Due cappucci

Ma che bello! This photo was shot by Edoardo of Monza, whose photos can be seen on Flickr (ma ce l'hai un cognome, Edo?!). According to Flickr, he took this photo at Bar Doria, Palazzo Doria-Pamphili, which I think is in Rome. Edo, dov'e?

Godi!

Altre foto scattate da Stephanie Costa!

This woman, whose photos can be seen on Flickr, has visited many of the same places I have, but she had two things going for her that I didn't: a digital camera (most of my shots of Italy are, you know, the paper kind!) and an obvious talent for photography. E allora vediamo le sue foto.

This is one she took of Positano, secondo me, la città piu bella d'Italia (se non sei d'accordo, mandami un messaggio e ne possiamo discutere).

CAFFE LATTE

Un bel caffe latte -- that's how I begin each morning. I use the classic Moka to brew the coffee, which is typically Lavazza Qualità Oro, and I heat up milk (use organic whole milk for best results), and combine the two to create a very pleasing hot beverage that jumpstarts the day.

Step 1: La Moka



Step 2: Load ground Lavazza coffee into the filter



Step 3: Put the macchinetta on the stove along with pot of milk




Step 4: When all is ready, pour into a beloved mug (this one is perfectly-sized for caffe latte or cappuccino) and enjoy!




It won't give you the frothy milk you'll find in a caffe latte ordered at an Italian bar, but it's how the Italian families I lived with prepared their morning coffee. Godi!

Festival della Fotografia Digitale a Lucca

Photo exhibit in Lucca! How fun. If I were in Italy now, that's one thing I would do.

Acccording to the Web site Italica (www.italica.rai.it):

"...Dal 18 novembre al 10 dicembre 2006, l'Associazione Toscana Arti Fotografiche presenta la seconda edizione del "Festival della Fotografia Digitale - Lucca Digital Photo Fest".

"Dopo il successo dell'edizione 2005 "numero zero", quest'anno il programma del festival si arricchisce d'interessanti novità: il centro della città toscana ospita 9 personali, fra fotografi italiani e internazionali, e 2 mostre collettive.

"Nelle stanze di Villa Bottini - probabilmente la sede più suggestiva della manifestazione - sono esposte le fotografie premiate al World Press Photo '06, uno dei concorsi di fotogiornalismo più prestigiosi al mondo, che ha assegnato ad una foto a colori del canadese Finbarr O'Reilly il World Press Photo of the Year 2005."

Andiamo!

Questa e' la mia casa, la casa dov'e'.....

....posso stare in pace con te.
(Well said, Jovanotti)

"Allora giunse una lettera di mio padre."

"Riconobbi la calligrafia sulla busta e non l'aprii subito, indugiai in quel riconoscimento, e riconobbi che ero stato bambino, avevo pur avuto, in qualche modo, un'infanzia. Aprii la lettera e la lettera diceva:

'Mio caro ragazzo,

tu sai e tutti voi sapete che sono stato sempre un buon padre, e per la mamma vostra un buon marito, insomma un buon uomo, ma ora mi e' successo una cosa, e sono partito, ma voi non dovete giudicarmi male, sono rimasto lo stesso buon uomo che ero, e per voi tutti lo stesso buon padre, un buon amico per la mamma vostra e per di piu' potro' essere un buon marito per questa, diciamo, mia moglie nuova con la quale sono partito. Figli miei, io vi parlo senza vergogna, da uomo a uomini, e non chiedo il vostro perdono. So di non far male a nessuno.'"

This is an excerpt from chapter two of "Conversazione in Sicilia," by Elio Vittorini, which I am currently reading. Or I should say re-reading, but frankly, the book I remember reading by this title is slightly different. For example, I don't remember this allucinante letter from the narrator's father. Cari lettori, what do you make of it? Il padre dice che sa di non aver fatto male a nessuno. Come?!

Una bella stradina in citta'

"Era da una settimana...." ("Come Dio Comanda")

"...che a suo padre rodeva il culo. Qualche giorno se l'era presa con la porta del bagno che non si apriva. La serratura era rotta. Per un paio di minuti aveva provato ad armeggiare con un cacciavite. Se ne stava li', in ginocchio, a bestemmiare, a insultare Fratini, il ferramenta che gliel'aveva venduta, i fabbricanti cinesi che l'avevano costruita con la latta, i politici che permettevano d'importare quella merda, ed era come se fossero tutti li', proprio davanti a lui, e niente, quella porta non ne voleva sapere aprirsi.

"Un pugno. Uno piu forte. Un altro. La porta sussultava sui cardini, ma non si apriva. Rino era andato in camera, aveva preso la pistola e aveva sparato contro la serratura. Ma quella non si era aperta. Aveva solo prodotto un botto assordante che aveva rintronato Cristiano per mezzora.

"Una cosa buona c'era stata: Cristiano aveva imparato che e' una stronzata quella che si vede nei film, dove se spari alle serrature le porte si aprono."

That was your Italian literary moment of the day. It's an excerpt from Niccolo Ammaniti's new book, "Come Dio Comanda." I am still reading the excerpt, though it's just ten pages, because honestly, it's a bit depressing. But trust me: it's very engrossing. Lui e' un genio! For more information on where to get the excerpt, see my previous post on Ammaniti.

Go to the exhibit in Milan of Boccioni's sculptures

Please go, because I don't think I am going to make it. No plans to be in Milan anytime soon, I regret to say!

Umberto Boccioni was a key member of the early 20th Century Italian art (and social and political) movement known as Futurismo. Some of his most famous paintings are on display in Milan at the Pinacoteca di Brera, including my favorite "Rissa in Galleria."

There are also some key works at the MOMA in New York.

This exhibit, which runs through Jan. 7 at Milan's Palazzo Reale, focuses on his works of sculpture. One of his most famous sculptures is basically a figure moving quickly, with his brisk pace represented in the flapping of his clothes. The figure, called Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, underscores Futurismo's fascination with speed and movement. This work will be at the center of the exhibit.

For more information, visit http://www.mostraboccioni.it/

Gli Uffizi gratis?

Yup.....it started last month and runs through December. I found this info on www.firenze.net but I need to give an avviso: the web site says it's for "fiorentini." And let's be honest, that's easy to verify. Just listen for the 'c' that never arrives. And it appears to refer to two specific areas of the museum, not the whole place.

But for all of you foreigners in Italy who have put off a visit to the Uffizi because of the sheer magnitude of such an undertaking or because of the line, it's worth a try to see if the free admission extends to everyone.

According to Firenze.net, i fiorentini "potranno visitare con la guida di esperti due parti assai significative degli Uffizi. Si tratta della ex chiesa di San Pier Scheraggio e della Collezione Contini Bonacossi." Wow that's pretty cool!

For more information, visit the Uffizi's Web site: http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/uffizi/

Godi!

Cool blog based in MILANO!

http://miblog.splinder.com/

I don't know much about the creator of the blog, other than he lives in Milan and has extremely diverse interests. And he has a host of friends who also post to the blog.

His posts cover literature, cinema, the subway in Milan, the Milanese dialect, the Kamasutra, historic buildings in Milan, strikes (well I guess that goes without saying!) and Bob Marley -- and that's just a handful of the topics listed. In his profile, he lists his interests as: "attimi, immagini, stories, contraddizioni e proteste e proposte su Milano." Cavoli!

If I were in Milan today, here's what I would do:

I would go see the exhibit, "Il Fotogiornalismo in Italia 1945 – 2005" at the Museo di Storia Contemporanea. Imagine all the wonderful photos of Italy, many black and white, others in color from the past 50 years. I get chills just thinking about it!

The museum is at Via Sant’Andrea 6. It's in the prime shopping district of Milan, which after the exhibit would allow for some fantastic window shopping -- isn't that the best kind? To my mind, it is. Particularly since the narrow, winding streets in that part of Milan are so wonderful.

And actually you don't have to rush; the exhibit will be there until Jan. 7. For more information, visit the museum's web site: http://www.museodistoriacontemporanea.it/mostre.php

Chi è Luca Boati?

Boh! But he has a really interesting site all about his adventures, all in Italian for you students and Italophiles out there. Take a look!
http://www.lucaboati.it/

Buon giorno!

If you are interested in finding out about art events in Italy, here is a great web site to visit: http://www.artfaq.it/modules/news/

It's run by my friends Bernd and Valentina, and is chock full of info on the latest mostre.

Enjoy!

Fun with idioms

Can anyone translate these idioms? Just for fun, let's try!

1. Lui e' una buona forchetta.
2. Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani.
3. Studiare l'italiano e non leggere Dante e' come andare a Roma e non vedere il papa.
4. Sono arrivato in ritardo e lui mi ha mandato a quel paese.
5. Manco per sogno!
6. Molto fumo e poco arrosto!

Divertiti!

Che bello: San Marco dei Cavoti in provincia di Benevento

If you ever find yourself on Borgo Degli Albizi....

....in Florence, go to I Dolci di Patrizio Cosi. You won't be sorry. They have fantastic pastries, the coffee is great and if you go later in the day, you can have a fine sandwich, too.

What to order at Patrizio Cosi? Why, una ciambellina, obviously!

Greatest Italian rock song?

Good question, ragazzi! It's "L'America" by Gianna Nannini, who's probably Italy's greatest female rock star (bear in mind the blog is MY two cents.....).

This song rocks! It rocks even if you don't know what the lyrics mean. But once you do, it's downright tricky. Here's a sample of the lyrics:

"Fammi volare, lei le mani sui fianchi come fosse l'America
Fammi sognare, lui che scende e che sale e si senta l'America
Fammi l'amore, lei che pensa ad un altro e si inventa l'America
Fammi l'amore, forte sempre piu forte ed io sono l'America"

YAY Gianna!

One of the many reasons I love Italy: Santa Croce in Florence

Favorite Italian novels (take one)

Ciao a tutti!

I will provide more details in later posts but first just a list of some of the noteworthy Italian novels I have read in recent years:
1. "Io Non Ho Paura" by the previously-mentioned Niccolo Ammaniti; such a powerful book I was left speechless and in a tailspin when I finished reading it two years ago exactly. They made a film based on the book.
2. "Il Giorno Della Civetta," by Leonardo Sciascia; there's a reason they call him a master and this is it.
3. "A Ciascuno Il Suo," by Sciascia; see above post.
4. "Il Gattopardo," by Tomasi Di Lampedusa; not an easy read but so satisfying!
5. The Ignazio Silone trilogy: "Vino E Pane"; "Fontamara"; and "Il Seme Sotto La Neve." The first two are hard to put down; I keep a list of the books I read and I wrote the word "twice" next to both books, and I vaguely remember just starting from the beginning once I had finished them. Can't say the same about the third, which I found difficult. That's a reflection on me, not the quality of the book.
6. "Cronache Di Poveri Amanti," by Vasco Pratolini
7. "Le Ragazze di San Frediano," also by Pratolini; for anyone who has ever spent time in San Frediano in Florence, it's a must-read.
8. "Il Quartiere," same author, same comment.
9. "Fango," by Niccolo Ammaniti
10. "Ti Prendo e Ti Porto Via," also by Ammaniti. Similar formula to "Io Non Ho Paura," in the sense that parts of the book literally stun you. When was the last time a book stunned you? If you read Italian, pick this book up. You will be sucked in quickly, and then when everything comes crashing down, you will be in fetal position.

ADDING: Lessico famigliare by Natalia Ginzburg, I giorni dell'abandono by Elena Ferrante and L'isola di Arturo by Elsa Morante.

There you have ten (now 13) Italian novels I heartily recommend. Godi!

First post! How exciting!

Buona sera ragazzi!
Here's what I want to do: tell everyone, everywhere why studying and speaking ITALIAN is absolutely the coolest thing! Why it's such a fantastic language; why speaking it releases endorphins in my brain; why reading an ITALIAN novel or watching an ITALIAN film or walking along a street in Italy and hearing someone speak ITALIAN is so worth one's time! Ma perche' no?! Particularly when a taxi-cab driver in Florence once stopped his car to tell me: "Complimenti a tua madre, ti ha fatto bene!"

Ok, so maybe that's a few too many exclamation points but I can't think of any ITALIAN speaker who is lukewarm about the language of Dante, Machiavelli and Petrarca....Not to mention Marco Materazzi, Luca Carboni, Niccolo Ammaniti and my friend Giovanni, just to mention a few illustrious native Italian speakers! (Ciao Giovanni! Sai cosa vuol dire 'illustrious'? La tua vecchia maestra ti fa fare un po' di compito!).

Here's what I think you'll find on my blog (still in the formulation stages, as you can imagine): I will write about Italian books I am reading, Italian films I have seen and Italian meals I have devoured recently. I would also like to list my favorite restaurants in Italy, my favorite streets (and street names, a bit of an obsession with me), my favorite Italian cities and how about favorite Italians? I am leaving out favorite Italian wines, and out-takes from current excursions to the land dove suona il si' but I am sure those topics will find a home here.

I hope all of this is of interest to somebody other than me out there. Speriamo bene! And to my Italian friends: per piacere, mandami un email, fatti sentire, ma soprattutto quando vedi un errore! Sai che gli errori grammaticali mi fanno impazzire!!!

E va bene, cominciamo!