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| appertifs are hugely popular. have you tried campari, a bitter red liquor? Yum, it is tasty & a common appertif. Also the aperol spritz, another bitter liquor often served with soda & lemon or orange slice.
So, let me tell you about Italian language. It is, of course a latin language, so it has similar word roots and grammar construction to spanish & french. I know spanish but learned it when I was in high school, it is different learning a language as an "adult". My brain is not as flexible. All words are masculine or feminine and have a corresponding article:
the book: il libro
a book: un libro
the books: i libri
some books: dei libri
VS.
a student: lo studente
the student: uno studente
the students: gli studenti
some students: degli studenti
VS.
the purse: la borsa the red purse: la borsa rossa
a purse: una borsa
the purses: le borse the red purses: le borse rosse
some purses: delle borse
you get the idea. However, there are always some exceptions: IRREGULARS mixing masculine or feminine in odd ways you just have to memorize. Articles & adjectives always have to agree. This of course makes sense but, can be challenging when things become more complex.
the thing that I have the most problem with are i preposizioni, prepositions!!! on the, to the, at the, from, for, etc. the preposition must agree with the subject & there are very many special cases that you just have to memorize. The principles are not that hard but, when you start forming phrases these prepositions become integral:
al bar
in macchina
cercare di
come al solito
al tramonto
trovare una soluzione a una problema
vado da Maria
partire per Francia
venire da Firenze
un film sull' Italia
sono degli Stati Uniti
andiamo con tua mamma
alle 8:00 dalle 13:00
dal mecchanico
a punto
pagare in contante
fra un ora
cominciare a
in montagna
al mare
in Italia a Roma
Anyway, these prepositions continue to challenge me, capisci?? Also, basic sentence structure. I am still thinking in english & attempting to translate directly. I am trying my best to... think in Italian! I am always trying to write more complex sentences when, at my level it would be better to write as if I were 10 years old. Actually, 8 years old. :) This week I have learned the past imperfect tense. Like, while I was studying, someone called me. Or, when I was a kid we visited the lake every summer. OR, I stayed home because I felt sick. It doesn't seem so hard but take my word for it... it is! And, of course all the verbs must be conjugated to agree with the subject. My current Italian level actually may be more advanced than my spanish had gotten after 4 years in high school & 1 in college! In any case, il mio italiano e megliorando ogni giorno, piano piano...
I mentioned I went to the ballet & it was fabulous! Here are some photos of the venue. A VERY old opera house downtown. La Bayadere doesn't seem to be a very well known ballet... In the third act the male lead smokes some opium & goes into a dream state during which 30 ballerinas dressed in gauzy white come down a ramp in a line slowly & snake out across the stage all doing the same steps in unison and slowly. Can you visualize this in your mind's eye??? It is all dark with fog flowing across just the floor. Then some fabulous dancing ensues! It was really enchanting, I still have the image in my head.
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| a lovely parlor inside |
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| i was in the nosebleed gallery but it didn't matter. look at all the private boxes lined in a plush velvet and the fancy chandeliers & fresco on the ceiling! It was all very elegant. |
Here are some pretty nightime shots around St. Peters. I just can't get enough of this place!
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| and Castel Sant'Angelo continues to impress!! |
Have you ever seen the movie Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn & Gregory Peck? I watched it recently, it is such a cute movie! It is filmed here & they visit many of the famous sites. In particular they go dancing and get into some trouble on a barge/bar docked just here @ the Castel. Check it out! Also, I saw that movie Melancholia, has that out in the states? Well, it is slow & artsy but, I liked it very much. At least what I understood of it... in Italian, probably about half. I would recommend it, it is beautifully done. Kirsten Dunst & Charlotte Gainsburg are good as well as hot Alexander Skarsgaard. It is nice to see him in a role other than VAMPIRE ERIC!
I found a group to go hiking with here & was planning to go on Sunday but seems we are rescheduling due to predicted temporali (storms). I am excited to meet some folks who like to hike!
E il compleanno della mia mamma domani!!! Felice compleanno a te, mom!! Te amo tantissimo! xo
When Italians say goodbye on the phone they say ciao 3-7 times very fast, increasing in speed & fading out in volume as they hang up. CIAO Ciao Ciao ciaociaociao. Funny. ALSO FUNNY... cheek kissing! After you meet someone it is very common to give a hug when saying bye & do the cheek kissing. Sometimes this can result in awkwardness if you don't know which cheek to go for first. I have learned that first you lean to the right. You can imagine this awkwardness, yes??? Also have learned that even though you are not really kissing the person's cheek (unless you really are) that it is still important to make the kissing sound.
And, when counting with your fingers you use your thumb as one. If you want one thing, say a caffe, and you hold up your index finger... you might just get two. Just some interesting differences...!
Take care & buon fine settimana a tutti! xx
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