Category Archives: Uncategorized

Lentils (Lenticchie) /lehn-tee-keeay/ Lentils are little round flat legumes, often used in soup or stew. Popular Italian tradition has it that since the lentil shape resembles a coin, eating it on New Year’s Eve or Day guarantees good health and … Continue reading →

KEY WORDS The Days: La vigilia di Natale (Christmas Eve) Natale (Christmas) Santo Stefano (Saint Stephen, Dec. 26th) Capo d’anno (New Year’s Eve) Epifania (Epiphany, 6th Jan.) Greetings: Buon Natale (Merry Christmas) Buone Feste (Happy Holidays) Felice/Prospero Anno Nuovo (Happy/Prosperous … Continue reading →

Italian Christmas Traditions & Practices – A Survey I asked my friends in Italia (Milano, Lombardia Region) the following questions: Generally, what is the tradition on present-giving in Italy? Who gives gifts to whom? Do adults exchange gifts? And when … Continue reading →

Decorations (Decorazioni) /day-cohr-ahts-yohn-ee/ As a rule, Italians do not much decorate their homes for the holidays, except for a nativity scene, and perhaps a Christmas tree, but it will usually be small-ish, possibly a live tree still in the pot, … Continue reading →

Ah at long last! An Italian spell-checker….. free & online! Tho I am pretty good at spelling, I am NOT the world’s best typist… and so as a writer, the spell-checker is one of my favorite tools. I’ve long wished … Continue reading →

18 dicembre 2009 Oggi e` il compleanno di mia sorella Wendy & le voglio augurare una bellissima giornata– Ciao bella, che te la godi fin in fondo… ed altro cent’anni così`!!

“Si Chiama Pietro e torna indietro!” This is a popular and silly idiom/rhyme. What it literally means is “It’s name is Peter (Pietro) and it comes back (torna indietro). It’s a little non-sensical… and is used when you lend something … Continue reading →

Buon giorno! In Class #7 we began prepping for our hands-on cooking tutorial next week. We covered: Italian words for food and cooking Conversations in Italian about Thanksgiving and what we are grateful for The Italian recipe for Spaghetti Aglio, … Continue reading →

Ciao– As I  gear up for my “holiday & food” end-of-series fall Italian conversation and culture classes, I have turned to the web for inspiration in preparing lessons on my personal favourites of simple and yummy Italian cuisine. The two … Continue reading →

Italian hand gesture for “What the bleep?” An expressive addition to your resource kit to learning Italian is the book by Bruno Munari: “Speak Italian: The fine art of the gesture”. I definitely recommend adding this humorous tool to your … Continue reading →