Italy’s “Day of the Dead”

by | Oct 26, 2021 | autumn, Books, books on Italy, history, Italian, Italian folklore, Italian language, Italy, Language, Religion, Sayings and expressions, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs

  Italy’s cimiteri (cemeteries) are coming alive this week as families prepare for November 2 (All Souls’ Day), which the Catholic Church dedicates alla commemorazione dei defunti (to the commemoration of the deceased). To celebrate Il giorno dei morti (the Day...

Italy’s Other Languages

by | Oct 19, 2021 | Books, books on Italy, culture, history, Italian, Italian folklore, Italian language, Italian words and expressions, Italy, Language, learning Italian, Sayings and expressions, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs

For centuries the Italian peninsula was a patchwork of hundreds of dialects, often as different from one another as French from Spanish or English from Italian. Sailors from Genoa couldn’t understand—or be understood by—merchants from Venice or farmers from Friuli. ...

Honoring Dante during the Week of the Italian Language in the World

by | Oct 12, 2021 | books on Italy, Dante, Florence, history, Italian, Italian language, Italian words and expressions, Italy, Language, learning Italian, Travel, Tuscany, Web/Tech, Weblogs

This year the Settimana della lingua italiana nel mondo (week of the Italian language in the world), from October 18 to 23, celebrates “Dante, l’Italiano.“ It is a fitting tribute during the 700th commemoration of  the poet’s death in 1321. Born in Florence in...

Celebrating Italian American Heritage

by | Oct 5, 2021 | art, art history, Books, books on Italy, history, Italian, Italian American, Italian language, ItalianAmerican heritage, Italy, Language, Leonardo da Vinci, literature, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs

Every October the United States celebrates Italy’s heritage—with good reason.  More than a mere country, Italy embodies a culture that has  transformed art and architecture, language and music, food and fashion. Western civilization would surely have sprouted...

A Harvest of Italian Words

by | Sep 21, 2021 | autumn, Books, books on Italy, food, Food and Drink, history, Italian, Italian folklore, Italian language, Italian words and expressions, Italy, Language, learning Italian, Sayings and expressions, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs, wine

\ In Italy every season— la primavera (spring), l’estate (summer), l’autunno (autumn), l’inverno (winter) — has a different feel and focus. L’autunno is when farmers reap what they have sown. The harvest (il raccolto or la messe) has already passed for many fruits,...

The Joys of Italy’s Food

by | Sep 7, 2021 | Books, books on Italy, cooking, culture, food, Food and Drink, Italian, Italian language, Italian words and expressions, Italy, Language, learning Italian, Modena, Sayings and expressions, Web/Tech, Weblogs

  A guest post by Andrea Gelfoso Eating Italian food in Italy made me cry. The first time I had pizza during our year in Modena, tears ran onto the perfectly crisp crust. I’m a vegetarian, so vegetables rule. Pizza offered toppings from all over the produce...