Archive for 'Uncategorized'
Una Risata Per Zio Luciano Posted by Serena on Jun 9, 2017
Last Thursday, our lovely Zio Luciano passed away at the age of 85. Luciano had lived a very interesting life working for the Italian Consulate in various parts of the world including Benghazi, Zurich and Berlin before retiring to La Spezia. He loved a good chat, and was knowledgeable on many subjects, particularly history. We…
At The Greengrocer’s In Italy Posted by Serena on Jun 7, 2017
Today we are going to do some shopping at il fruttivendolo (the greengrocer’s). I hope you find the vocabulary useful. Buona lettura! Giovanna (una donna solare, chiacchierona e scherzosa): “Chi servo?” Giovanna (a radiant, chatty and humorous lady): “Who’s next?” Serena: “Tocca a me! Allora … mi serve un chilo di patate” Serena: “It’s my…
Una Risata Per Il Weekend Posted by Geoff on Jun 2, 2017
Let’s finish the week with a smile. Remember your schooldays … a laugh a minute, right? Il bambino di un mafioso torna a casa con la pagella e la fa vedere alla mamma. La madre: “Italiano: 10, bravo! Geografia: 10, bravo! Storia: 10, bravo! Matematica: 10, bravissimo! Tutti 10, sei un figlio prodigio, bravissimo! Vai…
La Bruschetta Posted by Serena on May 31, 2017
La bruschetta (pronounced broosketta) is an old peasant recipe which makes use of pane raffermo (left over bread). In the old days it could easily be preprepared during a short break whilst out working in the fields. Nowadays, it’s a popular Italian antipasto, the ‘nibble’ of choice to go with one’s aperitivo. The generic name…
The Mystery Of The Castle Skeleton Posted by Serena on May 30, 2017
Here’s our English translation of last week’s article Il Mistero Dello Scheletro Del Castello: Castello dell’Aquila a Gragnola, in Lunigiana. Arrampicato su uno sperone di roccia, controlla una vista spettacolare a 360 gradi in questo paesaggio così drammatico e di importante passaggio per le armate e il commercio da nord a sud. Castello dell’Aquila (The…
Il Mistero Dello Scheletro Del Castello Posted by Serena on May 26, 2017
Castello dell’Aquila a Gragnola, in Lunigiana. Arrampicato su uno sperone di roccia, controlla una vista spettacolare a 360 gradi in questo paesaggio così drammatico e di importante passaggio per le armate e il commercio da nord a sud. Uno scheletro di uomo coperto da un cumulo di terra e sassi, viene scoperto in un angolo…
In The Hall Of The Mountain King Posted by Geoff on May 25, 2017
What, you may ask, has a piece of music by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg got to do with the Italian landscape? Let me explain … When I was a child, music was always present somewhere in the background. My mother loved romantic classical music, and had a gramophone collection of popular pieces. Some of those…