Tag Archives: Italian proverbs
Luglio Posted by Serena on Jul 5, 2011
The month of luglio (July) is named after the Roman consul Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar), who was born on the 12th of July 100 B.C. Sopra: Giulio Cesare Unbelievably there aren’t any national holidays or festivals in luglio here in Italy (cosa?!) However, quite a few famous Italians were born in July. Here is a…
Giugno Posted by Serena on Jun 2, 2011
The name of the month giugno (June) comes from the Roman goddess Juno, wife of the god Jupiter. Festività (Festivals): On the 2nd of June we celebrate la Festa Nazionale della Repubblica. In 1946 the Italian people held a referendum on whether to remain a kingdom or to become a republic. The decision was made…
Maggio Posted by Serena on May 3, 2011
The name of the month maggio (May) comes from the Roman goddess Maia, mother of the god Mercury. Principali Festività (Main Festivals): On the 1st of May we celebrate la Festa del Lavoro or Giornata Internazionale dei Lavoratori (International Workers’ Day). This year il Primo Maggio (the First of May) falls on a Sunday and…
Marzo Posted by Serena on Mar 3, 2011
The name of the month marzo (March) comes from the Roman god of the war Mars. Principali Festività (Main Festivals): On the 8th of March we celebrate la Giornata Internazionale della Donna (International Woman’s Day), also known as La Festa della Donna (Woman’s Festival). In March 2009 I wrote an article about the origins and…
Febbraio Posted by Serena on Feb 2, 2011
The name of the month of Febbraio (February) comes from the Latin word "februus" which means ‘purifying’, because in Roman times this month was dedicated to the purification rituals used in preparation for Spring. Principali Festività (Main Festivals): On the 2nd of February we celebrate the festival of la Candelora (Candlemas), which commemorates the Purification of…
Una Mela al Giorno – part 2 Posted by Serena on May 27, 2010
Grazie a tutti for the interesting responses to my blog ‘Una Mela al Giorno’ I asked you to help me out by finding English equivalents for five common Italian sayings or proverbs. Here below are those that I consider to be the closest in meaning: Proverb Meaning chi fa per sè fa per tre ‘who…
Una Mela al Giorno Posted by Serena on May 16, 2010
A couple of days ago Geoff (mio marito) was chatting with some of his friends in the piazza about sayings (detti) and proverbs (proverbi). They ended up by trying to make a list of Italian equivalents for well known English sayings and vice versa. Here, for your entertainment, is the list so far: una mela…