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)

Post from: Italian Blog

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.

Post from: Italian Blog

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’!)

Post from: Italian Blog

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.

Post from: Italian Blog

I thought that the answer to this was going to be short, and straightforward, but when I looked in my Italian dictionary, just to check that my comment would be correct, I realized that this wasn’t going to be the case, and I decided to write a whole post about it. I hope I’ll be able to explain the difference clearly, let’s see.

Giorno

The first meaning for giorno is astronomical, referring to the time that it takes for the Earth to complete a rotation around its axis. From this comes the use of giorno to indicate a 24 hours period from midnight to midnight, i.e. to indicate a date or a day of the week. E.g. il giorno di Natale (Christmas day); ho due giorni di tempo per finire questo articolo (I’ve got two days to finish this article); il giorno seguente siamo andati al mare (the following day we went to the sea); nei giorni feriali l’autobus c’e’ ogni 10 minuti (on working days there is a bus every 10 minutes), nei giorni festivi l’autobus c’e’ ogni ora (during holidays there is a bus every hour); il giorno del mio compleanno voglio andare a fare una bella passeggiata (for my birthday I want to go for a nice walk); ritornero’ fra tre giorni (I’ll be back in three days).

Giorno is also used when talking about something that is characteristic of a particular day: mercoledi’ e’ giorno di chiusura degli alimentari (Wednesday is closing day for food shops); lunedi’ e’ giorno di riposo dei musei (Monday is the day when the Museums are closed); sabato e’ giorno di pagamento (Saturday is pay day).

There are several idiomatic expressions where the word giorno is used: e.g. ogni giorno / tutti i giorni (every day); tutto il giorno (all day long); uno di questi giorni (one of these days); da un giorno all’altro (suddenly / overnight); il piatto del giorno (dish of the day).

Finally, the word giorno is used with the meaning of “daylight”: sul far del giorno (lit. at the making of daylight, meaning “at the break of day”); e’ meglio partire prima che faccia giorno (it’s better to leave before it gets light); mi sono alzata che era giorno fatto (when I got up it was broad daylight); illuminare a giorno (to floodlight).

Giornata

This word derives from the previous one and is used to indicate an approximate period of time which goes from morning to evening, with particular reference to what takes place during that time: e.g ho passato tutta la giornata a pulire (I spent all day cleaning); e’ stata una giornata faticosa (it was a hard day); buona giornata! (have a good day!); verro’ a trovarti in giornata (I’ll come to visit you today). We also use the expression di giornata meaning “fresh” or “today’s” e.g. uova di giornata (fresh eggs).

When talking about work, giornata means the amount of work that a worker produces in a day, or the amount of hours worked in a day: lavorare a giornata (to work by the day); la giornata lavorativa e’ di 8 ore (the working day is 8 hours long); essere pagato a giornata (to be paid daily). From this comes the use of giornata to mean ‘a day’s pay’: riscuotere la giornata (to draw the day’s pay); mi sono guadagnato la giornata (I earned my day’s wage); e’ stata una giornata magra (it was a lean day, meaning that I didn’t earn much).

These days giornata is used to indicate a day dedicated to a special celebration or commemoration, often with a social or political aim such as ‘giornata della donna’ (‘Woman’s day’); ‘giornata europea della musica’ (‘European day of music’); ‘giornata missionaria’ (‘Missionary day’). It is also used to indicate some great historical event such as: ‘le Cinque Giornate di Milano’ (‘the Five Days of Milan’), which commemorates the days from the 18th to the 23rd of March 1848 when the population of Milan rebelled against the Austrians, who ruled over Lombardy at that time, and ‘le Quattro Giornate di Napoli’ (‘the Four Days of Naples’), commemorating the days from the 28th of September to the 1st of October 1943 when the population of Naples fought against the Germans.

Finally, there are a couple of situations in which both words can be used: 1. When talking about weather, e.g. ieri e’ stata una giornata ventosa or ieri e’ stato un giorno ventoso (yesterday was a windy day). 2. when discussing the hours of daylight, e.g. dopo il 21 giugno i giorni / le giornate si accorciano (after the 21st of June the days become shorter).

Vi auguro una buona giornata! (I wish you a good day!)

Post from: Italian Blog

The designers of the modern day autostrade obviously had a lot to live up to when they began work in the 1920s. A fair percentage of Italy’s 300,000 or so kilometers of roads still follows ancient Roman routes such as the Via Aurelia, Via Flaminia, and Via Appia. However, as we all know, the Romans liked straight lines, preferably across plains, and the Italian peninsula, being a very mountainous region obviously presented them with severe limitations. The modern Italian engineers however were less daunted by these problems, having at their disposal new techniques, materials, and machines.

Let’s take as an example the Aurelia. Initiated in 241 B.C. by Aurelius Cotta the Via Aurelia originally ran north from Rome to Livorno which is on the coast near Pisa. The modern day road, which still follows the original Roman route, is designated on maps as the SS1 (Strada Statale 1 = State Road 1), although it is still more commonly known as L’Aurelia. From Rome to Livorno the Aurelia or SS1 is a reasonably quiet dual carriageway running along the coastal plain. A bit further north however the landscape becomes mountainous with sheer cliffs dropping down to the Mediterranean sea. This area is called Liguria, and to traverse it towards Genova and eventually into France would take a lifetime if it wasn’t for the modern day equivalent of the Via Aurelia: the A12 Autostrada also known as the Autostrada Azzurra (Blue motorway). The A12 really is a wonder of modern engineering, endless kilometers of highway which alternates between breathtaking viaducts and gallerie (tunnels). It is also one of my least favorite motorways to drive on, the combination of tunnels, curves, and long windy bridges making it not exactly the most relaxing of drives. However, when I’m not gripping the wheel or gesticulating at the usual mad motorists who insist on driving ‘Formula One’ style, I occasionally have the opportunity to marvel at the achievement of those who designed and constructed this incredible highway. Every now and then when one emerges from the gloom of yet another tunnel into the glare of the sun (sunglasses on, sunglasses off etc. etc.) you catch a stunning scorcio (glimpse) of green and azure, the macchia mediterranea (Mediterranean Vegetation) set against a shimmering backdrop of sea, but don’t get too carried away because here’s another tunnel with a nasty curve in it, watch out!, what’s this idiot doing now ‘ma vaxxxxxxx!’ (unprintable swearword that comes in very useful when driving in Italy!).

All this excitement and entertainment doesn’t come free however. To get onto the autostrada you have to pass through the casello (toll booth) where you take un biglietto (a ticket). When you leave the autostrada you pass through another casello where you either present your biglietto to the cassiere (cashier) who will tell you how much the pedaggio (toll) is, or put it into a machine which also tells you the cost in a very nice female recorded voice and collects your money in a slot. In fact my husband is so taken by the voice of our local ticket machine that he has even threatened to go there one evening to chat it up! ‘It’s the way she said arrivederci’ he said, ‘I think she really meant it’.

For those who are too busy, or lazy to do the ticket bit there is also the telepass option which involves having a battery powered OBU, or ‘on board unit’ mounted on your cars windshield. The OBU communicates with an electronic device at the casello and automatically debits your account for the correct amount. There is no discount for telepass users, it simply saves you stopping at the casello and getting your hand cold in the winter when you have to open the window to take a ticket.

The autostrade are generally well maintained, fast (perhaps too fast) and have frequent rest and service areas. Unfortunately they are also pretty expensive. To visit my parents in Lucca for example, a distance of about 100 km (62 miles) costs us 16 euros return in tolls alone, then there’s the benzina (petrol) on top of that. However the alternative is a two and a half hour drive each way along windy roads and through endless little towns at about 50 km per hour (30 mph), forget it!

Post from: Italian Blog

One of the many great achievements of the Roman empire was its development of an astounding system of ‘autostrade’ (‘motorways’), although of course in those days travel was by foot or horseback, and heavy haulage was by ox and cart.

Between 500 B.C. and 100 A.D. Rome grew from being a little village on the banks of the Fiume Tevere (River Tiber) to the heart of a vast empire stretching from northern England to Syria. Rome’s unique form of government and highly disciplined army allowed her to conquer and subdue her neighbors. Vast sums of money were invested in expansion, and as soon as a new area had been conquered new roads were constructed in order to facilitate the transport of reinforcements and supplies

Traditionally, the new roads were named after the person in authority who initiated their construction. Between 300 B.C. and 80 A.D. for example, the Romans constructed the Via Aurelia, Via Appia, Via Flaminia, Via Flavia and Via Fulvia, all named after eminent Romans. This, however, is not an exhaustive list of all Roman roads, just a selection to give you an idea of their extent and importance. 

La Via Appia

Initiated by Appius Claudius in 312 B.C. the Via Appia originally ran from the ancient city gate, which is nowadays known as the Porta San Sebastiano, to the small town of Formia, about 90 miles to the south. Later the road was extended all the way down to Brindisi on the ‘heel’ of Italy, which was the main trading port between Rome and Greece. During the Roman era the Via Appia was the most important road in the empire, and legend has it that the apostle Peter arrived in Rome by travelling along its route.

La Via Aurelia

The Via Aurelia begins (or ends, depending on how you look at it) at Porta San Pancrazio in Rome. In 241 B.C. Aurelius Cotta ordered a road built which would stretch from the capital, along the coast to Livorno in the north. This was later extended to continue towards Genova and beyond, eventually arriving in France.

La Via Flaminia

Anyone who knows the Ligurian coast of Le Cinque Terre will understand why this was not a favorite route for the Romans, who are famous for their avoidance of curves and hills. North of La Spezia in fact, the mountains and sea cliffs made this stretch of the Italian peninsular a Roman road builder’s worst nightmare! Hence the Via Flaminia, the Roman empire’s main route between the Capital and France. The Via Flaminia was initiated by the socialist Gaius Flaminius in 212 B.C., and followed the valley of the Fiume Tevere upstream towards Rimini on the Adriatic coast. In order to improve the flow of traffic along the road, a tunnel was constructed sometime around 70 A.D., and that tunnel is still in use today.

La Via Fulvia

From Rimini the Via Emilia carried Roman traffic towards Piacenza where it linked with the Via Fulvia, named after Quintus Fulvius who had it constructed in 179 B.C. The final section of the road to France continues on from Piacenza to Rivoli, west of Torino.

La Via Flavia

in 78 A.D. the emperor Flavius Vespasianus ordered the construction of a road from Aquileia to Pula in Croatia. Founded in 181 B.C. as a colony intended to prevent the incursion of barbarian tribes Aquileia was to become the north eastern capital of the Roman Empire. Nowadays it is a UNESCO world heritage site and home of the National Archaeological Museum (one of the most important museums of Roman Archaeology in the world), as well as extensive excavations of the original Roman city. Here is the official web site for Aquileia: http://www.comune.aquileia.ud.it and this site (in English) has some information and photos relating to the museum and archeological sites: Museo Aquileia 

I studied Aquileia when I was an archaeology student at Pisa University many years ago, but unfortunately never had the opportunity to visit it. Oh well, as they say ‘tutte le strade portano a Roma’ so maybe someday I’ll find myself there!

Post from: Italian Blog

Tempo

In Italian, tempo means time, it also means weather, the speed of music, and grammatical ‘tense’. We use the word tempo to express time in the following ways: tempo fa = some time ago, or tanto tempo fa = a long time ago, il temporale e’ durato molto tempo = the storm lasted a long time, il primo tempo della partita di calcio = the first half of the football match, tempo di cottura = cooking time, and that all important resource tempo libero = free time, or leisure time. 

However, and this is where it gets confusing, in many of the common everyday constructions involving time we don’t use the word tempo at all. So what do we use instead?

Ora

When talking about the time as measured by the clock we use the word ora, e.g. che ore sono, or che ora e’ =what time is it?, a che ora arriva l’autobus per Siena? = what time does the bus for Siena arrive?

We also use ora when it is time to do something or for something to happen e.g. e’ ora di partire = it’s time to go, or credo che sia ora di tagliarmi i cappelli = I think it’s time I got my hair cut.

Volta

Volta on the other hand is roughly equivalent to the English word ‘occasion’ e.g. questa volta ci vado in treno = this time I’m going there by train, or ci sono gia’ stata tre volte = I’ve already been there three times. If you want to say ‘from time to time’, ‘every once in a while’ or ‘occasionally’ you can use the expression una volta ogni tanto, and to say ‘two at a time’ (or any other number) you can say due alla volta, cinque alla volta, etc.

There are various other situations in which you can use the word ‘time’ in English that require you to use words other that volta, ora, or tempo in Italian. For example, where in English you might say ‘to have a nice time’, in Italian we would use the verb divertirsi e.g. ti sei divertito/a? = did you have a nice time? and instead of saying ‘by the time’ you should use quando e.g. ‘by the time we arrive it will be dark’ would be quando arriviamo sara’ buio. To say ‘on time’ we use in orario e.g. il treno e’ in orario? = is the train on time?, ‘behind time’ is in ritardo, and ‘ahead of time’ in anticipo, so in the unlikely event that your train is 10 minutes ahead of time you would say caspita! il treno e’ dieci minuti in anticipo (caspita = wow!). Yet another word, fra, is used to express the idea of ‘in X amount of time’ e.g. la macchina sara’ pronta fra due giorni = the car will be ready in two days time.

Time vocabulary

Infine (finally), here is a useful list of time vocabulary:

quando = when

adesso = now

subito = at once/straight away

gia’ = already

dopo = afterwards

poi = then

presto = early

tardi = late

il secondo = the second

il minuto = the minute

l’ora = the hour, time

l’orologio = the clock, watch

la sveglia = the alarm clock

Post from: Italian Blog

I chose this song not only because it’s the most famous Neapolitan song in the world, but because in my posts I often mention Italian dialects, and I thought this might be a good way to illustrate some of the differences between ‘proper’ Italian and dialetto (dialect).

Firstly the original Neapolitan text :

Che bella cosa na jurnata ‘e sole, / n’aria serena doppo na tempesta! / Pe’ ll’aria fresca pare gia’ na festa. / Che bella cosa na jurnata ‘e sole!

Ma n’atu sole / cchiu’ bello oi ne’. / ‘O sole mio / sta ‘nfronte a te! / ‘O sole, ‘o sole mio / sta ‘nfronte a te, / sta ‘nfronte a te! 

Lucene ‘e llastre d’a fenesta toia; / na lavannara canta e se ne vanta / e pe’ tramente torce, spanne e canta / lucene ‘e llastre d’a fenesta toia.

Ma n’atu sole / cchiu’ bello, oi ne’. / ‘O sole mio / sta ‘nfronte a te! 

Quanno fa notte e ‘o sole se ne scenne, / me vene quase ‘na malincunia; / sotto ‘a fenesta toia restarria / quanno fa notte e ‘o sole se ne scenne. 

Ma n’atu sole  / cchiu’ bello, oi ne’. / ‘O sole mio / sta ‘nfronte a te!

Now the Italian ‘translation’:

Che bella cosa una giornata di sole, / un’aria serena dopo la tempesta! / Per l’aria fresca pare gia’ una festa. / Che bella cosa una giornata di sole!

Ma un’altro sole / piu’ bello non c’e’. / Il sole, il sole mio / sta in fronte a te, / sta in fronte a te!

Luccicano i vetri della tua finestra; / una lavandaia canta e si vanta / mentre strizza, stende e canta / luccicano i vetri della tua finestra!

Ma un altro sole / piu’ bello non c’e’. / Il sole mio / sta in fronte a te!

Quando fa notte e il sole se ne scende, / mi viene quasi una malinconia; / resterei sotto la tua finestra, quando fa notte e il sole se ne scende.

Ma un altro sole / piu’ bello non c’e’. / Il sole mio / sta in fronte a te!

Neapolitan is just one of the many dialects spoken in Italy, but it is probably the most famous one due to the well known tradition of Canzone Napoletana, and to the many famous actors who have made Neapolitan a popular dialect. Comparing the two texts above it’s easy to see the similarities between the Italian language and Neapolitan dialect, e.g. you can see that na jurnata ‘e is a dialectic transformation of una giornata di, and so on. Seeing the Neapolitan and the Italian texts side by side doesn’t, however, really illustrate the true difference between spoken Italian and Neapolitan dialect. To understand this you will need to listen to ‘O sole mio performed by a true Neapolitan.

To finish with, here is my English translation of ‘O sole mio:

A sunny day is such a beautiful thing, / the air is serene after the storm! / The  fresh air really feels like a celebration / A sunny day is such a beautiful thing!

Post from: Italian Blog

After a quick visit to La Grotta di Byron (Byron’s grotto), from which Byron famously swam to visit his friends the Shelleys in Lerici on the other side of the gulf, we walked down the main street to the molo (pier) where we were picked up by a beautifully stylish motoscafo (motor launch). The motoscafo took as across the narrow stretto to a famous restaurant on the Isola della Palmaria: I felt like a film star arriving at the Cannes festival! We had a wonderful meal of fish and frutti di mare (fruits of the sea, e.g. shellfish etc.) accompanied by a deliciously refreshing Vermentino (a white wine), and ending with a fantastic dessert, Torta di pere e cioccolato con salsa di cioccolato calda (pear and chocolate cake with hot chocolate sauce), and a creamy sorbetto al limone (lemon sorbet). All of this was a treat from my uncle, who regularly brings his guests to this place when he wants to fare bella figura (make a good impression). While waiting for ‘our’ boat to take us back to Portovenere we chatted to an old pescatore (fisherman) who was cleaning his catch of cozze (mussels) ready to be sold in the pescheria (fishmongers). He told us that Portovenere’s bay is one of the biggest farms for cozze in Italy, and that they export le sementi  (lit. ‘the seeds’, i.e. the baby mussels) to other Italian mussel farms. He also showed us the trecce (plaits, or cables), that are attached to poles planted in the water, and on which the cozze live and breed, complaining that nowadays they are all made of plastic because it lasts longer, and you can no longer find the old ones made from canapa (hemp).

When we got back to Portovenere, my uncle had another surprise for us: he sent us off on the Giro delle Tre Isole (Tour of the Three Islands) on a battello (passenger ferry). Situated in front of the very tip of Portovenere are three islands all in a row. Firstly there is Palmaria, (where we had our wonderful lunch) which is the biggest and has very few houses which are lived in by civilians, the bulk of the island being a military base. Then there is Tino, the middle island, which is owned entirely by the military, and is only open to civilians once a year, on the 13th of September for the celebration of the festival of San Venerio. San Venerio was a hermit who lived on the island in the 6th century A.D., and on stormy nights used to light fires to warn ships of the presence of rocks and shallow waters. He is now the patron saint of semaforisti and faristi (signals people and lighthouse keepers). The third island is Tinetto, which is just a largish rock in the sea. During our tour the remains of the cave di portoro (quarries of the local marble) on Palmaria were pointed out to us by one of the crew. Portoro is a precious black marble with golden veins which was quarried here until about 30 years ago, and in a small sheltered bay on the far side of the island you can still see a scivolo (slide) running down the steep hillside which was used to carry the portoro down to the sea and load it into boats, a pretty dangerous operation! Also on Palmaria is the Grotta Azzurra  (Blue Cave), which can only be visited in una barca a remi (a rowing boat). On the island of Tino there are the remains of fortifications built by the Germans during WW2 in defense of La Spezia’s harbor, which was (and still is) an important naval base; some of these fortifications and the sheer cliffs on which they are located were used as a set in the famous film I Cannoni di Navarrone (The Guns of Navarrone).

The highlight of our Giro delle Tre Isole, however, was the fact that we had the good fortune to see two pesci luna (moon fish), which are also known as pesci tamburo (drum fish). This was my first encounter with pesci luna despite the fact that they are native to the Mediterranean sea, and I must say they are amazing! This peculiar creature is a flat, round fish that can reach over two meters in diameter. It comes up to the surface to sleep, and in fact on first sight I thought that the first one we saw was dead, but after a couple of seconds it flipped its fin as if saluting us and disappeared into the deep.

For more info. on Portovenere, and some photos have a look at this website: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porto_Venere

Post from: Italian Blog