Archive for 'Culture'
Gesture of the Day Posted by Serena on Feb 25, 2010
In my blog ‘La Dolce Lingua part 2′, I wrote “when we Italians speak we like to use our whole body, not just our mouths!” This, in fact, is an aspect of our language, indeed our culture, that is very hard to transmit in writing. However, I like a challenge, so I will now attempt…
La Dolce Lingua Posted by Serena on Feb 16, 2010
Learners of Italian often ask me if my native language sounds as beautiful and musical to me as it does to them. In a recent comment for example, Vince wrote “when I read “Sotto casa nostra” it sounds beautiful to me but it just means, “Below our house” which sounds totally mundane in English”. This…
Cantanti Italiani Contemporanei – Teresa De Sio Posted by Serena on Jan 23, 2010
Teresa De Sio is an outstanding cantautrice (singer-songwriter) firmly rooted in the Italian folk tradition. Her distinctive powerful and passionate voice, which combines typical Neapolitan folk tonality with refined contemporary overtones, is instantly recognizable. Born in Napoli on the third of November 1955, De Sio initially contemplated becoming an actress, the chosen career of her…
Cantanti Italiani Contemporanei – Jovanotti Posted by Serena on Jan 11, 2010
In this series dealing with cantanti Italiani contemporanei (contemperory Italian singers) I hope to give you an insight into some of the great Italian singers/musicians that are on the scene today. First of all, let me say that I don’t really like the kind of simplistic pop music that drones on all day on local radio stations and is…
I Befanini Posted by Serena on Jan 5, 2010
Once upon a time in Italy children used to receive their Christmas presents on the Epifania (Epiphany – the 6th of January), instead of on Christmas day. On the eve of Epifania children would hang a stocking near their bed or next to the fireplace, where the mythical kindly old peasant woman known as la Befana would fill them with biscuits, oranges, dried…
Una Tradizione di Capodanno Posted by Serena on Jan 2, 2010
In Italy we have many different traditions for la notte di Capodanno (New Year’s Eve), but there is one in particular that has always appealed to what my husband might call ‘the more destructive side of my nature’! I’m referring to the old custom of throwing broken or chipped crockery out of the window. The…
La Tradizione del Presepe Posted by Serena on Dec 24, 2009
A few days ago we were out walking in the nearby woods when we saw a man and his young daughter carrying baskets and searching through the undergrowth. Our first thoughts were: “What on earth are they looking for at this time of year? It’s too late for chestnuts or wild mushrooms”. Then Geoff noticed…