Italian language classes for curious people who wish to visit the land of the Dolce Vita.
21/12/2022
CHRISTMAS DUMB.
BABBO NATALE is the translation for Father Christmas. In fact, in some Italian regions, as Tuscany or Sardinia, BABBO means dad, father. But in some other regions it means...dumb. Hence, it's preferable to use PAPA', which has only one meaning.😜
10/12/2022
IT'S COMING HOME.
In Italy, there is this kind of superstition, that is called "SCARAMANZIA". This rite requires that you do not celebrate an event before it happens. That's why we don't celebrate baby showers or birthdays early, or talk about a new project before it starts. And this is especially true in football. So this thing that England sings "It's coming home" is incomprehensible to most Italians. The superstitious ones, of course 😉
05/12/2022
NATALE (part. 1)
In Italy, Christmas (NATALE) is the most important festivity of the year. As per tradition, families decorate the tree on the 8th December (which is bank holiday, called IMMACOLATA) although, in recent years, more and more people do it before that date. Lots of families still do the nativity scene (PRESEPE). There is an alley in Naples, where local artisans sell their handmade figurines (STATUINE). The peculiarity of this Christmas market is that, in addition to the classic characters, you can find also the celebrities. So, next to the Holy Mary (LA MADONNA) you can find Nicki Minaj and close to Saint Joseph (SAN GIUSEPPE) you can spot Prince Harry.
02/12/2022
FALSE FRIENDS.
They are words that sound similar but have a completely different meaning.
PEPERONI means peppers and not salami.
LIBRERIA means bookshop and not library.
PARENTI means relatives and not parents.
STAMPA means press and not stamp.
PR********VO means condom not preservative.
So be careful when ordering a peperoni pizza or asking if there are preservative in the food. 😉
01/12/2022
See you on the 12th December!
Ci vediamo il 12 dicembre!
01/12/2022
LA MODA (fashion)
Are Italians obsessed with fashion (MODA)? Yes and no. It's more dress well (VESTIRSI BENE) than fashion. There are rules that we learn from an early age. When Italian children begin to dress themselves(VESTIRSI), there's always a mother behind, with a stern look, to check the combinations of colors, ready to yell "NO STRIPES (righe) WITH POLKA DOTS! ".
And so, dressing after dressing, we learn that blue doesn't match with black, pink and light blue are for peasants and sandals (SANDALI)with socks (CALZE)...only if you're German.
30/11/2022
Planning a ski trip to Italy? Going to Rome for a weekend? Dreaming of a summer break in Sardinia?Come and join us in Maidenhead, for a basic Italian course to be able to deal with normal or tricky situations 🇮🇹
22/11/2022
As in many other countries, football (CALCIO) is the most popular sport in Italy. Unfortunately, this year the Italian national team (AZZURRI) won't take part in the World Cup (MONDIALI). So...come on (FORZA) England 😉🍀
11/11/2022
ANANAS.
One of the funniest jokes that people around the world love to make on Italians is to say that pineapple (ANANAS) pizza is a typical Italian dish. In order not to be the usual Italian who goes abroad and complains about food, I wanted to try it. No, seriously: it's like putting fish'n'chips inside a watermelon (ANGURIA) peel together with kiwi and strawberries (FRAGOLE) and saying it's a typical English dish 😅
02/11/2022
In Italy, we drink a lot of coffee (CAFFÈ). When we talk about coffee, we generally mean "ESPRESSO" or the coffee made at home with the moka pot. If you ask for a tea (TÈ), they will ask you if you are sick (MALATO) or British (INGLESE). In Italy, many people drink tea only when they don't feel well or...at the hospital 😅.
29/10/2022
APERITIVO.
Originally, the APERITIVO consisted of drinks and little snacks like olives (OLIVE) and crisps (PATATINE). Since 2000s, it has changed so much that it can almost replace a dinner (CENA). If you ask for an APERITIVO COMPLETO (complete), you will be served with cold cuts (AFFETTATI), cheese (FORMAGGIO), bruschette and other finger food. Normally, you only pay for the drink (alcoholic or soft drinks) and the food in included. Before Covid, many bars used to have a buffet where you could help yourself with the food.
An experience to do absolutely is the aperitif at sunset.