Archive for 'Uncategorized'
The King’s Sausage Posted by Serena on Aug 3, 2015
The King’s Sausage! I bet that title caught your attention … but the King’s Sausage is not what you might think it is! Il Salame del Re (this is the Italian name) is a wonderful rustic sweet that my aunt Rina used to make for us children. It’s also known as Salame di Cioccolato (Chocolate…
Three Young Italians And A Black & Decker Drill Posted by Geoff on Jul 29, 2015
Having written part one of the story of Modigliani’s lost sculptures I had intended to simply recount the unexpected outcome of the affair, and the consequent storm it created in the art world … until I discovered someone who could do it in a far more entertaining way: The ingenious Italian rapper Caparezza. Click on…
Modigliani’s Lost Sculptures Posted by Geoff on Jul 23, 2015
Thirty one years ago, the art world was rocked by the sensational news that three ‘lost’ stone heads by the Livornese artist Amedeo Modigliani had been dredged up from the Fosso Reale canal in Livorno. These unique sculptures immediately became the centre of media attention, and attracted art fans and tourists alike to the Tuscan port…
A Hot Summer’s Afternoon In Italy Posted by Serena on Jul 20, 2015
Today, as is our custom, we got up at six o’clock and, after a quick breakfast, set off for a walk in the early morning freshness. As we walked up the mountain road towards the picturesque village of Pracchiola, constantly surrounded by the strident screeching of cicadas, I gazed up at the intense blue cloudless…
In Che Condizioni È? Posted by Geoff on Jul 7, 2015
If you’re going to engage your Italian friends and acquaintances in conversation, the ability to liven up or clarify what you want to say is going to require a repertoire of useful descriptive adjectives. Let’s begin with a question: “in che condizioni è?” (“what condition is it/he/she in?” N.B. in Italian we use the plural…
A Carpet of Flowers Posted by Serena on Jun 11, 2015
By Serena with an English translation by Geoff Domenica scorsa era la festa del Corpus Domini, e in molti paesi e città italiane c’è la tradizione di celebrare questa solennità con una ‘infiorata’. ‘Infiorata’ viene dalla parola ‘fiore’ e consiste nel creare dei quadri religiosi usando i petali colorati dei fiori raccolti il giorno prima…
Adagio Posted by Geoff on Jun 10, 2015
I love exploring youtube in search of inspirational musicians, and every now and then I find one that I can’t believe I’ve never heard of before. Just a few days ago, for example, I noticed a video entitled Lara Fabian – Adagio. Okay, let’s have a listen and see what she’s like … mamma mia…