Archive for 'Uncategorized'
Black Is Back Posted by Geoff on Sep 27, 2016
An article about Italian fashion? Niente affatto! Mr. Black cares nothing for fashion. He wears the same beautiful golden black coat every day … and night. Mr. Black is, in fact, un piccolo gatto nero a pelo lungo (a small long haired black cat) who came to live with us about a year and a…
Rita’s Home Made Nutella Posted by Serena on Sep 23, 2016
In my last post I recounted how my father, un vero gentiluomo all’antica, was given a jar of home made chocolate cream by my friend Rita in return for un baciamano (a kiss on the hand). Today I’m going to give you Rita’s recipe for home made Nutella. Have a go at making it and…
Amazing Bebe Posted by Serena on Sep 19, 2016
Meet Bebe (Beatrice) Vio, a truly amazing person. When she was 11 years old she contracted meningitis, which left her with all four limbs amputated and her face and body severely scarred. Now, aged 19, she’s the campionessa mondiale paralimpica di fioretto (world wheelchair fencing champion). Bebe’s story … in her own words: Sono una…
Eccoci Al Mare! Posted by Geoff on Sep 9, 2016
If you’ve studied Italian in language classes or from books, it can be an unsettling surprise to arrive in Italy and find that colloquial Italian is peppered with words and expressions that no one ever told you about. One such word is ecco. You hear it all the time, but it’s difficult to pin down exactly…
Cielo E Mar Posted by Serena on Sep 7, 2016
In my last post I recounted the story of my mother’s meeting with the famous Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli, and described how he gave an impromptu performance for her and a small group of blind girls on the beach in Pesaro. One of the arias that Gigli sang during that brief encounter was Cielo e…
My Mother Meets A Famous Italian Tenor Posted by Serena on Sep 5, 2016
Often, whilst working at the telaio (loom, see this post), I find myself daydreaming. And so it was that, weaving and dreaming, a memory came back to me, a story from my mother’s childhood that she used to tell us when we were kids. This story would bring tears to my eyes every time I…
Italian General Knowledge Quiz – Answers Posted by Serena on Aug 29, 2016
How’s your Italian general knowledge? The comments section of last week’s Italian General Knowledge Quiz was suspiciously empty! Let’s have a look at the answers shall we? Names 1. Arnaldo Pomodoro was initially trained as a quantity surveyor, but soon became interested in sculpture and set design. His background studies, however, are reflected in his…