiss-Italian sculptor and architect Antonio Contino, il Ponte dei Sospiri was constructed at the beginning of the seventeenth century in order to span the Rio…