Archive for 'Culture'
The Song of Francesca da Rimini Posted by Serena on Jan 18, 2016
Last Thursday I went to the theatre with my friend Annalisa to hear a recital in which the actress Pamela Villoresi, accompanied by a pianist and a soprano, read some of Dante’s work. The recital was based on the theme of Francesca da Rimini, the unfortunate heroine of the Fifth Canto of l’Inferno. In this…
Telling The Time In Italy … The Country Way Posted by Geoff on Jan 11, 2016
Nowadays we all have a watch or a cell phone that tells us what the time is, but once upon a time watches weren’t so common, and cell phones were still a thing of the distant future. So how did people in the past know what the time was if they were out working in…
An Italian Nativity Posted by Geoff on Dec 24, 2015
Probably the most abiding symbol of Christmas here in Italy is il presepe. Il presepe is a reconstruction of the nativity story, and its origins date back to 1223 when San Franceso di Assisi created the first presepe vivente (living presepe). The presepe can be found in three main forms: 1. the simple small scale…
At the Art Gallery in Italy Posted by Serena on Dec 18, 2015
The setting: the ticket office of the Galleria Nazionale in Parma The characters: the ticket seller and an elderly couple Tired from the long journey and the heat, the couple are trying to make sense of the notice board at the entrance of the Galleria Nazionale: Marito: “Oggi che giorno è?” Husband: “What day is…
At the Bank in Italy Posted by Serena on Nov 13, 2015
The setting: In a bank in Italy The characters: A bank employee and a prospective client. Impiegata: “Buongiorno. Come posso esserle utile?” Employee: “Good morning. How can I help you?” Cliente: “Buongiorno, sono la signora Santini, vorrei chiedere informazioni sull’apertura di un conto corrente” Client: “Good morning, my name is Ms. Santini, I’d like some…
Giovanni’s Italy 2 Posted by Serena on Nov 9, 2015
We recently published an article by our friend Giovanni in which he spoke about his experience of commuting between work in Tuscany and his family in Puglia. Here, in this second version of his article, Giovanni goes into more depth with a level of language that is more challenging for the student of Italian. Sono diversi…
Giovanni’s Italy Posted by Serena on Oct 21, 2015
Here’s an article by our friend Giovanni who’s from Puglia in the south of Italy, but currently lives and works in Toscana. I asked Giovanni to write us something based on his observations about the differences between these two regions. Chi conosce l’Italia sa che è impossibile conoscere l’Italia. Anyone who knows Italy knows that…