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Archive for January, 2016

Proud To Be Italian? Part – 2 Posted by 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…

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Proud To Be Italian? Part – 1 Posted by 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…

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I Don’t Feel Italian Posted by 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…

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A Huge Italian Bonfire – Part 2 Posted by 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…

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A Huge Italian Bonfire – Part 1 Posted by 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…

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The Song of Francesca da Rimini Posted by 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…

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Non Vedo l’Ora! Posted by 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…

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