Archive for 'Culture'
Innovazioni Italiane – Part 3 Posted by Serena on Jan 16, 2012
This is my third and final blog about innovazioni italiane (Italian innovations) from the last 150 years since Italy’s unification. Here are another four important innovations that have been ‘Made in Italy’: 1. Vibram – A mountaineering accident, in which six alpinisti (mountaineers) froze to death due to lack of adequate footwear, was the stimulus…
Quanto bene conosci l’Italia? Le Soluzioni Posted by Serena on Jan 13, 2012
Well done everyone who had a go at my quiz ‘Quanto bene conosci l’Italia?’. Here are the correct answers: 1. Roughly how many inhabitants does Italy have: a. 40million, b. 50million, c. 60million, or d. 70million? c. 60,000,000 – according to Istat, The National Institute for Statistics, “Al 31 dicembre 2010 risiedevano in Italia…
Quanto bene conosci l’Italia? Posted by Serena on Jan 9, 2012
How well do you know Italy? Here’s a quiz which will put your knowledge to the test. Leave your answers in the comments section. 1. Roughly how many inhabitants does Italy have: a. 40million, b. 50million, c. 60million, or d. 70million? 2. Which city is famous for its romantic songs? 3. On which Italian island…
La Lingua in Italia Posted by Serena on Jan 6, 2012
One of the main aims of my blogs is to help you to understand the Italian language. It’s important to remember, however, that due to complex social and historical reasons Italian isn’t necessarily the first language of all Italians. There are, for example, linguistic minorities in Italy whose first language is German (in Trentino Alto…
Il Presepe Nel Lavatoio Posted by Serena on Dec 29, 2011
Tellaro, 25th of December 2011: Yesterday, Geoff posted a blog about the lovely walk that we had on Christmas day. Near the end of the walk we came across a fascinating presepe (nativity scene) in the old village laundry near the little harbour of Tellaro. Next to the presepe was a note with the following…
Tu Scendi dalle Stelle Posted by Serena on Dec 23, 2011
“Tu scendi dalle stelle” (“You come down from the stars”), written in 1754 by Sant’Alfonso Maria de Liguori (b. in Napoli, 1696 – d. 1787), is our most famous and most loved Italian Christmas carol. Its music is based on a folk theme traditionally played on zampogne (bagpipes). Several years later, de Liguori wrote another…
Gli Struffoli Posted by Serena on Dec 21, 2011
It’s Christmas and here in Italy one of the ubiquitous symbols of this period is the famous Panettone. However, this cake, which is originally from Milano, only became popular throughout Italy thanks to the food companies Motta and Alemagna, who began to produce it on an industrial scale in the Fifties. In Napoli, on the…