Summer in Italian: The Sweetness of Doing Nothing

by | Aug 18, 2021 | Books, books on Italy, Italian language, Italian words and expressions, Italy, Language, learning Italian, Sayings and expressions, summer in Italy, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs

il dolce far niente by Jody Paglia Goode This guest blog by  an Italophile in Des Moines is one of the most popular posts I’ve ever run. I’m re-publishing it to savor as the end of summer approaches.   Buona lettura!  (Enjoy the read!) A few years ago...

Summer in Italian: Buon Ferragosto!

by | Aug 10, 2021 | Books, books on Italy, Capri, history, Italian, Italian language, Italian words and expressions, Italy, Language, learning Italian, Roman history, Sayings and expressions, summer in Italy, Travel, Uncategorized, Web/Tech, Weblogs

Years ago I celebrated my first Italian Ferragosto in Capri, a most fitting (though crowded) place to be on August 15. The Roman emperor Augustus, whose name graces summer’s last month, was so enamored with the beguiling island of Capri that he appropriated it from...

Summer in Italian: Vacation Time

by | Aug 3, 2021 | Books, books on Italy, history, Italian, Italian language, Italian words and expressions, Italy, Language, learning Italian, Sayings and expressions, summer in Italy, Travel, Uncategorized, Web/Tech, Weblogs

  Italy goes on vacation in August.  Even in not-yet-normal times, shops are shuttered, restaurants closed, streets quiet. Cities empty as residents join the esodo estivo (summer exodus), the  mass departure of Italians heading off for their ferie estive (summer...

Summer in Italian: The Beach (La Spiaggia)

by | Jul 13, 2021 | Books, books on Italy, Italian, Italian language, Italian words and expressions, Italy, Language, learning Italian, Sayings and expressions, summer in Italy, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs

The beaches on the northern California coast where I live are beautiful, dramatic — and usually windy, foggy and cold in the summer months.  As much as I love walking and jogging on them, none can compare with una spiaggia italiana. If I could, I’d spend...

Summer in Italian: A Season in the Sun

by | Jul 6, 2021 | Books, books on Italy, history, Italian, Italian language, Italian words and expressions, Italy, Language, learning Italian, summer in Italy, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs

  Italians sometimes describe themselves as “solari” (sunny, cheerful, radiant). Il sole italiano (the Italian sun) certainly has inspired il culto del sole (sun worship) throughout the peninsula. Could anyone other than Italians have written a love song to the...