The Blog
Fruit in Italian
Healthy, colourful, and full of sugar (of the good kind). My favourite fruits are watermelon in the summer, raspberries in spring, and lemon throughout the year. I use lemons every day to flavour my endless cups of Earl’s Grey. I squeeze lemon on baked fish and grilled meat. I add lemon juice to...
Pizza al taglio a Bangkok
Pizza al taglio a BangkokBy AlessandraSì, lo ammetto. Sono una fallita. Un mollusco. Condizioni climatiche: sotto il sole cocente di Bangkok, stremata dall’afa tropicale. Luogo: spostamento a piedi dalla fermata della metro di Sukhumvit alla stazione di Asok per salire sullo Skytrain. Sbatacchiata...
10 annoying things in cafés
Ristretto questo sconosciuto... As the saying goes, coffee drinking is an institution in Italy and, as with all other foods and drinks, there’s a whole set of implied rules that need to be followed. In true Italian spirit and as a coffee aficionado, it’s not surprising that when faced with serving...
More vegetables in Italian
If I give you their Italian names, can you guess what these vegetables are?Finocchio, for example. And what about mais, carciofi and fagiolini? Asparagi anyone?All the veggies presented in this and in the first post about greens are vegetables that you can easily find in Italian greengrocers,...
Anche il formaggio beve
EN: Yes, in Italy it can. But I’m sure that won’t come as a surprise… Italy produces a plethora of cheeses; someone says 300 varieties, others even 400. But the cheese I want to talk to you about today is very special. IT: Sì, almeno in Italia. Ma di certo non ti sorprenderà...L’Italia produce...
How to say sky in Italian
I’m flying over Milan, next to the Alps, and then Europe, on my way to London. The weather has been polar all throughout the week while visiting my family in Italy. Snow. Snow. And more snow! Certainly not a good omen for this time of the year. The sky has been a palette of whites and light...
Per le vie del caffè ad Hanoi
Per le vie del caffè ad HanoiBy AlessandraAnche se mi sono svegliata all’alba stamattina, eccomi qui a mezzanotte passata con gli occhi spalancati, più sveglia di un grillo. Sono ad Hanoi, in Vietnam, e oggi ho fatto un tour del caffè. Durante il giro non abbiamo bevuto una quantità esagerata di...
Quattro chiacchiere…
I'm a freelancer. That means that when work is slow, I'm entitled to extended lunches and decadent afternoons. Recently, I spent one of those fun afternoons with an Italian friend. We went for dim sum first and then coffee & cakes in a French patisserie (nope, nothing Italian about that! But...
Drop Languages
Drop LanguagesOften when we are speaking and writing in Italian, we drop the pronoun/subject, hence the label drop language. You can find more details about pronouns in this post. In fact, even without pronouns, we can understand who’s performing an action by looking at the verb... or more...
10 Food Commandments
If you’re planning to have a meal in Italy and want to keep safe, remember these rules.Disregard them at your own peril… 1.Don’t overcook your pastaWhat do I mean by that? Mm… think tinned pasta. That could give most Italians a heart attack. Overcooked pasta is not pasta. ...
How to say vegetables in Italian
I was never one of those kids that hates greens. It’s always been a myth for me – what is there not to like about vegetables? When still alive, my grandfather used to have an allotment (now looked after by my uncle) and the warmer season meant a lot of tasty and colourful veggies to wash, prepare...
Grammar basics: subject pronouns
Grammar basics: subject pronounsPersonal pronouns, also called subject pronouns - what are they? Essentially, they are the subject – people, animals, objects, abstract concepts etc. – carrying out an action, i.e. doing something. When that subject is a person, you can use their name. And you can...
Even cheese can be drunken!
Even cheese can be drunken! Read bilingual versionBy AlessandraYes, in Italy it can. But I'm sure that won't come as a surprise... Italy produces a plethora of cheeses; someone says 300 varieties, others even 400. But the cheese I want to talk to you about today is very special.However, first of,...
Grammar basics: gender
Italian grammar basics: genderUnlike English, where you can find 3 “genders” - he, she, or it – the Italian language only has 2: LUI (he) and LEI (she) Nouns are either feminine or masculine, regardless of their human or non-human nature. LEI PAPRIKA: It sounds confusing… How does it work when...
Italian grammar posts
Italian grammar posts And now it's time for some basic Italian grammar… Grammar posts will cover different topics of Italian grammar, and they are intended for beginners or to be referred to as a refresher. So, if you’ve never studied Italian and you know very little, or nothing at all, this is...
Food talk on a plane…
Food talk on a plane... If you want to learn Italian, you’ll need to learn the FOOD TALK... And that doesn’t mean culinary skills and techniques. I’m talking about the fact that... Italians LOVE to talk about food! Amongst family members, amongst friends,...