Preposizioni Articolate – part 2

Posted by Serena 1 Comment
Jan 23 2012

Here’s part 2 of my blog  dealing with preposizioni articolate (articulated prepositions). You will need to read the introduction to part 1 for an explanation.

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Di (of, than, about):

di + il = del e.g.: l’albero è caduto a causa del vento (the tree fell down because of the wind)

di + lo = dello e.g.: il miele è più nutriente dello zucchero (honey is more nutritious than [the] sugar)

di + la = della e.g.: il tavolo della cucina è troppo piccolo (the kitchen table is too small – literally: ‘the table of the kitchen is too small’)

di + l’ = dell’ e.g.: stavamo parlando dell’ultimo film di Leonardo Di Caprio (we were talking about Leonardo Di Caprio’s last film – literally: ‘we were talking about the last film’ etc.)

di + i = dei e.g.: la terra dei nostri avi (the land of our ancestors)

di + gli = degli e.g.: Posso avere l’orario degli autobus? (Can I have the bus timetable? – literally: ‘the timetable of the bus’)

di + le = delle e.g.: gli Appennini sono più antichi delle Alpi (the Apennines are older than the Alps)

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In (in, inside, within, at, to):

in + il = nel e.g.: Giorgio è nato nel 1980 (Giorgio was born in [the] 1980)

in + lo = nello e.g.: siamo arrivati nello stesso momento (we arrived at the same time)

in + la = nella e.g.: guarda nella borsa! (look in/inside the bag!)

in + l’ = nell’ e.g.: il cappotto è nell’armadio (the coat is in/inside the wardrobe)

in + i = nei e.g.: ho fatto quello che potevo nei limiti delle mie capacità (I did what I could within the limits of my capabilities)

in + gli = negli e.g.: David è andato negli Stati Uniti (David went to the United States)

in + le = nelle e.g.: nelle grandi città c’è troppo traffico (in the big cities there is too much traffic)

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Su (on, in, about):

su + il = sul e.g.: ho letto un articolo interessante sul giornale di oggi (I read an interesting article in today’s newspaper – literally: in the newspaper of today)

su + lo = sullo e.g.: sullo sfondo si vedono le Alpi (in the background you can see the Alps)

su + la = sulla e.g.: ha scritto un libro sulla caduta dell’Impero Romano (he wrote a book about the fall of the Roman Empire)

su + l’ = sull’ e.g.: ci sono molte mele sull’albero (there are lots of apples on the tree)

su + i = sui e.g.: ieri ha nevicato sui monti (yesterday it snowed on the mountains)

su + gli = sugli e.g.: ho visto un documentario sugli struzzi (I saw a documentary about [the] ostriches)

su + le = sulle e.g.: spremi un po’ di limone sulle fragole (squeeze a bit of lemon on the strawberries)

Preposizioni Articolate – part 1

Posted by Serena 1 Comment
Jan 20 2012

A preposition is a word that describes a relationship between other words in a sentence. The most common Italian preposizioni are, in alphabetical order: a (to, at, in), con (with), da (from, by, since, to, at), di (of, than, about), in (in, inside, to, within, at), per (for, to, by), su (on, in, about), tra/fra (between, amongst). These nine words are called preposizioni semplici (simple prepositions). Some of them, when preceding the definite article ‘the’ (il, lo, la, l’, i, gli, le), always combine together to become preposizioni articolate (articulated prepositions). Let’s have a look at how to form them by studying some examples of their usage:

A (to, at, in):

a + il = al e.g.: Mario è andato al mare (Mario went to the sea)

a + lo = allo e.g.: Laura si guarda allo specchio (Laura is looking at herself in the mirror)

a + la = alla e.g.: hanno bussato alla porta (they have knocked at the door)

a + l’ = all’ e.g.: hanno portato Mario all’ospedale (they’ve taken Mario to the hospital)

a + i = ai e.g.: hai dato da mangiare ai gatti? (have you fed the cats? Lit.: have you given food to the cats?)

a + gli = agli e.g.: il professore ha spiegato il teorema di Pitagora agli studenti (the teacher explained Pythagoras’s theorem to the students)

a + le = alle e.g.: stamattina mi sono alzata alle 7 (this morning I got up at [the] 7 o’clock)

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Con (with) – this preposition only combines with two articles, il and i:

con + il = col e.g.: Mario è uscito col cane (Mario went out with the dog)

con + i = coi e.g.: i carciofi stanno bene coi piselli (artichokes go well with [the] peas)

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Da (from, by, since, to, at):

da + il = dal e.g.: Mario è andato dal dottore (Mario went to the doctor)

da + lo = dallo e.g.: hai preso la tua sciarpa dallo zaino? (have you taken your scarf from the rucksack?)

da + la = dalla e.g.: sono appena ritornata dalla banca (I’ve just come back from the bank)

da + l’ = dall’ e.g.: è dall’una che non prendo un caffè (I haven’t had a coffee since [the] one o’clock)

da + i = dai e.g.: a Natale sono stata dai miei (I spent Christmas at [the] my parent’s [house])

da + gli = dagli e.g.: Cortona è stata fondata dagli Etruschi (Cortona was founded by the Etruscans)

da + le = dalle e.g.: i negozi sono aperti dalle 9 a mezzogiorno e mezzo (the shops are open from [the] 9 to half past 12)

Sant’Antonio Abate

Posted by Serena 1 Comment
Jan 18 2012

On the 17th of January the Catholic Church commemorates Sant’Antonio Abate (Saint Anthony the Abbot), patron saint of animali domestici (pets and farm animals), macellai e quelli che lavorano il maiale (butchers and those who process pork), and coloro che sono afflitti dal fuoco di sant’Antonio (those who suffer from shingles or herpes zoster, commonly known in Italy as Saint Anthony’s fire).

Sant’Antonio Abate was born in Egypt in 251 AD. Following his parents’ death he chose to become a hermit and he lived in the desert for over 20 years, where he fought the devil who both tempted him with angelic voices and tortured him with fire. Word soon spread and many admirers and would-be disciples came to look for him. He miraculously healed people, and instructed his followers to base their lives on the Gospel. His disciples created two communities on both sides of the river Nile, where they lived in caves. Anthony died ultracentenario (over a hundred years old) in 356 AD, and his disciples buried him in a secret place, but in 561 his remains were discovered, and his relics began a long journey from Alexandria to Constantinople, ending near Viennes in France in the XI century. In this place, a monastery dedicated to Sant’Antonio Abate was founded.

Soon many people, particularly those suffering from shingles, began to come to the monastery to be healed. The condition of shingles was treated with pork fat, which helped to reduce the burning pain, and for this reason the monks were granted permission to keep pigs. The pigs were fed by the whole community and could run free in the village as long as they wore a bell around their necks. This led to the tradition of representing Sant’Antonio with a piglet at his feet (see photo below). For this reason Anthony is also known as Sant’Antonio del Porcello (Saint Anthony of the piglet), which helps to distinguish him from the later and more famous Sant’Antonio da Padova (Saint Anthony from Padua). In the south of Italy, in order to avoid confusion, Sant’Antonio Abate is called Sant’Antuono.

Sant'Antonio Abate 1

Sant’Antonio Abate represented with a piglet at his feet, and holding the Tau stick of a hermit, a bell, a Bible and fire.

This traditional representation of Sant’Antonio gradually led to the erroneous belief that he was the protector of pigs, and hence all farm animals, swineherds, butchers, and so on. It is for this reason that Saint Anthony’s image is traditionally placed inside or above the entrances of stables in order to protect the animals. Legend has it that on the night of the 17th of January farm animals gain the power of speech. On this date farmers stay away from their stables because overhearing the animals speaking can bring bad luck. On Saint Anthony’s day in many churches here in Italy a mass is celebrated to bless domestic animals, and people are allowed to take their pets to church.

festa_s_antonio_cascia

Pecore (sheep) being led through the streets of Cascia (Umbria) on Saint Anthony’s day.

Sant’Antonio Abate’s name also has a strong link to fire. According to a legend, Sant’Antonio travelled to hell in order to try and rescue some souls from the Devil. At a certain point his piglet, which used to follow him everywhere, began running around and creating havoc. Anthony used this opportunity to steal some fire from the Devil with his bastone del Tau  (the Tau stick, symbol of the hermits), which he then brought back up to earth and donated to humanity by setting fire to a stack of wood. This would seem to be a Christian version of the Greek myth of Prometheus who brought fire to mankind from the underworld. On the night of the 17th of January, in order to commemorate Saint Anthony, it is traditional in many parts of Italy to light the falò (bonfire). Last night we went to watch the falò di San Niccolò (San Niccolò is the name of the quartiere where the falò takes place here in Pontremoli). I’ll be writing a blog about this event in the near future.

Innovazioni Italiane – Part 3

Posted by Serena No Comments
Jan 16 2012

This is my third and final blog about innovazioni italiane (Italian innovations) from the last 150 years since Italy’s unification.

Here are another four important innovations that have been ‘Made in Italy’:

1. Vibram -  A mountaineering accident, in which six alpinisti (mountaineers) froze to death due to lack of adequate footwear, was the stimulus for the development of a new type of sole. In 1936 the mountaineering expert Vitale Bramani developed climbing boots that would deal with all conditions, both on ice and rock. With the collaboration of Leopoldo Pirelli he perfected a sole made of vulcanised rubber that used a grip which became known as carrarmato (tank). The brand name Vibram was inspired by Vitale Bramani’s name.

2. Cambio per bici (bicycle gears) – These days when we ride a bicycle we take it for granted that, by moving a lever on the handlebars, we can change gears to make it easier to go up a hill. Less than a hundred years ago, however, things weren’t quite so simple: at that time changing gear involved getting off your bike and loosening the nuts on the rear wheel in order to move the chain by hand onto another cog, then tensioning the wheel and tightening the nuts before setting off again. It was the Italian cyclist Tullio Campagnolo who revolutionised the world of cycling with a number of innovative modifications. One of these was the cambio a bacchetta commonly known as the ‘dérailleur’ mechanism, which Campagnolo perfected in 1935. This mechanism enabled the cyclist to change gears by means of two levers without having to dismount the bike . (see photo below)

Atala_Cambio_Corsa_Drivetrain

3. Mater-Bi – In the early 1990s, mindful of the problems caused by the difficult process of recycling plastic, and the consequent impact on the environment, the Italian chemical colossus Novamont  developed a new kind of plastic called Mater-Bi. Invented by Catia Bastioli, Mater-Bi differs from the old types of plastic in that it is biodegradable. This new plastic is obtained from materials such as amido di mais, di grano e di patata (maize, wheat, and potato starch), and decomposes naturally into water, carbon dioxide, and methane due to the action of micro-organisms.

4. MPEG – MPEG is currently the most commonly used standard for compressing digital video. The name MPEG is an acronym for Moving Picture Experts Group, the company co-founded and chaired by the Torinese engineer Leonardo Chiariglione. In the 1980s Chiariglione, disillusioned by the failure of the International Radio Consultative Committee (CCIR) to adopt a single world standard for high-definition television (HDTV), followed in the footsteps of the Joint Photographic Experts Group, which had succeeded in setting international standards for the storage of still pictures in an image format which is commonly known by the acronym JPEG. Here is an interesting article about the birth of the MPEG: Chiariglione.org

Quanto bene conosci l’Italia? Le Soluzioni

Posted by Serena 1 Comment
Jan 13 2012

Well done everyone who had a go at my quiz ‘Quanto bene conosci l’Italia?’. Here are the correct answers:

 

1. Roughly how many inhabitants does Italy have: a. 40million, b. 50million, c. 60million, or d. 70million?

c. 60,000,000 – according to Istat, The National Institute for Statistics, “Al 31 dicembre 2010 risiedevano in Italia 60.626.442 persone” (On the31st of December 2010 60,626,442 people resided in Italy)

2. Which city is famous for its romantic songs?

Napoli

3. On which Italian island was Napoleon exiled?

L’Isola d’Elba – Elba lies off the coast of Toscana. Napoleon lived there in exile between the 4th of May 1814 and the 27th of February 1815 (watch out for a future blog on the subject)

4. Which cities or regions are associated with: a. la Camorra, b. la ‘ndrangheta, and c. Cosa Nostra?

la Camorra, la ‘ndrangheta, and Cosa Nostra are all Mafia style organised crime associations and are linked respectively to: a. Napoli, b. Calabria, and c. Sicilia

5. What are the main ingredients of la cecina, also known as farinata?

The main ingredient of la cecina is, as the name suggests, farina di ceci (chick pea flour). This is mixed with water, salt and olive oil to make a thin savoury crepe. In Liguria, cecina is known as farinata (see my 2009 blog: La Farinata)

6. Who wrote La Divina Commedia?

Dante Alighieri (1265 – 1321)

7. What is the real name of the singer Jovanotti?

Jovanotti is the stage name of Lorenzo Cherubini. See my blog: Jovanotti

8. Which four countries share their borders with Italy?

L’Italia confina con la Francia a ovest, con la Svizzera e l’Austria a nord e con la Slovenia ad est (Italy borders with France in the west, Switzerland and Austria in the north, and Slovenia in the east).

9. Which composers of opera music wrote the following: a. Madama Butterfly, b. Rigoletto, and c. Il Barbiere di Siviglia?

a. Puccini b. Verdi, c. Rossini

10. What is the name of the Presidente della Repubblica?

The current Presidente della Repubblica Italiana is Giorgio Napolitano

11. Who built the first astronomic telescope in 1609?

Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642)

12. In which city was the first Italian football club founded?

Il primo club di calcio in Italia è stato fondato a Genova nel 1893 (The first Italian football club was founded in Genova in 1893)

13. In many Italian towns there are roads called Via XX Settembre, what does this name commemorate?

Via XX Settembre rammenta il 20 Settembre 1870 quando con l’ingresso dalla breccia di Porta Pia le truppe Italiane entrano a Roma che fino a quel giorno non faceva parte dell’Italia. (Via XX Settembre commemorates the 20th of September 1870 when Italian troops entered Rome through the breech in the city walls near Porta Pia. Until that time, Rome was not part of Italy). See my blog: Breccia di Porta Pia

14. What does the acronym FIAT, used by Italy’s most famous car manufacturer, stand for?

FIAT is the acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, founded in Torino (Turin) on the 11t of July 1899

15. What is the name of the Venetian traveller who went to China in the 13th century, remaining there for 13 years in the service of the great Khan?

Marco Polo (1254 – 1324)

16. What do Giorgio Armani, Miuccia Prada, and Laura Biagiotti all have in common?

Giorgio Armani, Miuccia Prada, and Laura Biagiotti are all famous Italian fashion designers

17. Which regions produce the following wines: a. Soave, b. Chianti, and c. Marsala?

a. Veneto b. Toscana c. Sicilia

18. What was the name of the population that inhabited the area of Toscana and Lazio before the Romans?

Gli Etruschi (The Etruscans)

19. Which directors made the following films: a. L’Ultimo Tango a Parigi, b. Per un Pugno di Dollari, c. La Dolce Vita?

a. Bernardo Bertolucci b. Sergio Leone c. Federico Fellini

20. The following Italian bridges can be found in Roma, Firenze, Venezia, Verona, and Bassano del Grappa. What are their names?

a. Ponte Scaligero – Verona b. Ponte dei Sospiri (The Bridge of Sighs) – Venezia c. Ponte Vecchio – Firenze d. Ponte degli Angeli – Roma e. Ponte Degli Alpini – Bassano del Grappa

So … how well do you know Italy?

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