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Italy’s Amazing Living Works Of Art Posted by Geoff on May 16, 2016
I recently came across a video excerpt from the popular TV show ‘Italy’s Got Talent’ on youtube. Here was something truly beautiful and astonishing that I’d never seen before: the Quadri Plastici di Avigliano. Fascinated, I decided to find out more … Plastic ‘Paintings’ Every year in Avigliano, a small town in the province of…
Italian Comprehension Quiz … The Answers Posted by Geoff on May 13, 2016
Here are the translations of the selected sentences from our comprehension quiz on the Coltura del Frassino da Manna. If it’s any reassurance, some of them are pretty challenging … but the important thing is to have a go, perché sbagliando si impara! 1. Per incidere su una pianta così di questa grossezza si scorteccia…
Italian Comprehension Quiz Posted by Geoff on May 11, 2016
Today’s quiz is based on our article Il Frassinicoltore. In each of the paragraphs below you’ll find a section highlighted in red. Translate the highlighted sections into English. Clicking on the times at the beginning of each paragraph (e.g. 1:30) will take you to that part of the video. Have a go, don’t be shy! We’ll…
Il Frassinicoltore Posted by Geoff on May 6, 2016
In my recent article, Manna From Italy, I posted a video of the frassinicoltore Giulio Gelardi. Originally I had intended to translate sections of the dialogue into English, but Serena was so taken by what the narrator had to say that she decided to transcribe the whole thing! (grazie Sere). So, here’s the plan: Below…
Manna From Italy Posted by Geoff on May 4, 2016
It would be a wild understatement to say that when I first moved to Lunigiana in Italy I encountered a ‘steep learning curve’. Apart from dealing with the many linguistic and cultural challenges, I also became aware that my new habitat held a vast array of flora and fauna pretty much unknown to me. Growing…
Italy’s Incredible Transparent Church Posted by Geoff on Apr 26, 2016
A few days ago, a friend pointed me in the direction of an article about an extraordinary new structure in Puglia, and I immediately decided to share it with you dear readers. Built on the ruins of a 12th century basilica, this fantastical work of modern art helps visitors to visualize the true grandeur of…
Naughty Italian Expressions! Posted by Geoff on Apr 18, 2016
From past experience I’ve learned that our blogs are occasionally read by people of a particularly sensitive disposition regarding the use of ‘rude’ words, and swearing. Hence if you, dear reader, are of such a disposition … I suggest that you stop right HERE. … and the rest of you can read on, buon divertimento!…