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Viva la Befana Posted by Serena on Jan 6, 2009
“Epifania, tutte le feste si porta via” (Epiphany brings an end to all the festivities). Epifania, a Latin word with Greek origins, means “(festival of) the apparition” or “manifestation (of the divinity)”. In the Catholic church the Epifania celebrates the visit of the Re Magi (the Wise Kings) to Gesu’ Bambino (Baby Jesus) on the…
Il Regista Italiano, Sergio Leone Posted by Serena on Jan 5, 2009
Last Saturday, the 3rd of January, was the 80th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Italian regista (director) Sergio Leone, an event that has been commemorated here in Italy by the many journalists and individuals who have payed tribute to his genius. According to an article in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra (3rd…
A different point of view! Posted by Serena on Jan 3, 2009
Mi piace l’italiano. The preceding sentence is a good example of the confusing difference between English and Italian when we talk about what we like. Literally translated as “Italian pleases me” what it actually means is “I like Italian”. Whereas in English the action of liking moves from the person to the object, in Italian…
Papà Natale è brutto e cattivo Posted by Serena on Jan 1, 2009
When I was eight years old a new girl came to my school. One day, talking with her about regali di Natale (Christmas presents) I discovered with great astonishment that her presents were brought not by Papà Natale (Father Christmas) but by Gesù Bambino (Baby Jesus). I had never heard of such a thing, and…
Terremoto – Earthquake Posted by Serena on Dec 29, 2008
Terremoto: from the Latin Terrae-earth and Motus-movement or shaking. In the late afternoon of 23rd December 2008 a deep rumbling vibration heralded the arrival of the latest terremoto to hit the Italian peninsula. The epicenter of the earthquake, measuring 5.1 on the Richter Scale, took place about 40-50 km from us at a depth…
Natale by Giuseppe Ungaretti Posted by Serena on Dec 24, 2008
Natale (Christmas) is upon us with all its frenetic rhythms: shopping, cards, presents, parties, expectations of happiness, peace and goodwill. But in my mind there are a few whispered words: it’s a poem, written by Giuseppe Ungaretti during the First World War, that we used to study at Christmas time when I was at school…
La Ricetta del Panettone – The Panettone Recipe Posted by Serena on Dec 23, 2008
As promised here is the recipe used by Toni to enchant his beloved Lucia. This recipe is for a panettone casereccio (home-made panettone). Normally people don’t make Panettone at home but buy it from the fornaio (bakers) or an alimentari (food shop). This recipe is not suitable for microwaves and you’ll need a fairly big…