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Our First Date Posted by Geoff on Feb 26, 2014
It’s all very well studying those grammar books but, as I’m sure you’ll know, having a conversation in Italian is another matter entirely. Here’s a blog in which Serena and myself have fun pretending that we’re out on our first date together, and we’re each trying to discover what the other likes to do in…
Favourite Italian Pastimes Posted by Geoff on Feb 25, 2014
Quali sono i passatempi preferiti degli Italiani? What are the Italians’ favourite pastimes? Well, out of curiosity I’ve been doing a bit of research on the net and reading articles published by FITeL (Federazione Italiana Tempo Libero), Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica), and Consumatore News. Here are a few excerpts taken from various publications dealing…
Meet Bruna, the mobile Tigelleria Posted by Geoff on Feb 10, 2014
“Purtroppo, in Italia, essere creativi non viene riconosciuto come un lavoro che ha una sua professionalità e un suo valore” (unfortunately, in Italy being creative isn’t recognised as a job with its own professionalism and value) explain Riccardo and Clara, creators of Bruna, the mobile tigelleria. Who are Riccardo, Clara and Bruna, and what on…
Eclissi del Cuore Posted by Geoff on Feb 3, 2014
In 2013 a U.K. survey named this hit ‘The Most Popular Song to Sing in the Shower’. Perhaps it’s even you’re favourite shower song, at the very least you will have heard it wafting through the aisles at the supermarket. Click HERE to reveal its identity. So where’s the Italian connection? Enter L’Aura, the talented…
Fire and Ice in Sicily Posted by Geoff on Jan 27, 2014
Did you know that Italy has the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world, 49 in total, followed by China with 45, and Spain with 44? One of the most recent additions to the impressive list came last June when the ever spectacular Mt. Etna, Europe’s highest active volcano, was added. Mitologia…
Pinocchio Part 2 – The Doctor’s Diagnosis Posted by Geoff on Jan 23, 2014
In part 1, I took a look at the ‘real’ Pinocchio, as created by Carlo Lorenzini, better known as Collodi, and explained how I was finding the book surprisingly dark and sinister compared to the sugary Disney version that I grew up with. Were Italian children disturbed by this classic fairy tale? Perhaps, but they…
Will The Real Pinocchio Please Stand Up Posted by Geoff on Jan 20, 2014
My current bedtime reading, Le Avventure di Pinocchio, given to me by my brother in law Gippi, is turning out to be a real revelation in several unexpected ways. Having grown up in England my only previous knowledge of Pinocchio was the endearing mischievous puppet from Disney’s famous 1940 musical animation. Certainly a classic piece…