Allora, here we are at the beginning of a new year. I thought it might be interesting to start this year with a mini review of my 2011 blogs. Let’s take a look back at some of the diverse topics that we covered last year. I’d be very interested to hear from you, our readers, about which type of blogs you find most useful or enjoyable. Any suggestions for future blogs are welcome, just leave a comment below.

Here are 12 of our favourite 2011 blogs month by month:

Gennaio: In January our cat Mimì wrote the third part of her autobiography (with a little help from Geoff). You’ll be glad to hear that Mimì is still alive and well, and has more or less adjusted to the three micini (kittens – not hers!) who adopted us this summer. Yes, our little house is getting a bit crowded! Here is part three of Mimì’s story: Mimì la Gatta 

Febbraio: In February I read an article about gli stambecchi (ibex) who, thanks to their amazing abilities, are able to scale the almost vertical walls of la diga del lago Cingino (the Cingino lake dam). A search on YouTube found a plethora of videos showing gli stambecchi in action. Read more here:  Lo stambecco che sale per il sale

Marzo: To celebrate the beginning of spring I wrote a blog about the poet Salvatore Quasimodo and shared with you his beautiful poem Specchio (Mirror), which I translated into English: Specchio di Primavera

Aprile: In April we had a look at the correct way to use the often confusing verb: Mancare

Maggio: Here’s a bit of classic Italian culture. What are i mammoni? This blog reveals all!: I Figli Mammoni

Giugno: Every culture has its popular myths which become so often repeated that are eventually accepted as facts. Here is a common Italian urban myth: Le Vipere che Arrivano dal Cielo

Luglio: In July I recounted an amusing little story from my childhood based on the bed time prayer dedicated to l’Angelo Custode (the Guardian Angel):  Angelino

Agosto: Real Italian cooking … it doesn’t get much more genuine than our neighbour Dina’s homemade tortelli. Here she is at work in her kitchen: I Tortelli di Dina

Settembre: The late summer is a great time for travelling around and visiting feste. We’d often heard about the festa at Ponticello not far from Pontremoli, and this year we actually managed to go there. In fact we liked it so much that we went twice!: I Mestieri nel Borgo

Ottobre: Feeling romantic? Well, here’s your chance to tell someone special that you love them … without embarrassing yourself. This blog will explain: How to say "I Love You"in Italian

Novembre: In November hundreds of thousands of Italians had a very special and long awaited reason to celebrate. They finally had the great pleasure of saying: Addio Silvio!

Dicembre: And to bring 2011 to a close we chose Italy’s most popular Christmas carol. Tu Scendi dalle Stelle

Tanti auguri per il nuovo anno  da Serena e Geoff