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Veleia Romana Posted by Geoff on Jul 12, 2013
I’m lying day dreaming on a bench beneath an imposing lime tree. The almost overpowering scent of the lime flowers mingles with the hum of the thousands of insects that have come to satiate themselves on the sweet nectar. The lime is part of an avenue that leads to the 16th century chiesa di Sant’Antonino…
The Machine Gun Soloist: Part 2 Posted by Geoff on Jun 25, 2013
Luciano Lutring, ‘Il Solista del Mitra’, ‘nemico pubblico numero uno’, fuorilegge, e latitante (‘The Machine Gun Soloist’, ‘public enemy number one’, outlaw, and fugitive). At the end of part 1 we left Luciano at a turning point in his life … si era innamorato di una bella ragazza (he had fallen in love with a…
The Machine Gun Soloist: Part 1. Posted by Geoff on Jun 18, 2013
“Un giorno mia zia mi chiese di andare a pagare una bolletta alle poste. Io andai. Ma l’impiegato era lento e detti un pugno sul bancone. Nel movimento si vide la finta pistola che portavo sotto la cintura. L’impiegato credette che fosse una rapina e mi consegnò i soldi. Io pensai: “È così facile?”. E…
Typing in Italian on an English Computer/Keyboard Posted by Geoff on May 31, 2013
I’m sure lots of you have a computer with an operating system (such as Windows) which has English set as the default language. You’ve probably also got an English tastiera (keyboard). This can sometimes make writing and spell checking in Italian a bit awkward. Well here’s the simplest method that I’ve found for easily switching…
NUTS! Posted by Geoff on May 24, 2013
Today, our guest blogger Ambra Sancin writes abut idiomatic Italian expressions that use the word nuts. In case you missed Ambra’s previous blog ‘The Language of Coffee’, here’s a quick bio: Ambra is a Sydney-based arts project manager in the cultural/not-for-profit sector and specialise in communications, marketing and producing public programs for festivals and government…
Bananas! Posted by Geoff on May 17, 2013
When I lived in England, bananas were my favourite fruit. But I have to admit that I was never a big fruit fan until I came to live in Italy. I still like bananas of course, but the variety of really fresh and tasty fruit available here leaves me spoilt for choice. Plus, I now…
A Rainy Italian Love Song Posted by Geoff on May 14, 2013
We’re having a really rainy spring this year: Madonna come viene giù! So when I heard the song Piove by Jovanotti in ‘The Sopranos’, one of our favourite TV series, I immediately thought ‘BLOG!’ It wasn’t until I listened to the song properly later on, and read the lyrics, that I realised that it was…