Archive for 'Uncategorized'
Un Castello Fantasma Posted by Serena on Feb 12, 2019
C’è un castello fantastico, un castello che è rimasto come un fantasma nei cassetti della mia memoria. “Esiste davvero, o l’ho sognato? Dove si trova?” mi sono chiesta tante volte. Mi sembrava di ricordare che si trovasse da qualche parte vicino a Firenze, ma non ero sicura dove. Poi un giorno notai un articolo su…
Cooked Twice! Posted by Serena on Jan 23, 2019
Have you ever thought about the word biscuit? “Yes, everyday!” I hear you say … Biscuit were originally cooked in a two stage process: first they were baked, then they were dried out in a slow oven in order to preserve them. From this process comes the French word bescuit, which itself comes from the…
Barzellette Festive Posted by Geoff on Dec 28, 2018
Humour, that wonderful antidote to life’s trials and tribulations. It can certainly come in handy during the midwinter festivities … Due contadini vanno in un bosco per cercare un albero di Natale. Dopo due ore di intense ricerche uno dice all’altro: “Ora basta, il prossimo albero che vediamo lo prendiamo, che abbia le palle o…
A Seasonal Quiz – Answers Posted by Serena on Dec 21, 2018
Here are the answers to our quiz based on Italian culture during the Christmas period. How did you get on? 1. Qual è il titolo dell’inno natalizio italiano più famoso e chi l’ha composto nel 1754? Risposta: ‘Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle‘, di Sant’Alfonso Maria de Liguori. Alcuni anni dopo Liguori scrisse una versione in dialetto napoletano…
A Seasonal Quiz Posted by Serena on Dec 18, 2018
The Christmas Holidays are just round the corner. How well do you know our cultural traditions for il periodo natalizio? Let’s find out! Here’s a quiz based on Italian culture during the Christmas period. To help you answer the questions, I’ve given some links to previous blogs. Have a go and, if you’re feeling brave…
Italian Insects – Part 2 Posted by Geoff on Nov 15, 2018
In Italian Insects – Part 1 I described a few of the, for want of a better word, ‘household’ insects that we see more or less all year round. But, of course, many insects are strictly seasonal … Before we begin though, here’s a message from Meaghan, our manager at Transparent Language, explaining some changes…
Italian Insects – Part 1 Posted by Geoff on Nov 13, 2018
Do you like insects? Personally, I find them fascinating, which is just as well because out in the countryside where we live there are plenty of them! Some of these creature are present for most of the year. I ragni (the spiders), for example, find our rustic stone house the perfect sojourn, constructing their intricate…