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The Archbishop Of Constantinople Posted by Serena on Mar 14, 2018
Would you like to improve your Italian pronunciation? Master the following scioglilingua and you’ll soon be speaking like a native! Here’s the first scioglilingua (tongue-twister) that I taught Geoff many years ago: Sopra la panca la capra campa, sotto la panca la capra crepa Above the bench the goat lives, below the bench the goat…
Donna Ti Voglio Cantare Posted by Serena on Mar 8, 2018
Today’s the 8th of March, Festa della Donna (International Women’s Day), and to celebrate I’m going to translate a song called Donna Ti Voglio Cantare (Woman I Want To Sing About You), by Angelo Branduardi. Angelo Branduardi is a popular folk singer and songwriter who draws inspiration from Medieval and Renaissance music. His wife, Luisa Zappa…
Gelo e Fuoco Posted by Serena on Feb 28, 2018
Quando da bambina vidi il film ‘Dottor Zivago’, la scena che mi fece più impressione è quella in cui Zivago e Lara passano la notte in una casa isolata, in mezzo alla bufera di neve, coi lupi che ululano fuori. Quella notte non riuscii a dormire e rimasi sveglia, con la coperta tirata sugli occhi…
Il Vento Posted by Serena on Feb 22, 2018
Outside there’s a strong wind howling and whirling the snow around. According to the news, this wind comes from Siberia and is called ‘burian’. They say that it will bring even colder temperatures in the next few days. Inspired by the weather, I searched the Internet for a poem describing the wind, and finally found…
Tanto Tanto Amore Posted by Serena on Feb 14, 2018
Today is Saint Valentine’s Day, and as usual I’ve been trying to find a romantic poem or song for you … Now, as Italy is a very romantic country, you’d think that this would be really easy. But not so. Why? Because almost all romantic Italian songs and poems seem to be written for a…
La Bella Addormentata – Part 5 Posted by Serena on Feb 8, 2018
Here’s the final chapter of my Italian translation of La Bella Addormentata (Sleeping Beauty). I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This certainly isn’t everyday spoken Italian, and it was great to have an opportunity to use a style and vocabulary that I wouldn’t normally use. Part 5. Then…
La Bella Addormentata – Part 4 Posted by Serena on Jan 31, 2018
Here’s part 4 of my translation into Italian of La Bella Addormentata (Sleeping Beauty). Buona lettura! Part 4. Many a long year afterwards there came a king’s son into that country, and heard an old man tell how there should be a castle standing behind the hedge of thorns, and that there a beautiful enchanted…