by Dianne Hales | Apr 6, 2021 | April, Books, books on Italy, history, Italian, Italian language, Italy, Language, Sayings and expressions, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs
T.S. Eliot called it the cruelest month (il mese più crudele). Yet this is also the romantic month that inspired classic songs and movies like Enchanted April, April in Paris and April Love. And as the cheerful childhood rhyme reminds us, April showers bring...
by Dianne Hales | Mar 16, 2021 | art, art history, Books, books on Italy, culture, Florence, history, Italian, Italian movies, Italy, Language, learning Italian, Renaissance, Sayings and expressions, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs
In English the most eagerly awaited of seasons “springs” to life with blunt urgency. In Italian la primavera blossoms into four elegant syllables. My etymological dictionary traces primavera back to radici indoeuropee (Indo-European roots): prima for “before” and vas...
by Dianne Hales | Feb 23, 2021 | Books, books on Italy, Education, Italian language, Language, learning Italian, pets, Sayings and expressions, Travel, Weblogs, wine
I had my first conversation with an Italian dog years ago while I was jogging near Porto Ercole. A distraught man stopped me to explain that his pet was trapped in a steep ravine. He could push him from behind, but would I call the pup to come to me. The man addressed...
by Dianne Hales | Feb 8, 2021 | amore, Books, books on Italy, culture, history, Italian language, Italy, Language, literature, love in Italy, Sayings and expressions, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs
On February 14, Italians celebrate La Festa degli Innamorati, often loosely translated as “the Feast of the Lovers.” But no English word quite captures the sensation of innamoramento, of falling head-over-heels in love, deeper than infatuation, way beyond bewitched,...
by Dianne Hales | Feb 2, 2021 | Books, books on Italy, Carnevale, food, Food and Drink, history, Italian language, Italy, Language, Sayings and expressions, Travel, Venice, Web/Tech, Weblogs
This year the Venice Carnevale will be different. “Traditional, emotional, digital,” its organizers promise—and available to everyone everywhere via social media channels and virtual rooms (including one for the Best Mask Contest). Click here to find out more...
