Sweet Little Lies
Written by admin on 28 January, 2009 – 9:30 am -
These are Bugie which literally means lies. They are a typical biscuit / sweet snack available during the carnival period (i.e. before Lent).
Posted in Food & Drink | 5 Comments »
Word of the Week
Written by admin on 26 January, 2009 – 2:57 pm -bugia f. (pl. bugie)
lie, falsehood, candle holder
- dire bugie – to tell lies
- non raccontarmi bugie – don’t tell me lies
- bugiardo/a – liar
As usual feel free to add your own expressions in the comments section.
Posted in Language | 1 Comment »
Duomo Uncovered
Written by admin on 20 January, 2009 – 10:51 pm -
“What a wonder it is! So grand, so solemn, so vast! And yet so delicate, so airy, so graceful! A very world of solid weight, and yet it seems …a delusion of frostwork that might vanish with a breath!…”
Posted in Travel | 6 Comments »
Word of the Week
Written by admin on 19 January, 2009 – 10:05 am -
Last Wednesday I was sitting on the train waiting to depart, reading the free newspaper. This week’s chosen word appeared twice on the front page in different articles (see below). Then the capotreno announced that my train had broken down. Unfortunately as this is not a rare occurrence it was followed by more…
caos m
chaos, mess
- Alitalia, il decollo è nel caos – Alitalia, takeoff in chaos
- maestro unico, iscrizioni nel caos – single teacher (having one teacher for the students as opposed to several), enrollment in chaos
How strange to see Alitalia associated with chaos! Another good word to accompany caos is tilt. For example ‘Alitalia, il decollo è in tilt‘.
As usual feel free to add your own expressions in the comments section.
Posted in Language | 4 Comments »
Fabrizio De André
Written by admin on 12 January, 2009 – 12:23 pm -Over the last few months I have discovered some wonderful Italian singer-songwriters / musicians. Using this blog I would like to share some of them with you. Maybe you will like some of my recommendations, maybe not, as taste is a very personal thing, but if nothing else you will be introduced to some of the most important figures in Italian music.
Yesterday, Sunday 11th January, marked ten years since the death of Fabrizio De André, an Italian singer-songwriter and poet. The cultural television programme che tempo che fa hosted a special evening, along with his wife, in his honour. The lineup of singers performing his songs included Gianna Nannini, Lucio Dalla, Franco Battiato, Jovanotti, Tiziano Ferro and Cristiano De André (the son).
It was the first time I had heard many of these songs – maybe they should be described as poems such was their hold over me. Hopefully this clip of the song Geordie (performed by Fabrizio De André) will better demonstrate.
Posted in Entertainment | 6 Comments »
Word of the Week
Written by admin on 12 January, 2009 – 9:42 am -
I was inspired by a book I saw entitled Come imbrogliare con Photoshop (I have the English version):
imbrogliare v.tr
to cheat, to deceive, to confuse
- Come imbrogliare con Photoshop – How to Cheat in Photoshop
- mi hanno imbrogliato! – they’ve cheated me!
As usual feel free to add your own expressions in the comments section.
By the way, I highly recommend How to Cheat in Photoshop by Steve Caplin.
Posted in Language | 1 Comment »
Take a Lucca
Written by admin on 7 January, 2009 – 6:34 pm -
Please take a ‘lucca’ at a new addition to the website. It is entitled Experience and will include photos and information on towns and regions I have personally visited in the Bel Paese. It is intended to give a real feel to a place as opposed to that of a guidebook.
For each entry I am currently working on a PDF document which can be downloaded, printed and taken with you if you visit.
The first Experience in a hopefully long list is Lucca in Tuscany which I visited over the New Year. At the moment there are only a few photos online but more will follow soon so keep checking.
It would be nice to hear other experiences of this delightful città. Please fee free to leave a comment if you have ever visited.
Posted in Experience | 7 Comments »
Word of the Week
Written by admin on 4 January, 2009 – 10:17 am -This week I have chosen one of the courses I had for San Silvestro (New Year’s Eve) whilst in Lucca, Tuscany (more about my visit in a later post):
cinghiale m. (pl. cinghiali)
wild boar / wild pig
I always get this word confused with cigno (swan) and cicogna (stork). Hopefully now I have solved my problem!
Posted in Language | 5 Comments »
