Archive for May, 2014
It’s All In The Accent Posted by Serena on May 14, 2014
Last week Geoff wrote a silly blog about tè (tea), which played on the fact that some Italian words change their meaning depending on whether they use an accent or not, e.g. tè (tea), te (you). Let’s have a look at a few more words that fall into this category, plus some other cases in…
Wild Daffodils Posted by Serena on May 12, 2014
By Serena, with Photos and Translation by Geoff The Prati di Logarghena, with the rugged peaks of the Apuane Alps in the background. Mai prima di sabato avevo visto così tante giunchiglie selvatiche! Mi era stato detto tante volte che a maggio i Prati di Logarghena sono ricoperti di giunchiglie, ma pensavo che fosse la…
Senza Tè Posted by Geoff on May 8, 2014
Music can be a great consolation in our darkest hours. Many times over the years, when I’ve felt close to desperation music has kept me sane. And so, it was to music that I turned this morning when I pried open the lid of my late grandmother’s tea caddy to discover that I only had…
Oh No … Not Ne! Posted by Geoff on May 7, 2014
Yes, it’s time to take another look at that annoying little two letter word that makes even the toughest students of Italian tremble at the knees: ne. Ne has a variety of mysterious uses, but the most common is a means of saying ‘of it’, ‘of them’. Used correctly, it will make you sound like…
Italian Herbs and Spices Posted by Serena on May 5, 2014
Italy is famous for its amazing cuisine, one of the most notable aspects of which is the simplicity of the recipes. Wonderful fresh ingredients, blessed by the Mediterranean sun, are combined in inventive ways, and flavoured with a range of traditional herbs and spices. Let’s find out what the most common of these spezie ed…
The Secret of The Mona Lisa Finally Revealed Posted by Geoff on May 2, 2014
In March this year an astonishing document was uncovered during the restoration of a small pen and ink sketch by Leonardo da Vinci. The document, which seems to have been used to reinforce the back of the sketch, turned out to be a newspaper article written in 1507 and containing an interview with Da Vinci…