The Missing Ingredient: Passion Benny Lewis, author of Fluent in 3 Months (published by Collins) tells us about what made him passionate about learning a language, and how this can help you to find what really motivates you. In my new book, Fluent in 3 Months, I focus on independent learners, rather than those sitting […]
Mazzo (n. m.) a bunch. That’s nice. A nice bunch of flowers for our word for the week. How kind. Well, don’t be too hasty because although this entry does begin with a nice bunch of flowers it ends with brutal and violent death. But for now let’s get back to the flowers – un […]
Reading Dante: From Here to Eternity Prue Shaw, Liveright, £20 (paperback) Dante Alighieri wrote an epic poem about the afterlife that, 700 years later, is still universally recognised as the greatest work in the history of Italian literature. In this introduction to the Comedy, Shaw not only interprets the text but also explains how it […]
Nuvola/Nube (n.f.) Cloud. Bargain: two Words for the Week for the price of one! You may think. But it’s not really. It’s more like one and a half. As we’ll see… Here the Italian words are very different from the English one. ‘Cloud’ is Old English – and is actually related to ‘clod’, as in […]
Carnevale (n.m.) Carnival The tradition of Carnevale has never truly been part of the Protestant tradition, but its history in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is ancient and rich – the Venice Carnival has been going strong since 1268, except notably for a few years at the end of the 18th century when the […]
You can’t beat a course in Italy to learn Italian. These schools are tried an tested by Italia! AbbeySchool CiaoItaly – Turin www.ciaoitaly-turin.com Situated in an early 20th-century building in the heart of the Crocetta district, one of Turin’s most elegant areas and just a short walk from the Polytechnic, AbbeySchool CiaoItaly specialises in […]
Sebastian Cresswell-Turner looks British drinking habits compared to the Italians, and why the Brit pub culture can never quite translate across the water… Alcohol As a general rule, the Italians disapprove of British drinking habits. “I just couldn’t believe how much they all drank,” said an Italian friend of mine who was at Cambridge […]
When the countries of Europe embraced the euro they sacrificed part of their identities – Mario Matassa ponders the much-loved lira, and the growing number of Italians who are beginning to support its return… Dolore Euro Più di un semplice valore monetario, una moneta può avere un’anima? Qualunque sia il clima economico, non potrei mai […]
Italy?s independent businesses are at the heart of its culture, and the lack of chain stores is part of its charm. Mario Matassa embarks on a restaurant venture of his own and joins the ranks of family-owned businesses? Diversit? L?Italia ? un paese legato alla piccole imprese a conduzione familiare e sto per entrare nelle […]