Archive for 'Culture'
Italian Airport Quiz Posted by Serena on Sep 18, 2012
So, here’s a little quiz for you. Many Italian airports are named after famous Italians. Below I’ve given ten descriptions of people who have had an airport named after them. Who are they, and which airports are their names linked to? Please leave your answers in the ‘Leave a Reply’ section at the end. Don’t…
Il Mestiere Più Antico Del Mondo Posted by Serena on Sep 7, 2012
There is an old Italian movie directed by Federico Fellini in 1957, that me and Geoff love: Le Notti di Cabiria (Nights of Cabiria. Click on link for more information). Giulietta Masina, Fellini’s wife, wonderfully portraits a very naive prostitute, or rather una battona, as they say in Rome. Cabiria is the professional name of…
Un po’ di Burocrazia Posted by Serena on Aug 17, 2012
Last week Cathy, an English friend of ours who has a holiday house near Pontremoli, asked me if I could go with her to the Council offices. Her Italian is not fluent and she wasn’t sure if she was up to date with all the different council taxes and so on. So Monday morning we…
Rio Bò Posted by Serena on Aug 16, 2012
A few days ago, browsing through one of my grammar books, I came across a poem that I had to learn when I was at school. I was really pleased to rediscover it because I used to like it a lot, and I must say that rereading it hasn’t disappointed me, it still paints an…
Carlo Rambaldi, Papà di E.T. Posted by Geoff on Aug 13, 2012
Like me, I imagine that most people had never heard of Italian special effects maestro Carlo Rambaldi until his death was announced in the media a few days ago. And yet he was the creator of one of the best known characters in the history of cinema: E.T. Rambaldi was the winner of 3 Oscars…
Il Premio Bancarella – The Rules Posted by Serena on Jul 26, 2012
To follow on from my previous Premio Bancarella blog, today I’m going to explain how the competition actually works. What makes the Premio Bancarella unique amongst Italian book prizes is the fact that it’s not awarded by a jury of critics, but is completely organised by booksellers from all over the country, including the Canton…
Il Premio Bancarella – The Origins Posted by Serena on Jul 23, 2012
Pontremoli and its surrounding territory, la Lunigiana, which is located in the northern tip of Toscana, has always been a point of departure for emigration towards the north of Italy and abroad. Amongst these emigrants there is a particular “species”, unique to this area, called i librai della Lunigiana (the Lunigiana booksellers), who have been…