Archive for August, 2012
Un po’ di Burocrazia Posted by Serena on Aug 17, 2012
Last week Cathy, an English friend of ours who has a holiday house near Pontremoli, asked me if I could go with her to the Council offices. Her Italian is not fluent and she wasn’t sure if she was up to date with all the different council taxes and so on. So Monday morning we…
Rio Bò Posted by Serena on Aug 16, 2012
A few days ago, browsing through one of my grammar books, I came across a poem that I had to learn when I was at school. I was really pleased to rediscover it because I used to like it a lot, and I must say that rereading it hasn’t disappointed me, it still paints an…
Carlo Rambaldi, Papà di E.T. Posted by Geoff on Aug 13, 2012
Like me, I imagine that most people had never heard of Italian special effects maestro Carlo Rambaldi until his death was announced in the media a few days ago. And yet he was the creator of one of the best known characters in the history of cinema: E.T. Rambaldi was the winner of 3 Oscars…
I Ladri di San Lorenzo Posted by Serena on Aug 10, 2012
When I was a teenager I lived in a small village called San Lorenzo a Vaccoli half way between Lucca and Pisa in Tuscany. The patron Saint of the village is, of course, San Lorenzo, who is celebrated on the 10th of August. Amongst the various celebrations that took place there was (and hopefully still…
VIESTE, PER UNA VACANZA GARGANICA! Posted by Serena on Aug 9, 2012
In this blog, our friend Mattia gives us a taster of the Gargano area in Puglia. I’ve highlighted a few key words and expressions in red, and you’ll find explanations at the end of the article. Yeah, cari lettori. E’ davvero una bellissima giornata qui in Puglia! e proprio come oggi, molte giornate qui sono…
Al Passo del Lagastrello Posted by Serena on Aug 5, 2012
Last Tuesday was my birthday, and I felt the desire to do something a little bit special, I wanted to go for a nice walk somewhere new. I chose the Passo del Lagastrello, one of several passes that cross the Appennino Tosco Emiliano. I’ve always liked the sound of that name, “Lagastrello”, it has a…
Anche le Suore di Clausura firmano il Referendum Posted by Geoff on Aug 3, 2012
Financially, times are hard here in Italy. Politicians continue to preach austerity. Yet, when it comes to their own exorbitant salaries they remain, as usual, somewhat evasive. Hence the proposal of a referendum by l’Unione Popolare for the abolition of article 2 of law 1.261 of 1965, that regulates the indemnity awarded to members of…