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Pitone Sbuca dal Water Posted by Serena on Jul 16, 2010
A few days ago I wrote about my morning routine, and my need for una tazzina di caffè to bring me out of the world of dormiveglia. Imagine emerging from bed and stumbling into the bathroom for your morning ablutions only to see a python pop its head up out of the toilet, now that…
A Handy Collection Posted by Serena on Jul 13, 2010
When children learn to speak, they progress from using fairly generic terms to more specific ones as they gradually acquire and refine their vocabulary. They might, for example, begin by learning the word ‘dog’, believing that it can be applied to any small four legged animal. They then learn to differentiate dog from cat, rabbit…
My Morning Routine Posted by Serena on Jul 10, 2010
‘Pericolo di morte’ è il cartello che, secondo mio marito, bisognerebbe appendere nella nostra cucina la mattina prima che io abbia bevuto il mio sacrosanto caffè. (‘Danger of death’ it’s the sign that, according to my husband, should be hung in our kitchen before I’ve drunk my holy coffee.) Yes, like many Italians I’m very…
Il Pellegrinaggio Posted by Serena on Jul 7, 2010
Last Saturday, the 3rd of July, we joined in a small pellegrinaggio (pilgrimage) to a newly restored Madonnina (shrine to the Madonna) which was due to receive the blessing of the local priest. The pilgrimage was organized by some locals from our village, and was meant to start at 9:00 o’clock in the morning, but…
Gol! Posted by Serena on Jul 4, 2010
I must admit I’m not a big football fan. However, there is something special about Il Mondiale (The World Cup), and as we don’t have a televisione we usually go round to my parents’ apartment to watch the more interesting partite (matches) with my dad, who is an enthusiastic ‘couch footballer’. After a grueling primo tempo (first…
Finché, o finché non? Posted by Serena on Jun 30, 2010
Finché is a tricky little word that can create a few problems for the student of Italian due to the fact that it changes meaning depending on whether or not it is followed by ‘non’. Let’s have a look: Finché means ‘per tutto il tempo che’ (for all the time that), and it is normally…
Bocca di Rosa Posted by Serena on Jun 27, 2010
A few days ago all the major Italian newspapers reported that Liliana Tassio, who is believed to have been the inspiration behind the song Bocca di Rosa (Rose Mouth) by il cantautore (the singer-song-writer) Fabrizio De Andrè, had died in Genova, at the age of 88. Published in 1967, Bocca di Rosa is a ballade…