Non E’ Detto …. Posted by Geoff on Mar 9, 2015
I must say that I really enjoyed reading the responses to my recent post Conversational Fragments. I love the fact that we have such imaginative readers, and I also find the responses very useful for gauging people’s comprehension of the colloquial expressions that I tend to use in my articles. One such expression that really…
Son Tanto Brava Posted by Serena on Mar 5, 2015
Sunday the 8th of March will be La Festa della Donna (International Women’s Day), and I thought it would be nice to find a special poem for the occasion. Searching through my poetry books and the internet for something appropriate I came across a short poem written by Sibilla Aleramo between 1912 and 1920, and…
Michelangelo’s Secret Room Posted by Serena on Mar 4, 2015
Last week I recounted an anecdote about my visit to the Vatican Museums and how I ended up running away from the Sistine Chapel. However, as I said at the end of it, “l’anno dopo ebbi la mia rivincita con Michelangelo!” (the following year I got my payback on Michelangelo!) Here’s how: The summer following…
Conversational Fragments Posted by Geoff on Mar 2, 2015
Last week I wrote an article entitled Useful Conversational Rejoinders … well you asked for more, so here it is: Setting: doctor’s waiting room. State of mind: bored to the point of counting the cracks in the ceiling for the third time Entertainment value: –10 suddenly … nothing happens! but then … ubiquitous ring-tone … whose…
Ai Musei Vaticani Posted by Serena on Feb 26, 2015
In today’s post, I recount a visit to the Vatican Museums that I made when I was a student of archaeology many years ago. Apart from two brief notes, I’ve left the text entirely in Italian. If you have any difficulty translating it, please leave a comment below. L’altro giorno la mia amica Annalisa mi…
Masaccio’s Holy Trinity Posted by Serena on Feb 25, 2015
After a long day spent wandering around the narrow tourist packed streets of Florence, I usually try to make a quick visit to the church of Santa Maria Novella before catching the train. I like its elegant facade, designed by Leon Battista Alberti in 1470, and besides, it’s always so quiet in there, a moment of respite before throwing myself…
Useful Conversational Rejoinders Posted by Geoff on Feb 23, 2015
As learners of Italian we’ve all found ourselves in situations where our limited vocabulary makes us sound like fumbling four year olds, vero? Yes we’ve studied our grammar, we’ve rehearsed fantastical Italian conversation in our heads, we’ve made grand speeches on the most fascinating of topics in la bella lingua …. and suddenly there we…