Posts in April 2009

Pasqua e Pasquetta

Posted by Serena
Apr
13
2009

 

There is an Italian proverb which says: ‘Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi’ (Christmas with your family, Easter with whoever you wish), which illustrates the fact that Pasqua (Easter) is considered a less intimate festival than Christmas. Normally we spend Domenica di Pasqua (Easter Sunday) with the family, engaged in the traditional act of stuffing ourselves with food such as roasted lamb or kid, hard boiled eggs, which have been taken to church to be blessed at the end of the Mass, and of course chocolate eggs. The traditional Easter cake is la Colomba (the Dove), a cake similar to the Christmas cake Panettone in flavor and consistency, but baked in the form of a stylized dove. Although it is the most popular Easter cake eaten in Italy, the tradition of la Colomba isn’t that old as it was only created at the beginning of the 20th century by Motta, the manufacturer that also produces Panettone. When Motta created their Easter cake they decided to use the dove shape because it is a symbol of the peace represented by Easter.

The day following Domenica di Pasqua is Lunedi’ di Pasqua (Easter Monday), better known as Pasquetta (Little Easter) or Lunedi’ dell’Angelo (Monday of the Angel). The name Lunedi’ dell’Angelo refers to the Gospel story which tells that, the day after Easter the women who went to Jesus’ tomb to anoint his body were met by the Angel who told them that Jesus had been resurrected. This day is probably the most popular part of the whole festivity for Italians, and it’s traditional to celebrate Pasquetta with a ‘gita fuori porta’ (a trip outside the city gates), usually for a picnic with friends. One interpretation of this tradition comes once again from a Gospel story which recounts that, on the day of the resurrection Jesus appeared to two disciples who were travelling to Emmaus a few kilometers outside the city gates of Jerusalem. The  gita fuori porta tradition could be seen as a kind of ‘re-enactment’ of this story, although like many traditions most people won’t really be aware of it’s origins. A friend of mine who is originally from a town south of Naples told me that in that area the traditional gita fuori porta would be to go on a pilgrimage to a local monastery or Sanctuary. In my home town of Lucca it was traditional to go for a picnic along the river Serchio which passes Lucca on it’s journey from the Apuane Alps to the Mediterranean near Pisa.

Another popular way to spend the ‘gita fuori porta’ is a visit to a small historical town. Many of these towns will hold an event such as an antique market and will be packed with tourists. I remember many years ago going for a tour in the Chianti area near Siena with some friends from University. We were hoping to go to San Gimignano, a small walled town famous for its many medieval towers, but we couldn’t even get near it due to the long queues of tourist’s cars trying to get there. Instead we went to Monteriggioni, another beautiful walled town, and from there to visit a friend of ours whose family owns a Medici style villa on the top of a nearby hill.

Whatever we do for Pasquetta, the deciding factor is, of course, the weather: we always hope for a beautiful sunny warm day. This year’s weather forecast is not good: ‘hanno messo acqua’ (‘they have put water’) as they say in this area, or more correctly: ‘hanno previsto pioggia’ (they have predicted rain). However, while I have been typing  my husband has been outside digging on the orto (vegetable garden), and he’s just popped in to tell me that it’s a gorgeous day. E addesso e’ ora di partire per la nostra gita fuori porta!

Buona Pasqua e Pasquetta!

 
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Un cappuccino per favore

Posted by Serena
Apr
10
2009

‘Un cappuccino per favore’ is probably one of the most common phrases learnt by tourists visiting Italy, yet as with many things Italian a cappuccino isn’t always what you think it is. To the tourist a cappuccino is nothing more than a fancy cup of coffee with foam on top, but how many realize that a cappuccino is also a monk!

In the early 1500’s the Franciscan monk Matteo di Bassi of Urbino formed the austere order of cupuchin monks, so named because of the pyramidal hood which they wore as part of their habit. The word cappuccio means hood in Italian, and when we add the diminutive ending ‘-ino’ it becomes cappuccino, or ‘little hood’, hence the name of this order of monks who are still extant today: ‘I cappuccini’.

So what’s that got to do with a fancy cup of coffee I hear you ask. Well it’s difficult to give a definitive answer as myths and legends abound, but the most likely reason that the name of a monk’s hood was given to cappuccino coffee is, rather boringly, due to it’s color, which is similar to the milky brown color of the habit worn by the cappuccini monks. A more romantic legend however, has it that the invention of cappuccino coffee was due to Marco d’Aviano, a wandering preacher for the cappuccino order. In 1683 D’Aviano was sent to Vienna by the Pope to unite Christians in the face of the huge invading Ottoman army. D’Aviano is credited with rallying the disparate groups of Catholics and Protestants on the eve of the Battle of Vienna, an act which was crucial to halting the advance of Turkish soldiers into Europe. According to the legend the fleeing Turks left behind them sacks of coffee which the Viennese diluted with cream and honey as they found it too strong for their taste. The resulting milky brown beverage, being similar in color to the cappuccini’s robes was duly named cappuccino in honor of Marco D’Aviano’s order.

My neighbor recently told me an amusing true story which illustrates the possible confusion that can arise when two apparently diverse things share the same name. In Italy during the early 80’s there was a monk cantautore (singer songwriter) called Padre Giuseppe Cionfoli  who became famous with the song ‘Solo Grazie’, which he performed at the 1982 Sanremmo music festival. My neighbor’s young daughters were big fans of Padre Cionfoli, so that when they heard he was to visit their home town for a few days they were desperate to try and meet him in person. Rumor had it that during his visit Cionfoli, being a monk, would be staying ai cappuccini (with the cappuccini). Not knowing about the order of Cappuccini monks who lived at the local monastery the two girls interpreted this news as meaning that Cionfoli would be staying at the local bar because they had often heard their parents saying that they were going to ‘Il bar in piazza per i cappuccini’ (to the bar in the piazza for their cappuccini). After many long and anxious hours of hanging around outside the bar the two disappointed girls trudged home to confront their parents. ‘Ma Padre Cionfoli non c’era al bar!’ (but Padre Cionfoli wasn’t there at the bar!) they accused indignantly. You can imagine the amusement that the daughter’s little misunderstanding caused their parents!

 
Posted under Culture, Italian Language
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Abruzzo

Posted by Serena
Apr
7
2009

Once again Italy has been hit by an earthquake, this time the main victim being the town of L’Aquila in the region of Abruzzo. In terms of seismic activity we are a very high risk country, added to which we have a lot of old vulnerable buildings, but it’s easy to forget all that until the next earthquake strikes and claims yet more victims. Some people had been predicting a major earthquake in the Abruzzo area, and all the usual controversies have surfaced again concerning whether or not the impact, in terms of death and injury, could have been lessened by preventative measures. But I don’t want to get into the polemics of whether this latest tragedy could have been prevented or not; instead I’d like to write about Abruzzo itself, that little region which I’m so fond of, and which has been so badly devastated by Sunday night’s earthquake.

Several years ago I spent a summer holiday in Abruzzo, as a guest of some friends. Coming from Lucca in Tuscany, with its gentle terraced hills, olive groves, and vineyards, I was greatly impressed by the wilderness of this region. Abruzzo is very mountainous, having the highest peaks in the whole of the Appennini, the mountain range that forms the spine of the Italian peninsula. The rugged group known as Gran Sasso d’Italia (lit. Great Stone of Italy) which reaches 2900 meters is the tallest, followed by the Maiella group at 2793 meters. Both of these areas are now National Parks, and here you can still find some of the rarer wild animals such as il lupo (the wolf), l’orso bruno (the brown bear), la lince (the lynx), il camoscio (the chamois), la lontra (the otter), and l’aquila reale (the royal eagle). This wild region is a treasure trove of beautiful isolated abbeys which were built during the Middle Ages: I will always remember seeing the white church of San Clemente a Casauria with its wonderful portico, standing out against the dark foliage of the trees and the bright blue sky like an apparition in a fairy tale landscape.

The city of L’Aquila in the heart of the region contains many beautiful buildings (how many are still standing?), the most famous being the 14th century church of Santa Maria di Collemaggio with its orange and white facade, the open air fontana delle 99 cannelle (fountain of the 99 spouts), and the Castello which houses a National Museum. The day I visited the Museum, some musicians were playing live classical music in the courtyard thereby helping to enhance the magical atmosphere.

But Abruzzo it’s not only landscape and architecture, it is also the indigenous population, who are very friendly and welcoming. During my visit the friend with whom I was staying was working and had to go to her office every day, so I was immediately adopted by some friends of hers who had a bar, and who took it in turns to keep me company and take me off to explore the region. At the bar there was also a young waitress who was doing a course to become barmaid, which included making cocktails. As she had to practice a lot, and she also had to create her own cocktail for the final exam, I nobly volunteered as a guinea pig, and every evening I would savor a different beverage! But even if you are not fortunate enough to have a friend who is a barmaid, you can always enjoy drinking the excellent red wine Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, and if you’ve had too much to eat, it’s good to end the meal with the famous digestive liqueur Centerba, made from a 100 different medicinal herbs that grow on the Maiella mountains.

One thing that you shouldn’t miss if you visit Abruzzo is ‘i confetti di Sulmona’ (the confetti of Sulmona). Confetti in Italian are “sugar almonds” (not the bits of colored paper that I have seen thrown at weddings in England!), and the name comes from the Latin confectum, which is the same root of the English word “confectionary”. I confetti di Sulmona are famous all over Italy for their particular sweet flavor, and they are traditionally given to guests at weddings, christenings and first communions as a symbol of buon augurio (good luck).

Auguri Abruzzo.

 
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La Camera di Canaletto?

Posted by Serena
Apr
4
2009

Speaking of misleading words (see my recent series ‘Misleading Word of the Day’), another word that I have often seen included in lists of so called ‘falsi amici’ (false friends) or false cognates is ‘camera’. I don’t however consider ‘camera’ a ‘false friend’ but rather a ‘helpful friend’ because it is one of the many Italian words which can help you to understand the Latin elements in English a bit better, and perhaps to learn a little history at the same time.

‘Camera’ in Italian means ‘room’, whereas the gadget that we use to take photographs is called a macchina fotografica (literally a ‘photographic machine’). But it is not really true that the Italian ‘camera’ and the English ‘camera’ are two completely different things, and to understand why that is, we need to delve into the fascinating history of photography.

For centuries artists and scientists had profited from the phenomena whereby an inverted image could be projected upon a surface, such as a wall for example, inside a ‘camera obscura’ (Latin for ‘darkened chamber’), by allowing light to enter through a tiny hole which acted as a simple lens. In 1545 the first published illustration of the ‘camera obscura’, commonly known as the ‘pinhole camera’, appeared in a book by the Dutch mathematician and astronomer Gemma Frisius.

In the 16th century the pinhole camera was enhanced by the addition of a convex glass lens. The Venetian author Daniele Barboro, in a perspective manual for architects and artists, described how to draw from an image projected by a ‘camera obscura’ onto a paper screen. The early ‘camera obscura’ obviously had many limitations, not the least of which being that, as you had to physically get inside it, it certainly wasn’t portable! The next logical development therefore was to place the ‘observer’ outside the camera and this was achieved by means of shrinking the room to the size of a portable box with the lens on one side and a ground glass screen, onto which the image was projected, on the opposite side.

With the development of a practical and portable piece of kit the possibility of producing works of art on an almost industrial scale appeared alluringly to many ambitious artists. One of the best known of these was the Venetian painter Giovanni Antonio Canal, better known as Canaletto (1697-1768). Canaletto would employ his ‘camera obscura’ in situ to make a detailed drawing of the view commissioned by his client. This preparatory ‘sketch’ would then be elaborated and ‘colored in’ in his studio. Canaletto’s use of this technique helps to explain two notable aspects of his work: firstly his incredibly accurate perspective and proportioning, and secondly his prodigious output. Canaletto’s original ‘camera obscura’ has been preserved in the Correr Museum, Venice.

The first ‘photographic’ cameras were developed directly from this later type of ‘camera obscura’ by Fox Talbot and the French pioneers of photography, Niépce and Daguerre, who invented light sensitive plates which were placed inside the ‘chamber’ or ‘camera’ in order to capture the image projected by the lens. These days of course the image is captured digitally, but nevertheless the basis of the digital camera is still a ‘camera obscura’, that is a darkened chamber with a lens on one side and a means of capturing the image on the other.

So now you see why I say that the English word ‘camera’ and the Italian word camera are not two different things, it is simply that the English name for the photographic ‘camera’ is a shortened version of ‘camera obscura’. In Italian we still use the word camera oscura (n.b. we drop the ‘b’ in Italian) to mean photographic dark room, although with the advent of digital photography this is of course gradually disappearing.

Just remember, next time you are visiting Italy if you tell the shop assistant ‘vorrei delle pile per la mia camera’ you might get some strange looks as you will be asking for some batteries for your room!

 
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Meglio o Migliore?

Posted by Serena
Apr
2
2009

I recently received an interesting e.mail from a reader saying that he had never realized that “adverbs can also function as adjectives and nouns” and he asked me to focus in particular on “bene, meglio, male e peggio in comparison with buono, migliore, cattivo e peggiore”. I must admit that I had a few moments of panic when I read this, but after a bit of research I’ve probably got an answer, even if not a complete one, as these particular words are used in many idiomatic expressions. Proviamoci! (Let’s try!)

Aggettivi (adjectives) are words that describe nouns, and add more information about them: e.g. il maglione rosso (the red jumper), la mia penna (my pen), queste scarpe (these shoes). Because adjectives describe nouns, they agree with the noun by changing gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural): e.g. rosso, rossa, rossi, rosse. Of course, there are always exceptions, so some adjective, like viola (purple), don’t change at all.

Avverbi (adverbs) are words that describe verbs: e.g. Marco ascolta attentamente l’insegnante (Marco listens carefully to the teacher), Lucia parla correntemente tre lingue (Lucia speaks three languages fluently). Adverbs can also be used to reinforce an adjective or another adverb: e.g. questo maglione e’ veramente bello (this jumper is really beautiful); Giorgio guida troppo pericolosamente (Giorgio drives too dangerously). Many adverbs are constructed by adding the suffix –mente to the equivalent adjective, like the ending in ‘-ly’ in English: pericolosamente (dangerously), attentamente (carefully). Adverbs do not change, they don’t have gender or number.

So, what are “bene, meglio, male, peggio, buono, migliore, cattivo e peggiore”?

Bene and male are adverbs and they mean ‘well’ and ‘bad/badly’: Lucia suona bene il violino (Lucia plays the violin well); questo lavoro e’ fatto male (this job is badly done). But with the definite articles, i.e. il Bene and il Male, they are nouns and mean “Good” and “Evil”. Similarly, we can use them with the indefinite article, i.e. un bene, un male, meaning “it’s a good thing/a bad thing”: ‘e’ un bene che tu sei arrivato perche’ ho bisogno del tuo aiuto’ (it’s a good thing that you have arrived because I need your help).

Buono and cattivo are adjectives meaning “good” and “bad”: e.g. Mario ha fatto un buon lavoro (Mario did a good job), oggi il tempo e’ cattivo (today the weather is bad). For more detailed explanations of their meaning and uses see my past blogs The Good the Bad and the Ugly and Buono o Bello .

Migliore and peggiore are adjectives, in particular they are the comparative and superlative forms of buono and cattivo: migliore means “better” or “the best”, and peggiore means “worse” or “the worst”. Queste scarpe sono migliori di quelle (these shoes are better than those), questo e’ il libro migliore che abbia mai letto (this is the best book I’ve ever read), questo vino e’ peggiore di quello (this wine is worse than that one), questo e’ il peggiore film che abbia mai visto (this is the worst film I’ve ever seen).

Meglio and peggio are adverbs, in particular they are the comparative forms of bene and male: meglio means “better” and peggio means “worse”. Lucia suona il violino meglio di Laura (Lucia plays the violin better than Laura), Laura suona il violino peggio di Lucia (Laura plays the violin worse than Lucia). Meglio and peggio are commonly used in expressions such as: e’ meglio (it’s better) / e’ peggio (it’s worse): e’ meglio partire domani (it’s better to leave tomorrow), e’ peggio andare in macchina che in autobus (it’s worse going in the car than by bus). In modern Italian you will often hear meglio  and peggio used in place of the more grammatically correct migliore and peggiore  when they follow the verb e’ e.g. il maglione rosso e’ meglio di quello blu, instead of il maglione rosso e’ migliore di quello blu (the red jumper is better than the blue one), questo vino e’ peggio di quello instead of questo vino e’ peggiore di quello (this wine is worse than that one).

I hope I’ve helped to clarify some points, or have I made them as clear as mud?

 
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