Archive by Author
Climate Change Posted by Geoff on Oct 1, 2018
In my brief post informing you of our absence I wrote: “But fear not, we shall soon return to our beautiful, and sometimes crazy Italian peninsula with renewed vigour and inspiration!” Ho davvero scritto questo? Sì, siamo tornati, la penisola è bellissima e un po’ pazza pure … ma il vigore e l’ispirazione??? A dire…
We’re On Holiday! Posted by Geoff on Sep 26, 2018
Dear readers, what, no blog this week!?! I once saw a hand written note taped to the door of a bar which read: Oggi il bar riaprira’ domani. Allora: Questa settimana il blog ricomincera’ quest’altra settimana! Yes, after ten years of continuous blogging we’ve decided that we’re going to take a break whilst we’re visiting…
Paperwork – Part 2 Posted by Geoff on Sep 21, 2018
Here’s part 2 of the tale of my quest for a porto d’armi (dun permit). You can find part 1 HERE. Having obtained my two certificati medici (medical certificates) and my Diploma Di Idoneità Al Maneggio Delle Armi I must now pay a visit to i Carabinieri and present them with my rather impressive sheaf of…
Paperwork – Part 1 Posted by Geoff on Sep 19, 2018
In my previous article ‘Living The Dream?‘, I wrote about the distasteful subject of corruzione and furbizia, and how these elements conflict with the concept that many foreign visitors have of the ‘Italian Dream’. Today, we’re going to look into another aspect of Italian culture that tends to leave ex-pats rather exasperated: la burocrazia (bureaucracy)…
Il Dottore Delle Bambole – Translation Posted by Geoff on Sep 14, 2018
Here’s my English translation for part 1 of Serena’s story: Il Dottore Delle Bambole Questa è la storia di una classica famiglia: mamma, papà e la figlioletta Gisella di otto anni. This is the story of a typical family: mum, dad, and their eight year old daughter Gisella. La bambina è molto intelligente e tranquilla…
Living The Dream? Posted by Geoff on Sep 10, 2018
Every now and then, inexperienced visitors to the beautiful part of Italy where I live tell me: “You’re living the dream!” A statement which I find difficult to respond to. I guess my instinctive response would be: “No, I’m living the reality”. But that would entail long and complicated cultural explanations which would, for the…
Reflexive Verbs – Part 2 Posted by Geoff on Sep 7, 2018
In part 1, we looked at how reflexive verbs are formed and how we conjugate them in the present tense. Let’s take things to the next level. We’ll work with the important reflexive verb ricordarsi = to remember. Let’s revise the present tense conjugations: io mi ricordo = I remember tu ti ricordi = you…