Archive for September, 2014
What’s in a Name? Posted by Geoff on Sep 11, 2014
I’ve always been fascinated by etymology, and in particular the origin of names. As a child, growing up in Suffolk, England, the surnames that I heard most often included Smith, Cooper, Baker, Farmer, Cook, and Butcher, all of which can be traced back to the trades that give origin to the name. Click on any…
Pier Paolo Pasolini Posted by Serena on Sep 10, 2014
Last week, at the 72nd edition of the Venice Film Festival, the American director Abel Ferrara (of Italian origin) presented his latest film: Pasolini. Interpreted by Willem Dafoe, the film portrays the final hours and tragic death in 1975 of the Italian film director, writer, poet and Marxist intellectual Pier Paolo Pasolini, whom Abel Ferrara…
I Would Have Liked … Posted by Geoff on Sep 8, 2014
A while ago I wrote an article entitled I Would Like in which I discussed how to use the conditional of the verb piacere (to please). If you feel you need to revise the use of piacere, I suggest that you read this blog. Now, if you feel fairly comfortable using ‘I like’ and ‘I…
La Peperonata Posted by Serena on Sep 4, 2014
It’s the end of summer, and the sweet capsicums are all ripening on the plants in the orto (vegetable garden): beautiful red and yellow fleshy peppers with their interesting contorted shapes. What can you do with so many peppers? you can grill or roast them, you can stuff them with breadcrumbs following this recipe, you…
How to Amuse Oneself in an Italian Hospital! Posted by Geoff on Sep 3, 2014
All photos (CC) by Geoff Chamberlain I don’t think anyone particularly enjoys waiting around in hospitals. Despite the good healthcare that I’ve come to expect here in Italy I’ve always found the hospitals to be particularly barren and institutional. Those long, naked, antiseptic smelling corridors are particularly unnerving, and the only thing to distract the…
An Ice Cream for the Prime Minister Posted by Serena on Sep 2, 2014
Last week’s cover page of the European edition of The Economist carried the image of a sinking paper boat made from a 20 euro note. Standing in the boat are, from right to left: the German Prime Minister Angela Merkel, the French President Francois Hollande, and the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, and seated behind…