Italy’s Incredible Transparent Church Posted by Geoff on Apr 26, 2016
A few days ago, a friend pointed me in the direction of an article about an extraordinary new structure in Puglia, and I immediately decided to share it with you dear readers. Built on the ruins of a 12th century basilica, this fantastical work of modern art helps visitors to visualize the true grandeur of…
Dammi Il Cinque … High Fiving In Italy – Part 2 Posted by Serena on Apr 22, 2016
In my previous post we looked at how we use the irregular verbs dare (to give), dire (to say or tell), and fare (to do/make or let) in their imperative form, second person singular, followed by the direct or indirect object pronouns (you can revise them in part 1). Today we are going to look…
Dammi Il Cinque … High Fiving In Italy Posted by Serena on Apr 21, 2016
Dammi il cinque = gimme five In Italian, just as in English, words often get moulded together to form new, shorter, and more fluent words. The expression gimme five and its Italian equivalent dammi il cinque are good examples of this. Of course, you need to know the underlying grammatical rules if you’re going to…
Naughty Italian Expressions! Posted by Geoff on Apr 18, 2016
From past experience I’ve learned that our blogs are occasionally read by people of a particularly sensitive disposition regarding the use of ‘rude’ words, and swearing. Hence if you, dear reader, are of such a disposition … I suggest that you stop right HERE. … and the rest of you can read on, buon divertimento!…
An Old Italian Springtime Recipe Posted by Serena on Apr 15, 2016
Spring is blooming all around us, re-awakening our senses: the birds are singing from dawn to dusk, the hills are painted in many shades of green, the fields are carpets of flowers, the air smells of mint, thyme and other wild herbs, our skin is caressed by the first warm sun and a fresh breeze…
Buying Clothes in Italy – Part 2 Posted by Serena on Apr 13, 2016
Shopping for clothes, like any other category of activity, has its own specific vocabulary. How do you ask for the right shoe size, or say that the jacket sleeves are too short? What size waist are those jeans, and is that shirt going to fit your neck? Here is some key vocabulary to help you…
Primavera Posted by Geoff on Apr 11, 2016
The transition from winter to spring always brings with it a touch of nostalgia. The return of sounds, colours, and odours simultaneously awakens desires for the future and memories of the past. These sensations are often heightened to an almost unbearable level when you live in a place, as do I, far from that of…