Archive for 'Culture'
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…
Italian Curiosities – Part 2 Posted by Geoff on Mar 12, 2018
Curiosity numero due … a haunted castle. It wasn’t the ghost that bothered us … but the cold! How to get to the Castello Malaspina di Fosdinovo, taken from the official website: Ricordiamo per chi viene in macchina che l’accesso al parcheggio è praticabile solo entrando dal lato nord del paese. Non entrate nel borgo…
Italian Curiosities – Part 1 Posted by Geoff on Mar 6, 2018
After days of bitterly cold wind, snow and ice, we we’re desperate to get out of the house and see something different. We did! Per domenica hanno messo bel tempo … they’ve predicted nice weather for Sunday. By nice, I mean no snow or rain, and temperatures above 0°C … well that’s something! Having studied…
History In A Map – The Answers Posted by Geoff on Dec 8, 2017
Here are the solutions to our History In A Map quiz. Well done everyone who had a go. Now let’s see how many you got right? 1. Clue: famous 19th Century composer of operas, from Busseto, near Parma. One of his pieces, “Va’ pensiero”, is considered the unofficial Italian anthem = Viale Verdi 2. Clue: a…
History In A Map – A Quiz Posted by Geoff on Dec 5, 2017
If you’ve travelled in Italy you’ll have noticed a commonality amongst the names given to streets and squares. Let’s see if you can identify some of the most well known ones from the clues below, then fill in the missing name. Here’s an example to get you started: Clue: All roads lead there = Via…
Che Culo!!! Posted by Geoff on Oct 30, 2017
It’s interesting, and rather amusing, that an article about a cultural visit to Parma should generate so much controversy about bottoms! Well, let’s put that controversy to rest shall we? But first, a word of advice dear readers. I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll say it again: don’t get hung up on literal…
Il Mio Primo Giorno Di Scuola Posted by Serena on Sep 21, 2017
Le scuole hanno appena riaperto per migliaia di studenti italiani. Chi di voi si ricorda il primo giorno di ritorno a scuola? Io me ne ricordo vari, ma soprattutto mi ricordo il Primo vero giorno di scuola, quello con la lettera maiuscola, quello della prima elementare! Beh, non è che mi ricordo tutto di quella…