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Ciambella allo Yogurt Posted by Serena on May 7, 2012
The most traditional Italian home made cake is without doubt la ciambella, a ring-shaped sponge cake which, in recipe books, is often called la ciambella della nonna (Granma’s ciambella) to make it sound more ‘authentic’. To bake una ciambella you need a ring-shaped cake tin, but if you don’t have one you can always use…
Una Domenica a Parma Posted by Serena on Apr 30, 2012
O.K. time to test your skills at translation. After all, you’ll have to manage on your own when you visit Italy, vero? I’ll give you a little bit of help by explaining at the end the key words and expressions highlighted in pink. Domenica scorsa, 22 aprile, approfittando del fatto che era l’ultimo giorno della…
Piacere Posted by Serena on Apr 27, 2012
Chatting with an English couple the other day about the strange convolutions of the Italian language, the conversation moved onto the famous topic of piacere (to please). As a visitor to Italia you can be sure that you will be asked frequently ‘ti piace questo, ti piace quello?’ (do you like this, do you like…
Tales of La Gioconda–Part 3 Posted by Serena on Apr 25, 2012
Previously in Tales of La Gioconda: Monna Lisa Stolen from the Louvre by Decorator!! Vincenzo Leonard was the pseudonym of Louvre decorator and odd job man Vincenzo Peruggia who was born near Luino in northern Italy. Like thousands of other Italians, Peruggia emigrated to France in search of work. In his role as Louvre odd…
Tales of La Gioconda–Part 2 Posted by Serena on Apr 23, 2012
It’s Monday the 21st of August 1911, the Louvre museum is closed to the public, and only a few people with special permission are allowed in. Amongst them is Louis Berould, who is hoping to paint a copy of the Monna Lisa. When he reaches the gallery where La Gioconda is exhibited, Berould finds an…
Caratteri Somatici–Le Soluzioni Posted by Serena on Apr 18, 2012
Well done everyone who had a go at my caratteri somatici quiz, either we’ve got some very clever readers, or I made the questions too easy. I suspect it’s the former! O.K., here are the solutions, with a bit of interesting information about each one. Il naso: 1. Ogni volta che dice una bugia, il…
Caratteri Somatici – Un Quiz Posted by Serena on Apr 15, 2012
Here’s a fun little quiz based on facial features. Try to complete it in Italian, but if you find it too difficult the English translation is below. Please post your answers in the comments section, even if you can’t get all of them. Il naso: 1. Ogni volta che dice una bugia, il suo naso…