Archive for 'Uncategorized'
The Secret of The Mona Lisa Finally Revealed Posted by Geoff on May 2, 2014
In March this year an astonishing document was uncovered during the restoration of a small pen and ink sketch by Leonardo da Vinci. The document, which seems to have been used to reinforce the back of the sketch, turned out to be a newspaper article written in 1507 and containing an interview with Da Vinci…
A Brief History of the Italian Railways Posted by Serena on Apr 29, 2014
There are many ways to explore the beauties of the Italian landscape, but surely one of the most romantic and evocative must be by steam train. Treno Natura, a romantic journey through the heart of Tuscany by steam train I’ve just read a brief history of the Italian railways, which I raced through in un…
Brain Fritters Posted by Serena on Apr 25, 2014
In my last blog I mentioned my mother’s famous fried brains recipe. Well today, not only am I going to share her culinary secrets but I’m also going to really fry your brains by writing in Italian … without an English translation. If you find yourself struggling, or I use vocabulary and grammatical constructions that…
Tears of the Virgin Mary Posted by Serena on Apr 18, 2014
Pianto della Madonna (Tears of the Virgin Mary) is a dramatic poem written by the Umbrian poet Jacopone da Todi (1236-1306). The poem narrates Jesus’ Passion using the dramatic form of a dialogue between four characters: il nunzio (the herald), la Madonna (the Virgin Mary), il popolo ebraico (the Jewish people), and Gesù (Jesus). Pianto…
What’s Happening in the Garden? Posted by Geoff on Apr 9, 2014
…. Flowers are Happening! Yesterday I had to do one of my least favourite chores … tagliare l’erba nel giardino col decespugliatore (cut the grass in the garden with the strimmer/brush cutter). I dislike this job for two reasons, 1: it’s noisy and smelly, and 2: although I know it’s necessary I hate cutting all…
Pancakes from Pontremoli? Posted by Serena on Apr 3, 2014
Italian pancakes? Well sort of … Yesterday evening I went to a very interesting workshop all about il testarolo pontremolese cotto nei testi (Pontremoli testaroli cooked inside testi). Il Testarolo is a sort of pancake made with water, flour and salt which is cooked in un testo, a large heavy cast iron skillet with a…
The Pursuit of Happiness – Part 3. Posted by Serena on Mar 21, 2014
Here’s a poem by the Italian poetess Ada Negri (1870 – 1945), which reflects the phrase ‘Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero’, ‘seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future’ (Horace, 65 – 8 BC), quoted by Geoff in part 1 of this series. I feel an affinity for the message in…