Archive for 'Uncategorized'
Our Italian Journey – Part 2: Florence Posted by Geoff on Jan 29, 2015
Text and photos by guest blogger Bill Auge. Find Part 1: Venezia HERE Ponte Vecchio con i passanti (with the passers by) The Italo train left la Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia and glided through the flat agricultural plain of Veneto, through the Appennino Mountains toward Firenze, reaching the impressive speed of 300 km an…
A Poem For January Posted by Serena on Jan 26, 2015
Here’s a lovely poem by Giacomo di Michele (1280-1332), better known as Folgòre da San Gimignano, from the beautiful Tuscan town of San Gimignano, near Siena. Folgòre was a knight and courtier who wrote in the Tuscan language just before the time of Dante. He is famous for his set of sonnets known as La…
Our Italian Journey – Part 1: Venezia Posted by Geoff on Jan 22, 2015
Photos and text by Bill Auge with an intro by Geoff This autumn we had the very great pleasure of meeting Bill Auge a long time reader of ours, and his wife Victoria. Recently retired, Bill and Victoria took a long anticipated trip to Europe, with Italy as their main goal. Serena and myself spent…
Helpful Labels – The Car Posted by Serena on Jan 19, 2015
In our previous ‘Helpful Labels’ posts we looked at short, useful phrases which could be made into labels and placed strategically in relevant places around the house. Today we are going out and about in the car. Sticking labels all over the interior of your car may not be very practical, so we’ll leave it…
Castagnaccio – Tuscan Chestnut Pancake Posted by Serena on Jan 15, 2015
Large parts of central and northern Italy are covered with castagneti (chestnut woods), and for centuries chestnuts were the main source of food for the contadini (peasants) during the winter. This is reflected in the large variety of chestnut dishes, both sweet and savoury, which are still popular today. The traditional Tuscan pancake made from…
L’INVERNO DI VIVALDI Posted by Geoff on Dec 30, 2014
It’s hard to find a more appropriate theme for winter than Inverno from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni. Vivaldi took inspiration for his Four Seasons from four Sonnets, apparently written by himself. Each of the four sonnets is expressed in by a corresponding movement of the concerto: La Primavera, L’Estate, L’Autunno, and L’inverno. Here’s the sonnet…
Helpful Labels – The Living Room Posted by Geoff on Dec 10, 2014
We’re glad to hear, via the comments, that readers are finding these labels useful. If you missed our previous posts here are the links: The Kitchen The Bathroom The Bedroom And if you haven’t tried it yet have a go, it really is a powerful tool for reinforcing your Italian vocabulary. Basic Vocabulary in the…