Archive for January, 2016
Proud To Be Italian? Part – 2 Posted by Serena on Jan 28, 2016
In my last post Proud To Be Italian? Part – 1 mi sono sfogata abbastanza (I vented my frustration quite a bit), but I make no excuses, I’d be lying if I maintained the stereotypical fantasy of la bella Italia. There are, however, many aspects of Italian culture that I am proud of, and today…
Proud To Be Italian? Part – 1 Posted by Serena on Jan 27, 2016
Following Geoff’s article I Don’t Feel Italian I thought I’d write a few words about my personal take on patriotism. “L’Italia fa schifo” said a couple of teenagers one day to a rather taken aback Geoff when they realised that he was English. Personally, I wasn’t at all surprised by this phrase as I used…
I Don’t Feel Italian Posted by Geoff on Jan 25, 2016
… well I’m not! By birth I’m English, but I don’t feel English either, I never really did. However, one thing that I do remember about my English upbringing was the sense of patriotism that we had instilled in us from quite an early age. Maybe that’s changed now, I really wouldn’t know as I’ve…
A Huge Italian Bonfire – Part 2 Posted by Geoff on Jan 21, 2016
Previously in A Huge Italian Bonfire: Geoff and Serena are waiting on the bridge for the Falò di San Nicolò to be lit when … … all’improvviso, succede una cosa completamente inaspettata … suddenly, something completely unexpected happens … … out of the blackness behind the crowd looms a mysterious tubular object illuminated by a…
A Huge Italian Bonfire – Part 1 Posted by Geoff on Jan 20, 2016
Here’s an opportunity for you to practice your colloquial conversational vocabulary. A typical Geoff and Serena dialogue (with the arguments edited out of course!) Serena: Stasera c’è il falò di San Nicolò a Pontremoli, lo sapevi? Serena: did you know that this evening in Pontremoli there’s the falò of San Nicolò? Geoff: che cavolo è…
The Song of Francesca da Rimini Posted by Serena on Jan 18, 2016
Last Thursday I went to the theatre with my friend Annalisa to hear a recital in which the actress Pamela Villoresi, accompanied by a pianist and a soprano, read some of Dante’s work. The recital was based on the theme of Francesca da Rimini, the unfortunate heroine of the Fifth Canto of l’Inferno. In this…
Non Vedo l’Ora! Posted by Geoff on Jan 15, 2016
Non vedo l’ora! (literally: I can’t see the hour) is a very common expression meaning ‘I can’t wait!’ or = ‘I’m really looking forward to’ It can be used as an exclamation on its own: Giorgio: vieni a vedere la mia raccolta di antiche pistole domani? = Giorgio: are you coming to see my collection…