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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)…
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…
Like A Boss Posted by Geoff on Jan 11, 2017
Fabio Rovazzi is a young Milanese video maker who appeared out of nowhere in 2016 to release what was to become il tormentone estivo (the big summer hit) Andiamo A Comandare (Like A Boss). It became the first song ever to win il disco d’oro (the golden disc) solely by means of streaming, and went…
We Have Been Influenced! Posted by Geoff on Jan 2, 2017
The Christmas and New Year period have been a complete blank for us this year because siamo stati tutti e due influenzati (we’ve both had the flu). Influenza, like so many Latin words that we take for granted in the English language, actually has a very interesting etymology. In order to discover why English speakers…
Uno Su Due – English Translation Posted by Geoff on Dec 30, 2016
Here, as promised, is the full English translation of yesterday’s blog Uno Su Due. Stefano: Ciao Geoff! Cosa stai facendo? Geoff: Ciao Stefano! Sto ricostruendo questo muro a secco pericolante … infatti ne è già crollato un pezzo più di un anno fa, ma finora non ho avuto l’opportunità di metterlo a posto. Ora è…
Uno Su Due Posted by Geoff on Dec 29, 2016
According to my mother, when I was about 2 years old I used to turn my jigsaw puzzles upside down so that I couldn’t see the pictures, and then assemble them by shape alone. Well, it’s been years since I’ve done a jigsaw puzzle, but I still get immense satisfaction from real world problem solving…
Astro Del Ciel Posted by Geoff on Dec 23, 2016
Astro Del Ciel (Star from The Sky) is the Italian version of Steven Spielberg’s famous Sci-fi film ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind’ … CUT … CUT! Astro Del Ciel, take 2: Astro Del Ciel (Star from The Sky) is the Italian version of the famous Austrian Christmas carol ‘Stille Nacht’ (‘Silent Night’) composed by…