Archive for May, 2019
Let’s Dance – Grammar and Vocabulary Posted by Geoff on May 30, 2019
Last week, Serena wrote about her experience in an Italian folk dance workshop. I thought it would be useful to focus in on a few points of grammar. Una sera d’estate di qualche anno fa avevo visto ballare la pizzica e altre danze tradizionali del Sud Italia qui in piazza a Pontremoli e ne ero…
Let’s Dance! Posted by Serena on May 23, 2019
I’ve always been fascinated by southern Italian folk dancing, so when the opportunity to learn a few steps presented itself I went for it! Una sera d’estate di qualche anno fa avevo visto ballare la pizzica e altre danze tradizionali del Sud Italia qui in piazza a Pontremoli e ne ero rimasta molto affascinata. La…
Quiz Turistico Posted by Serena on May 15, 2019
In last week’s blog, we looked at some vocabulary that’s useful for finding your way around in Italy. Here’s a quiz based on interpreting the replies that you may get to your inquiries. In this scenario, you’ve just arrived by rental car in the little country town of Pontremoli, Lunigiana. You need to find accommodation…
La Parola Più Bella Posted by Serena on May 9, 2019
On the second Sunday of May, like many other countries around the world, we celebrate la Festa della Mamma (Mothering Sunday). In Italy this festival was first introduced as a business enterprise in 1956 at Bordighera, a town situated on the Ligurian coast, famous for the commerce of ornamental flowers. La Festa della Mamma was…
Finding Your Way Around In Italy Posted by Geoff on May 7, 2019
At this time of year many people are starting to dream of a summer vacation in Italy. Time to brush up on that rusty Italian vocabulary? These days, of course, English is spoken in all the big tourist hotspots, so those places don’t present much of a challenge. But if, like us, you prefer to…
Is English Difficult for Italians? Posted by Serena on May 2, 2019
“Italian is sooo complicated!” you say? So does that mean that English is easy for Italians? ASSOLUTAMENTE NO! Let’s find out why … The Italian language is very phonetic, and we learn from an early age how these simple rules of spelling work. Once you’ve learned them you have a pretty good idea how to…