Posts in July 2009

Insetti!

Posted by Serena
Jul
15
2009

Fa caldo! it’s hot! and from dawn to dusk the air resounds with il frinire delle cicale (the characteristic sound produced by the cicadas). I love this sound, not because I find it musical but because for me it represents the ‘soundtrack’ of summer. Unfortunately my husband doesn’t share my passion for this particularly screechy sound, and occasionally he throws a few pebbles at the walnut tree just below our terrazzo, hoping to silence the cicala who has taken up residence there, but without much success. In the evening however, when the relentless cicale seem to have finally exhausted themselves their place is taken by the more musical canto del grillo (cricket’s song).

Higher up in the mountains where the air is fresher, crickets and grasshoppers leap and dance in all directions with every pace that we take, and clouds of tiny blue butterflies tumble along. Occasionally a majestic, kite like, swallowtail butterfly glides past in search of nectar.

In fact this year there seem to be a vast array of colorful farfalle (butterflies), falene (moths), and other assorted insetti (insects) hovering around the flowers in our garden, and almost everyday, it seems, we discover a new variety. Unfortunately I don’t know the names of many farfalle, but one which I can always recognize is the cavolaia (cabbage butterfly), whose caterpillars feed on my cabbage leaves. There are plenty of them, and every day I have to check my baby cavolo nero (black cabbage) plants leaf by leaf, to prevent them becoming il pranzo dei bruchi (the caterpillars lunch).

Quest’anno le api sono tornate (the bees have come back this year), after a worry time last year when the bee population was decimated by a combination of disease and over zealous use of insetticidi (insecticides). This is great news for nature in general and for our orto (vegetable garden) in particular. Near our house there is a font with running spring water, and during the day when it is hot and dry  there are dozens of honey bees lined up along the edge taking a break and refreshing themselves during their busy day’s labor. The kaleidoscope of insects in our garden, and sometimes in the house, also comprises: a wide variety of vespe (wasps), the beautiful blue black api legnaiuole (carpenter bees), and the scary calabroni (hornets), which this year seem to be bigger than ever! One of the largest insects that we see is the cervo volante (stag beetle, literally: flying deer) which occasionally thunders past like some strange obsolete aircraft .

Unfortunately, the hot summer air also brings many unpleasant insects, such as le zanzare (the mosquitoes), le mosche (the flies), i mosconi (the blue bottles), and the painful tafani (horseflies). A couple of weeks ago we went for a walk high up in the mountains, and after a wonderful hour of tranquility and fresh air we found ourselves surrounded by a cloud of annoying mosche e tafani that joined us when we passed through una mandria di mucche (a herd of cows) in one of the mountain prati (meadows), and didn’t abandone us for a minute until we got back to the car! The worst insects that are bothering us a the moment, however, are le zecche (the ticks). This year we seem to be plagued by them, and I’ve had to learn how to remove them successfully, after having made a terrible mess of it the first time, pulling the body off and leaving the head embedded. Fortunately for me, my surgical efforts have so far been directed at my husband’s legs! He works outside a lot and had somehow managed to pick up a couple of ticks. I’ve discovered that it’s important to keep a supply of surgical alcohol in the house. When applied to the ‘infested’ area the alcohol helps to anaesthetize the tick which therefore releases its grip a little. At this point you need to twist it around with a pair of tweezers before pulling it out. Unfortunately I didn’t have any surgical alcohol when I performed my first ‘operation’, and my husband had to do a fair bit of painful excavating with a needle to remove the tick’s head. Luckily, according to our doctor, Lyme disease, a nasty infection carried by ticks, is not common in this area, but it’s still important to check for any sign of fever or infection.

The most spectacular insect of all only appears at night. This is la lucciola (the firefly), and every night since mid June we have had the privilege to watch this humble little insect perform its wonderful show. There are literally thousands of lucciole around our village and at night the woods are filled with their magical flashing lights as they execute their fairy dance. No man made show can beat this one! 

 
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Esprimiti! part 1.

Posted by Serena
Jul
12
2009
Learning another language always has its ups and downs, and it’s quite normal to pass through phases in which you feel that you’re making progress, followed by times where you feel that you’re not getting anywhere. This partly depends on the level of interaction that you have with native speakers of the language that you are learning. For example, someone who is just beginning to learn Italian will probably feel a real sense of ‘Wow, I’m speaking Italian!’ they may think to themselves, and then one of the ‘natives’ in the bar, or on the bus starts chatting to them in Italian and they realize that non capiscono un cavolo di niente! (they don’t understand a single ‘cabbage’ thing!). Oh well, back to the drawing board, as they say. 

At a certain point in your learning you will probably feel that, although you can communicate on a basic level by asking questions and saying a bit about yourself etc., you are not really able to esprimerti (express yourself), and this can be the source of a lot of frustration. When I say ‘express yourself’, what I’m talking about is the ability to communicate your likes and dislikes, passions and preferences, beyond simply saying mi piace or non mi piace. I will assume that you have a working knowledge of the use of piacere, if not you should read my article A different point of view  as I don’t intend to cover it here. 

Let’s begin with preferire = to prefer: this is fairly straightforward as it works pretty much in the same way as its English counterpart, e.g.:

Io preferisco quel quadro li’ a sinistra, tu quale preferisci? (I prefer that painting on the left, what about you, which one do you prefer?)

Il crème caramel e’ il mio dolce preferito (Crème caramel is my preferred dessert). N.B. you could also use favorito/a, just remember to change the ending in either case according to the gender of the subject, i.e. il mio dolce preferito / favorito (my favorite dessert), la mia macchina preferita / favorita (my favorite car)

If you are ‘keen on’, or are ‘an enthusiast’ about something you can use the expression ‘essere entusiasta per’. The important thing to remember here is that the ending only changes in the plural, not the singular, i.e. entusiasta  = masc. or fem. singular, entusiasti = masc. plural, entusiaste = fem. plural. Let’s see some examples:

Giovanni e’ entusiasta per le moto (Giovanni is keen on motorbikes)

Loro sono entusiasti per il giardinaggio (they are gardening enthusiasts)

You can also use ‘essere entusiata di’ to mean ‘very pleased’, or ‘delighted’ about something, for example:

Sono entusiasta della mia nuova macchina fotografica (I’m really pleased/delighted with my new camera)

Siamo entusiasti della nostra nuova casa (we are delighted with our new house)

Alternately you can use ‘essere contento/a/i/e’, e.g.

Sono molto contenta di vederti (I’m really pleased to see you)

Giorgio e’ contento che ha smesso di piovere (Georgio is pleased that it has stopped raining)

If your feelings about something are a little bit stronger, then you can use ‘essere appassionato/a/i/e di’ which means to be a ‘lover’ or a ‘fan’ of something. In this case the ending changes in both the singular and plural forms for masculine and feminine. Here are some examples:

Luigi e’ appassionato di musica classica (Luigi is a classical music lover)

Fernada e’ appassionata della musica di Corelli (Fernanda is a fan of Corelli’s music)

Loro sono tutti e due appassionati del calcio (they are both football fans)

Another common expression in the same vein is ‘andare matto per’ (to be mad about), e.g.

Lino va matto per i funghi (Lino is mad about funghi)

Maria Pia va matta per l’equitazione (Maria Pia is mad about horse riding) 

The final expression for part one of this article is ‘essere affezionato/a/i/e a’ meaning ‘to be fond of’, ‘to feel affection for’, or ‘to have an attachment to’ an object, or animal etc.. Here are a couple of examples:

Sono molto affezionata al mio gatto (I’m very fond of my cat)

Marco e’ molto affezionato alla sua vecchia Cinquecento (Marco is very attached to his old Cinquecento)

Alla prossima (until next time)

 

 

 
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Traditional children’s games

Posted by Serena
Jul
9
2009

Here in Italy the schools are closed for the summer holidays, and children are at home playing. A few days ago I saw a small group of bambini (young children) aged around 2 to 8 playing an old traditional playground game: Il Girotondo (the equivalent of Ring-a-Ring-a-Roses). I felt a touch of nostalgia as many happy memories came back to me, and at the same time I was pleased to see that in this era of electronic virtual entertainment kids are still playing these traditional playground games which have been passed down for generations. I felt inspired to write about some of my old childhood favorites, and decided to do a bit of research on the Internet to try and find out about their history and origins, but I couldn’t find anything definitive. One interesting fact that did emerge however is that these games are all part of a very old oral tradition, and are common all over Italy. The same games can be found from Friuli Venezia Giulia in the very north down to Sicilia in the south, with a few minor variations and spelling adaptations.

In keeping with tradition I would like to pass on to you three of my giochi preferiti (favorite games). The first is the aforementioned Il Girotondo, in which the children make a ring by holding hands and walking in a circle while chanting this short rhyme, at the end of which they throw themselves down onto the ground with great hilarity.

Giro girotondo

Casca il mondo

Casca la Terra

Tutti giu’ per terra!

Turn round and round / the world falls down / the Earth falls down / everybody down on the ground!

 

La bella lavanderina

This is another popular “ring-a-ring-a-roses” type game, but the attraction of this one is that it gives the children the possibility to express their acting abilities! In this game, while the children fanno il girotondo (make a ring) and sing the nursery rhyme, one child is chosen to be la lavanderina (the little washerwoman), and stands in the center of the ring acting out the ‘script’ of the rhyme. When the rhyme is finished the bambino or bambina chooses another child from the ring and they swap places.

La bella lavanderina

che lava i fazzoletti

per i poveretti

della citta’

fai un salto

fanne un altro

fai la giravolta

falla un’altra volta

guarda in su

guarda in giu’

dai un bacio a chi vuoi tu!

The pretty little washerwoman / who washes the handkerchiefs / for the poor people / of the town / make a jump / make another one / twirl around / do it again / look up / look down / give a kiss to whom you want!

 

Quante belle figlie, Madama Dore’

You will recognize the tune from this very old game if you listen to Ottorino Respighi’s Pini di Villa Borghese (Pines of Villa Borghese), which is the first scene of his evocative symphonic poem Pini di Roma (Pines of Rome). In this descriptive scene the composer wanted to represent children playing in the park of Villa Borghese. The game itself can be played in different ways and has many variations in the text. I’m going to describe the one I used to play as a child. The children create two rows facing each other, each row has their arms interlocked. One row is the king’s party, and the other one is Madama Dore’s party, and they each take it in turns to sing a line of the rhyme. The king’s party begins, followed by Madama Dore’s, as if they are having a conversation. The row that is singing steps forward and backward as they sing. At the end of the song the king’s party chooses the most beautiful daughter from Madama Dore’s party. This is repeated until all the children from Madama Dore’s row have been chosen except one, who is Madama Dore’ herself. To illustrate how the ‘conversation’ works I have highlighted the king’s party in maroon and Madama Dore’s in green:

- Oh quante belle figlie, Madama Doré,
oh quante belle figlie.

Oh, how many beautiful daughters, Madame Dore’, how many beautiful daughters. / They are beautiful and I keep them for myself, King’s Squire, they are beautiful and I keep them for myself. / The King would like one of them, Madame Dore’, the King would like one of them. / What does he want to do with her, King’s Squire, what does he want to do with her? / He wants to give her a husband, Madame Dore’, he wants to give her a husband. / Whom would he marry her to, King’s Squire, whom would he marry her to? / To the Prince of Spain, Madame Dore’, to the Prince of Spain. / And how would he dress her, King’s Squire, how would he dress her? / He would dress her with roses and violets, Madame Dore’, he would dress her with roses and violets. / Take the most beautiful one, King’s Squire, take the most beautiful one.

- Son belle e me le tengo, Scudiero del re,
son belle e me le tengo.

- Il re ne vorrebbe una, Madama Doré,
il re ne vorrebbe una.

- Che cosa ne vuol fare, Scudiero del re,
che cosa ne vuol fare ?

- La vuole maritare, Madama Doré,
la vuole maritare.

- Con chi la mariterebbe, Scudiero del re,
con chi la mariterebbe?

- Col principe di Spagna, Madama Doré,
col principe di Spagna.

- E come la vestirebbe, Scudiero del re,
e come la vestirebbe?

- Di rose e di viole, Madama Doré,
di rose e di viole.

- Prendete la più bella, Scudiero del re,
prendete la più bella.

 

 

As children, when we used to play this game we often ‘modernized’ it by substituting the ‘Prince of Spain’ with famous actors and singers who were popular at that time.

 
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Tiramisu’: a healthy version!

Posted by Serena
Jul
6
2009

It’s time for another recipe, and as we are in the middle of a sultry summer here in Italy, in the period known as il solleone (the lion sun), what’s better than a nice, cool, refreshing dessert? Tiramisu’ is probably the best known Italian pudding in the world, but perhaps not many people are aware of the meaning of its name. Literally translated, tira-mi-su’ means “pull-me-up” or, as you say in English, “pick-me-up”. In fact we feel quite invigorated when we eat it, no? But a small slip in the spelling of its name can create an amusing mistake: a few years ago we went to a pub in a tiny village somewhere in the south of England. While sipping the local cider I happened to glance up at the menu’ written in chalk on the blackboard: one of the desserts on offer was “tiramuso”! I started giggling and had to explain to my surprised husband that the misspelling, tira-muso, means “pull-a sulky face”, quite the opposite of the original meaning!

A good Tiramisu’ is always welcome, but it’s not the sort of thing you make everyday, as it’s a very rich and time consuming recipe (too much of it will pull your cholesterol up instead of your morale). Fortunately, however, there is an alternative, and many years ago a friend of mine taught me this simple, relatively healthy, version that you can make at home with everyday ingredients, and eat without worrying too much about the consequences. I’m going to give you the recipe, but you’ll have to forgive me because I never measure things when I make it, lo faccio ad occhio (I do it by eye).

Ingredienti

Dry, plain biscotti (biscuits), the sort we call Marie, and that we eat for breakfast dipped in “caffelatte”.

Caffe’ nero dolcificato   Black coffee, slightly sweetened.

Liquore: Brandy or similar (optional)

Burro (butter) or margarina (margarine)

Farina (flour) or Maizena (cornstarch)

Latte (milk)

Zucchero (sugar)

Cacao dolce (sweet cocoa)

 

Preparazione

Make a besciamella dolce (sweet béchamel sauce) with butter (or margarine), flour (or cornstarch), and milk, adding sugar  when it is almost cooked, and leave it to cool slightly. Mix the coffee with a couple of spoonfuls of brandy (if you choose to use it). Use a rectangular container with tall sides, made of Pyrex if possible. Put a layer of biscuits at the bottom of the container. Pour some of the coffee mixture over the top to soak them, then cover with some sweet béchamel sauce. Repeat the process of making layers in the same way until all the ingredients are finished (I often have to make some more besciamella because I’ve made too little, or I make too much sauce and have to get another container to make an extra portion of pudding, oh dear!). Put it in the fridge for several hours to cool down and set; sprinkle the top with cocoa before serving. Enjoy it chilled.

Variazione extra salutare (Extra healthy variation)

A few days ago I had some guests who didn’t drink anything caffeinated. As I didn’t have any decaffeinated coffee, I decided to improvise and use caffe’ d’orzo (barley coffee) instead, and it worked really well. Caffe’ d’orzo is a popular substitute for coffee here in Italy as it is naturally caffeine free, and let’s face it, there’s something a bit ‘unnatural’ about decaffeinated coffee! Caffe’ d’orzo is made from ground, roasted barley, and is prepared in the normal mocha (Italian coffee maker) or, even better, in the caffettiera Napoletana (Neapolitan coffee maker).

Mmm… Mi e’ venuta l’acquolina in bocca! Vado a prepararmi un buon Tiramisu’ salutare! (Mmm… my mouth is watering! I’m going to prepare a nice, healthy Tiramisu’!)

 
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Ogni

Posted by Serena
Jul
3
2009

Following an interesting discussion that arose from my article ‘Talking about the time’ I thought it would be useful to explore the use of ogni, a word which can occasionally cause some confusion.

Ogni usually means ‘every’, ‘each’, or ‘all’ and is commonly heard in the following types of phrases: ogni mattina mi alzo alle sette (every morning I get up at seven o’clock), ho letto attentamente ogni singola pagina, ma non ci capisco niente! (I’ve carefully read each single page but I don’t understand anything!), ogni uomo e’ mortale (all men are mortal), and ti auguro ogni felicita’ (I wish you all / every happiness).

By linking ogni with other words we can build up a useful vocabulary of words that begin with ‘every’ in English:

ogni cosa = everything

in ogni luogo = everywhere

ad ogni modo = anyhow / anyway

ogni persona = everyone / everybody

ogni volta = whenever

di ogni giorno = everyday

We also use the expression ‘ogni tanto’ or ‘una volta ogni tanto’ to mean ‘every now and then’

However, ogni can also mean ‘any’ e.g. Lunedi’, come ogni altro giorno, Paolo prendeva l’autobus a Piazza Garibaldi  (Monday, like any other day, Paolo caught the bus in Piazza Garibaldi), and this is where things can potentially get confusing because in this case ‘any’ isn’t interchangeable with ‘every’. Let me explain: In Italian we can say ‘l’autobus parte ogni quindici minuti (the bus departs every fifteen minutes), or la bolletta dell’elettricita’ va pagata ogni due mesi (the electricity bill has to be paid every two months / every other month). However, if we try to apply this rule to the phrase  ‘every other day’, as in ‘please water the flowers every other day’, you can not use ‘ogni altro giorno’, which would mean ‘any other day’ as illustrated in the phrase at the beginning of this paragraph. Instead you will need to say either ogni due giorni / un giorno si’ e uno no, or a giorni alterni. So if you want to ask your Italian neighbor to water your flowers every other day whilst you’re away on holiday in Sardegna you can say: Per piacere, innaffia i fiori un giorno si’ e uno no / ogni due giorni / a giorni alterni.

 
Posted under Grammar, Italian Language
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