Archive for 'Culture'
Innovazioni Italiane Posted by Serena on Dec 9, 2011
As you probably know, 2011 is the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification. I thought that it might be interesting to have a look at some of the most important Italian innovations that have been conceived during the last 150 years. 1. La Dinamo In 1859 professor of physics Antonio Pacinotti of Pisa designed what is…
Aspettando il Natale Posted by Serena on Dec 7, 2011
“Ancora una volta il Natale si avvicina fra luci, suoni, colori e tanta speranza che le cose possano andare meglio”. (“Once again Christmas is getting close with its lights, sounds, colours and a lot of hope that things may get better”.) This is the opening phrase in the booklet that I picked up yesterday in…
Che Casino! Posted by Serena on Dec 5, 2011
1. casino (con l’accento sulla ‘o’), luogo dove si gioca d’azzardo. 1. casino (with the accent on the ‘o’), a place where one gambles. 2. casino (con l’accento sulla ‘i’), bordello. 2. casino (with the accent on the ‘i’ ), brothel 3. casino (con l’accento sulla ‘i’), confusione, chiasso, caos, molto 3. casino (with the…
Dicembre Posted by Serena on Dec 2, 2011
Nome (Name): The month of dicembre (December) takes its name from the Latin word decem (ten) because it was the tenth month in the Roman calendar. Festività (Festivals): On the 8th of December we celebrate l’Immacolata Concezione (the Immaculate Conception), which commemorates the belief that the Virgin Mary was conceived free from the taint of…
Novembre Posted by Serena on Nov 2, 2011
Nome (Name): The month of novembre (November) takes its name from the Latin word novem (nine) because it was the ninth month in the Roman calendar. Festività (Festivals): On the 1st of November we celebrate Tutti i Santi (All Saints), which is a national holiday. When I was a child the 2nd of November, Tutti…
Fare le Corna Posted by Serena on Oct 26, 2011
Watching a live concert of our favourite Italian heavy metal band, Lacuna Coil, I was struck by the fact that the audience were all facendo le corna (making the horns), a common hand gesture here in Italy, especially in Napoli. I did a bit of research and discovered that the gesture was made popular in…
La Caffettiera Napoletana Posted by Serena on Oct 19, 2011
The other day my friend Annalisa, who is in the middle of moving house, opened one of her packing boxes and found my dear old caffettiera napoletana that I had lent to her sometime ago. La caffettiera napoletana is not very common anymore in Italian households, but until the Fifties it used to be the…