Vi presento Leonardo!

Il nostro caro angelo è nato il 9 luglio!

Il 4 luglio.........(Baby's birthday?)

Come forse sapete, il 4 luglio è il compleanno, se si può dire, dell'America.

E doveva essere anche il compleanno del bambino/della bambina.

Ma sono quasi le 3,00 qui ad Atlanta, e vi posso dire con certezza che lui/lei non c'è!

Immagini che mi piacciono

Stanno sul cassettone, accanto al letto, quindi le guardo tutti i giorni.

Regali insoliti dall'Italia

Il Nostro Inviato è appena tornato dall'Italia e come al solito ha riportato dei bei regali e ricordini per me. Potete vedere nella foto: una confezione di caffe, una bottiglia di vino, una scatola di riso. Insomma, le solite cose. E poi ha comprato questi due libri.....

Eh ragazzi, è vero: sono incinta di quasi 8 mesi! Fra poco un'altro americano comincierà ad imparare quant'è bella la cultura italiana e quant'è sana mangiare all'italiano e quant'è appagante conoscere la lingua italiana (e la gente italiana).

Profumo d'Italia?

I've been begging Il Nostro Inviato to plant the flower you see in the photo since we returned to Atlanta nearly four years ago. In fact just about this time four years ago, I came to visit Atlanta to look at houses and begin figuring out my second tour of duty in the City In A Forest. And this flower -- jasmine -- was blooming and the scent was overwhelming and everywhere and it made me think of one thing and one thing only: Italy! For me, it has a similar power to the Italian liqueur, Montenegro: one whiff of that and I'm transported back to Siena, Italy, circa 1993. But I cannot actually recall where I would have seen this flower growing in Italy, in order to internalize its distinct perfume and forever associate it with Il Belpaese.

I mean, Siena's historic center has little vegetation, and that goes the same for Florence. Anyway if someone can tell me if this is in fact 'il profumo d'Italia,' I would be grateful. Although, in any event I'm over the moon smelling this lovely jasmine plant, growing on -- and I hope soon taking over -- my front porch.

ATL Italian Film Fest -- my picks

The 6th Annual Atlanta Italian Film Festival starts next week. I published the schedule (see below) and now I'm listing my choices for the top picks. I know it may be hard to get to all of the films so I think these two are your best bets.

1. "20 Sigarette"

(Info courtesy of the Atlanta Italian Film Festival)

20 Sigarette
20 Cigarettes
Director: Aureliano Amadei
April 5th at 6:00 PM

Aureliano is a 28 year old youth with a passion for film. Awaiting his golden opportunity he spends his time as an amateur filmmaker in small Social Centers. His one chance comes from director Stefano Rolla who offers to send him to Iraq as assistant director on a film about the Italian military "peace mission”.




2. "La Bellezza del Somaro"

La Bellezza del Somaro
Love and Slaps
Director: Sergio Castellitto
April 5th at 9:00 PM

A house, a modern family, a group of family friends, a grandmother, a foreign maid, a cross section of our society, a micro world. Parents and children are discovered and rediscovered in the unexpected provocation of a daughter, still a minor for a few weeks.

Italian Film Fest in Atlanta April 5-7

Here's the press release about Georgia State University's Italian Film Fest:

The 6th Annual Atlanta Italian Film Festival in collaboration with the Italian Film Festival of Miami announces all seven films! Please join us as we celebrate the best of contemporary Italian film as well as the beloved classic The Bicycle Thief to be shown on April 7th at 9:00pm.

All films are shown at the Rialto Center for the Arts on the campus of Georgia State University.

The festival is sponsored by The Center for Collaborative and International Arts.

The entire festival is FREE and open to the public.


20 Sigarette
20 Cigarettes
Director: Aureliano Amadei
April 5th at 6:00 PM

Aureliano is a 28 year old youth with a passion for film. Awaiting his golden opportunity he spends his time as an amateur filmmaker in small Social Centers. His one chance comes from director Stefano Rolla who offers to send him to Iraq as assistant director on a film about the Italian military "peace mission”.

La Bellezza del Somaro
Love and Slaps
Director: Sergio Castellitto
April 5th at 9:00 PM

A house, a modern family, a group of family friends, a grandmother, a foreign maid, a cross section of our society, a micro world. Parents and children are discovered and rediscovered in the unexpected provocation of a daughter, still a minor for a few weeks.

Basilicata Coast to Coast
Basilicata Coast to Coast
Director: Rocco Papaleo
April 6th at 6:00 PM

Nicola, Salvatore, Rocco, and Franco were members of a band when they were young but now each one of them has different jobs such as teacher, actor, etc. Sharing their common passion for music, they decide to attend together a music festival held in Southern Italy that will reunite them for the first time in the last ten years.

Matrimoni e Altri Disastri
Weddings and Other
Disasters
Director: Nina Di Majo
April 6th at 9:00 PM

Forty year old Nana runs a small bookstore in Florence. Despite the constant nagging of her well-to-do family, she has no intention of making anything more of her life. As for her sentimental interests, though secretly in love with Bauer a self centered novelist who takes advantage of her feelings to obtain small professional favors, she has pretty much given up on finding her Prince Charming and living happily ever after.

Il Padre e lo Straniero
The Father & the Foreigner
Director: Ricky Tognazzi
April 7th at 4:00 PM

In a Rome with echoes of the Middle East, a friendship develops between two very different men, the Italian Diego and the Arab Walid. The two men bond through the shared love for their disabled sons who both attend the same rehabilitation centre.

Immaturi
The Immature
Director: Paolo Genovese
April 7th at 6:00 PM
Six ex-best friends find each other again on the verge of turning 40 when a notification from the Ministry of Education informs them that their SATs have been voided and they will have to take them again.

Italian Immersion in NYC

The New School in New York City will be holding two intensive Italian immersion courses this Spring.

(Other languages are also on offer.)

Here's the email with all of the information:

We are excited to share with you our schedule of language immersion On the Go weekends for the Spring 2012 semester.

Here are the following languages and levels offered this semester:

*March 2 - 4*

Arabic Level 1
Chinese Level 1
French Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4
German Level 1
Hebrew Level 1 - NEW!
Italian Levels 1 and 3 - (Level 3 NEW!)
Japanese Level 1
Portuguese Level 1
Russian Level 1
Sign Language Level 1
Spanish Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4

*April 27 - 29*

Arabic Level 2
Chinese Level 2
French Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4
German Level 2
Hebrew Level 2
Italian Level 2
Japanese Level 2
Portuguese Level 2
Russian Level 2
Sign Language Level 2
Spanish Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4

You can register online at http://www.newschool.edu/continuing-education/on-the-go/ or over the phone at 212-229-5690 or 5620.

Department of Foreign Languages
The New School
64 West 11th Street
New York, New York 10011
t: 212 229 5676
f: 212 229 5679
http://www.newschool.edu/ce/foreignlanguages/

I forgot to post this for Christmas

Click to enlarge -- It's an Italian feminist joke! Can you top that?

(No, you can't).

Ital film @ GSU Thu - Feb 2

Georgia State University's student-run movie theater, Cinefest, will continue its monthly Italian film series with a showing of "Toto in the Moon".

If you don't know Toto, get yourself over to the theater. He was an old-school Italian comedic actor who had a touch of Jerry Lewis, Jonathan Winters, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, et al, in him. Very funny!

The film starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

The showing is free. Hope to see you there.

For more information, visit:

http://www.cinefestfilmtheatre.com

Or sign up for updates on Facebook.

Cinefest
66 Courtland Street SE, Suite 240
(At the corner of Decatur St.)
Atlanta, GA 30303

Babbo Natale è bravo

Guarda che cosa mi ha riportato Babbo Natale/Il Nostro Inviato dall'Italia! Il nuovo libro di Roberto Saviano. C'è qualcuno che ha visto la trasmissione televisiva o letto il libro?

L'ho gia' cominciato a leggere ieri sera ma ancora non so se ci sono i problemi che si verificano nel "Gomorra."

Cioè, credo che la redazione non abbia fatto granchè con quel libro; c'erano dei capitoli lunghissimi che si sarebbero migliorati parecchio se un redattore si fosse dato da fare.

Poi, c'era anche questo sotto l'albero di Natale:

Un "calendario goloso." Ci sono anche le ricette!

Spero che tutti voi abbiate passato un bel Natale!

Io domani torno a lavororare ma mi rimangono ancora qualche ora di liberta' ed ho in programma di passare un po' di tempo con degli amici e qualche ora con il mio nuovo libro.

Festeggiare Natale, secondo tempo: Panettone

It's not Christmas without panettone!

You can eat this bready raisin-studded cake for breakfast either plain, or use it to make french toast (that's an American adaptation -- I doubt the Italians do that!).

We also have traditional American treats:

Peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips on top, for a twist. Today I plan to make oatmeal cookies, and tomorrow possibly another round of chocolate chip.

Buon appetito e buon Natale!

L'albero di Natale

Innanzitutto, portiamo l'albero di Natale a casa. Si' che costa una cifra, ma subito la casa diventa piu' accogliente!

Poi, si mettono le catene di lucine intorno all'albero.

Ecco l'albero con tutti gli attrezzi e l'angelo in cima. Che capolavoro!

Buon natale!

Festeggiare Natale, primo tempo

Per festeggiare Natale da noi, ormai si comincia sempre qui:

E poi:

Prossimamente: le foto del albero di natale.

Ital film @ GSU Thu night

Georgia State University's student-run movie theater, Cinefest, will continue its monthly Italian film series with a showing of "Era Notte A Roma".

That's a 1960 film from the renowned director Roberto Rossellini. The film starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

The showing is free. Hope to see you there.

For more information, visit:

http://www.cinefestfilmtheatre.com

Or sign up for updates on Facebook.

Cinefest
66 Courtland Street SE, Suite 240
(At the corner of Decatur St.)
Atlanta, GA 30303

Italian immersion weekend in NYC

The New School in New York City will be holding a three-day intense Italian immersion course during the first weekend in December.

(Other languages are also on offer.)

Here's the email with all of the information:

Dear Students,

I would like to inform you about our upcoming language immersion weekend on Dec. 2, 3, and 4.

I am also pleased to announce that, as many of you have requested, we have added Russian and American Sign Language to our offering.

The following are the On the Go course offerings for December 2-4, 2011:

Arabic Level 2
Chinese Level 1
French Level 1-4
German Level 2
Italian Level 2
Japanese Level 1
Portuguese Level 2
Russian Level 1 NEW!
Sign Language Level 1 NEW!
Spanish Level 1-4

You can register online at www.newschool.edu/foreignlanguages or over the phone at 212-229-5690 or 5620.

If you are unsure about your placement, call us at 212 229 5676. We will have an instructor contact you to help determine the appropriate level.

Department of Foreign Languages
The New School
64 West 11th Street
New York, New York 10011
t: 212 229 5676
f: 212 229 5679
http://www.newschool.edu/ce/foreignlanguages/
www.facebook.com/newschool.foreignlanguages
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8JQS_CCXc8

Ital. film at GSU Thursday night (Nov. 3)

Georgia State University's student-run movie theater, Cinefest, will continue its monthly Italian film series with a showing of "Come Te Nessuno Mai."

That's a 2000 film from the director Gabriele Muccino. The film starts at 7 p.m.

Hope to see you there. The small theater was full last month so get there early. Plus, dear Italophiles, it's free!

For more information, visit:

http://www.cinefestfilmtheatre.com

Or sign up for updates on Facebook.

Cinefest
66 Courtland Street SE, Suite 240
(At the corner of Decatur St.)
Atlanta, GA 30303

Today's Laughs

The first one is the best!

Il Trota ha detto che per non ingrassare mangia solo il buco della ciambella.

Il Trota ha detto che quando il suo papi è caduto voleva chiamare il 118, ma non ricordava il numero.

Il Trota ha detto che per non far cadere il padre di notte dal letto lo farà dormire di giorno.

Leggendo i necrologi, Il Trota ha detto che non capisce come fa la gente a morire in ordine alfabetico

Il Trota ha detto che non capisce perché alcune tazzine da caffè hanno il manico a sinistra ed altre a destra

Il Trota ha detto che non ha bisogno delle chiavi inglesi perché non ha mai avuto una casa a Londra

Il Trota ha detto che spiare le coppiette in macchina non è reato ma fecondazione assistita.

Il Trota ha detto che non capisce come mai tutti come password scelgono sempre solo asterischi

Il Trota ha detto che i libri che ha a casa non hanno l'indice ma il medio

Il Trota ha detto che Garibaldi era un drogato perché si faceva l'eroina

Il Trota ha detto che una gallina può fare un uovo duro se lavora sodo

Il Trota ha detto che sta scrivendo un libro su se stesso, ma arrivato alla schiena proprio non ci riesce

Il Trota ha detto che le rose senza spine vanno a batteria

Il Trota ha detto che il poliziotto più sfigato è quello che muore al Posto di Blocco, mentre il più fortunato è Blocco

Il Trota ha detto che il Sahara è un deserto e su questo non ci piove...

*

GRAZIE ILARIA!

Street art in Milan (literally)

Scattato dal Nostro Inviato.

A little Dante in my kitchen

I have the entire text of Dante's Divine Comedy.

On the wall in my kitchen.

Every word! Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso.

From: "Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita," all the way to "l'amor che move il sole e l'altre stelle." (That's the Dante version of from alpha to omega).

Thanks, of course, to Il Nostro Inviato (che oggi scappa di nuovo per Italia).

He bought the poster somewhere in Italy as a Christmas gift a few years back and I finally had it framed this month.

I added something else: a magnifying glass so I can read verses while he prepares dinner. Because otherwise the type is way too small and no one will ever be able to read a word of it!

So if you have a hankering for a little bit of Florence's greatest poet, come on over!

Actually I should mention, most parts of The Divine Comedy are freakin' impossible so maybe this is a good way to tackle the text. You know, a canto or two, between dinner courses.

(You can find a great way to look at the entire text online here in Italian and here in English. It's the entire text, organized canto by canto so you can read as little or as much as you want).