Archive for 'Uncategorized'
Le Pulizie di Pasqua – un po’ di grammatica Posted by Geoff on Apr 4, 2012
Several readers found our last blog quite a challenge to translate … well sometimes that’s not a bad thing! However, in order to help you out a bit, here is part of the blog again, except that this time I have highlighted some points of grammar rather than vocabulary. Le grandi pulizie che si fanno…
Le Scarpine di Valentino Posted by Serena on Mar 28, 2012
It’s March, and there’s blossom all around us. A couple of days ago we were going for a walk down in the valley when I saw a beautiful bush of biancospino (hawthorn) covered in white flowers. Without thinking I started reciting a poem from my childhood: “Oh! Valentino vestito di nuovo, come le brocche dei…
Artemisia Gentileschi Posted by Serena on Mar 9, 2012
Yesterday, the 8th of March, was la Giornata Internazionale della Donna (International Women’s Day), and to celebrate the occasion I’m going to dedicate a post to the most famous Italian female artist of the Renaissance, Artemisia Gentileschi. Artemisia was born in Rome on the 8th of July 1593, daughter of Orazio Gentileschi, an accomplished Florentine…
Si Impersonale – Part 3 Posted by Serena on Mar 7, 2012
In this third part of my blog dedicated to the si impersonale, I’ll discuss its use when combined with other pronouns. Let’s start with ‘ne’ (of it /them, about it /them), that nasty little word that I discussed some time ago in this blog: Ne 1. Si impersonale + ne The impersonal pronoun si always…
La mia battaglia col giardino Posted by Serena on Feb 27, 2012
O.K. so it’s only the end of February, and perhaps we’re being a bit over optimistic, but it’s 18 degrees Celsius today, and after il ventaccio gelido, la neve e il ghiaccio (the horrible freezing wind, the snow, and the ice) that has imprisoned Serena, myself (Geoff) and five crazy cats within our little house…
Ponti d’Italia – 2. Ponte Scaligero Posted by Serena on Feb 15, 2012
“L’opera più audace e mirabile del medioevo in Verona” (“The most audacious and wondrous work of the middle ages in Verona”) is how historians describe il Ponte Scaligero (the Scaligero Bridge), also known as Ponte di Castelvecchio, the beautiful brick and marble bridge which spans the river Adige from the Torre del Mastio (Master Tower)…
Come Smacchiare Posted by Serena on Feb 8, 2012
Whilst writing my blog Come si faceva il bucato una volta (How the washing was done once upon a time) I remembered a little handbook that I sometimes refer to, which explains come smacchiare (how to remove stains). I asked myself how many people still bother to try and save a piece of clothing when…