Archive for 'Culture'
A Hat Full of Cherries Posted by Serena on Nov 12, 2008
I’ve just finished reading Un cappello pieno di ciliege (A Hat Full of Cherries), the last book by Oriana Fallaci posthumously published on the 31st July 2008, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Oriana Fallaci (1929-2006) was a famous journalist, war-reporter and writer. She had always been interested in her family history, an interest nurtured by…
The Olive Harvest Posted by Serena on Nov 11, 2008
November to December is the period in which the Raccolta delle Olive (Olive Harvest) generally takes place here in Toscana (Tuscany) and last weekend we were busy helping our friends who have several hectares of Olives near Pistoia to collect their harvest. At this time of year the ground under the olive trees has to…
Autoironia Posted by Serena on Oct 27, 2008
When God created the world and all it’s individual countries, he looked down at Italy and realised that he had been unfair in making it the most beautiful…………so, in compensation, he created the Italians! So goes the old joke, and it illustrates really well our passion for laughing at our national characteristics and ourselves. For…
Ciao! Salve! Posted by Serena on Oct 22, 2008
Ciao is probably the best known Italian greeting in the world. It’s an informal form used at any time of the day, both when you meet and when you leave somebody (it means “hello” as well as “goodbye”). However, as it’s informal you shouldn’t use ciao in a formal situation, i.e. when you use Lei…
Funghi fever Posted by Serena on Oct 1, 2008
I live in an area of Italy particularly famous for porcini mushrooms (boletus), the main ingredients for many Italian dishes. It’s the end of September, the season for wild mushroom hunting and funghi fever is reaching its climax. About two weeks ago we had a big rainfall that was greeted with joy by all the…
Ordering a coffee! Posted by Serena on Sep 25, 2008
Ciao! My name is Serena and I’m the new Italian blogger. I thought I would start with a topic dear to all Italians: il caffe’! We like our coffee very concentrated, like a shot of adrenalin, so do not expect a pint mug, even when you order “un caffè lungo” or “americano”. I can’t start…