Archive for January, 2017
Vanità Posted by Geoff on Jan 30, 2017
I listen to a lot of music, but very little of it is Italian. Unfortunately, I struggle to find Italian contemporary music that inspires me. Italy is a goldmine of art and creativity that belongs to the past, and let’s face it, that’s exactly what inspires so many tourists to visit this beautiful peninsula. But…
Lasagne Bastarde Posted by Serena on Jan 27, 2017
Lasagne Bastarde (Bastard Lasagne). This not very poetic name refers to a type of home made pasta typical of northern Tuscany, particularly the Lunigiana and Garfagnana area, where sweet chestnuts were once the staple food from late autumn to the end of spring. This recipe came about as a way of saving precious wheat flour…
How To Use Venire In The Passive Form Posted by Serena on Jan 25, 2017
Strange how after all these years of writing this blog I suddenly discover that we’ve never written about an important grammatical point: the use of the verb venire (to come) in the passive conjugation. Let’s begin with the passive conjugation: We use the passive conjugation when we want to put the emphasis on the person…
When The Train Runs On Time Posted by Geoff on Jan 23, 2017
Dear Readers, we feel that it’s important to keep you up to date with the latest Italian news headlines. Please read the following article very carefully. You can find the English translation by clicking on the word TRANSLATE at the end of the blog. Treno La Spezia – Livorno Arriva In Orario: L’ira Dei Passeggeri…
La Gatta Ha Scoreggiato!!! Posted by Geoff on Jan 20, 2017
We were sitting in front of the computer, trying to find inspiration for the last blog of the week. We’d thought of translating a song by Fiorella Mannoia, but the lyrics turned out to be so abstract and metaphorical that it soon became evident that il gioco non valeva la candela (it wasn’t worth it)…
Il Congiuntivo Dell’Onorevole Posted by Serena on Jan 19, 2017
We all know that il congiuntivo (the subjunctive) is a tricky verbal form to use in Italian, and this is true not only for foreigners, but also for mother tongue Italian speakers. For this reason one’s ability to use the subjunctive or not is a real social class divider, here in Italy. We Italians really…
The Steam Train Posted by Geoff on Jan 16, 2017
Here’s my English translation of last Friday’s blog Il Treno A Vapore. I’ve also included a few useful notes. Un vero treno a vapore, e per di più a Pontremoli! Non potevo credere ai miei occhi quando la mia amica Clara mi ha mandato una mail con il poster del Treno della Befana! A real…