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A Nice Cuppa In Piazza Posted by Geoff on Aug 10, 2015
The setting: a sultry evening at the beginning of August, La Piazza di Groppodalosio, a small group of friends and neighbours sit chatting and savouring the first threads of cool air as they make their serpentine way through the overheated village. A small blessing at the end of a long torrid day, one of the…
Non Me Lo Posso Permettere! Posted by Geoff on Aug 6, 2015
Can you afford it? Te lo puoi permettere? Serena and I are not spendaccioni (big spenders), we mostly buy things that are essential to us, with, of course, the occasional indulgence. However, every now and then an expense crops up. For example: in realtà ci servirebbe una nuova macchina, però attualmente non ce la possiamo…
An Italian Desire Posted by Geoff on Aug 5, 2015
Hai voglia d’imparare l’italiano? Do you want to learn Italian? The sentence above illustrates a very common Italian phrase: ‘avere voglia di fare qualcosa’. This can be translated as: to feel like doing something to fancy doing something to want to do something Let’s have a look at a few everyday examples: non ho voglia…
Three Young Italians And A Black & Decker Drill Posted by Geoff on Jul 29, 2015
Having written part one of the story of Modigliani’s lost sculptures I had intended to simply recount the unexpected outcome of the affair, and the consequent storm it created in the art world … until I discovered someone who could do it in a far more entertaining way: The ingenious Italian rapper Caparezza. Click on…
Who Is Mica? Posted by Geoff on Jul 27, 2015
… or more to the point, what is mica? Mica: a group of sheet silicate minerals Multimedia, Information, Communication & Applications Multidimensional Independent Component Analysis Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance Maryland Institute College of Art Mica: a word that you hear Italians use a lot but are never quite sure what it means Mica is, in fact, all…
Modigliani’s Lost Sculptures Posted by Geoff on Jul 23, 2015
Thirty one years ago, the art world was rocked by the sensational news that three ‘lost’ stone heads by the Livornese artist Amedeo Modigliani had been dredged up from the Fosso Reale canal in Livorno. These unique sculptures immediately became the centre of media attention, and attracted art fans and tourists alike to the Tuscan port…
How To Ask People Their Opinion In Italian Posted by Geoff on Jul 16, 2015
Earlier this week we looked at some of the common ways in which we begin to assert our opinions in Italian. A conversation, however, is a two way thing, and we also want to find out what others have to say. Let’s see how we can turn things around and ask our Italian friends and acquaintances what…