Archive for April, 2008
Italian News Snippets: 04.20.08
Some Italian news for your Sunday reading pleasure:
Lots of articles about the election results, and what they mean for Italy - including this one wondering whether Berlusconi can deliver what Italians want, and this one suggesting that Italy might be moving toward a two-party system.
It’s nice to know that the presumed next PM is still as classy as he ever was.
Oh, and Silvio, let’s not forget to pick up where we left off the last time we left the Prime Minister position, shall we? By pissing off some other country? Let’s pick Spain this …
Date: April 20th, 2008 |
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What can Madonna teach us about Venice history?
Okay, all you children of the 70s, it’s time to go back in time a bit to one of those formative moments in our collective musical past. I’m talking, of course, about the Madonna “Like A Virgin” video.
I saw this video plenty of times back in the day when it was first all over MTV, but it had been quite a long time since I’d seen it. So when it came on MTV in my Milan apartment last month, I was surprised to notice that the video was not only filmed on-location in Venice, but that it incorporated a bit of Venice history as well. Check out the video and see if you notice what I’m talking about:
Date: April 17th, 2008 |
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Italian Swear Words - Jessica’s 8 Favorites
When you’re learning a new language, one of the most fun parts is learning how to swear. Of course, Italian swear words always sound prettier to my non-Italian ear than their English equivalents, but just because they sound prettier doesn’t mean their meaning is! When I was teaching Italian, one of the most common questions I’d get from students - always after class, in hushed tones - was stuff like, “How do you say ’shit’ in Italian?” With that in mind, here are my 8 favorite Italian swear words.
Update: Now you can hear sample pronunciations for some of these words - wherever you see a blue arrow underneath the word, click on it and you’ll hear exactly how to say it!
And be sure to check out the second installment, Italian swear words part 2 - readers’ choice!
8. Accidenti! (ah-chee-DEN-tee)
Let’s start with something G-rated, shall we? This is the less-questionable version of “merda” (see #6) - when you want to say a euphemism like “crap” instead of swearing and saying “shit,” you’d say “accidenti.” It looks so much more innocent, doesn’t it? Almost like, “Oh, what a horrible accident that I almost said a bad word” or something. Anyway, this is the one to internalize so that you don’t let loose with any of the really bad ones in front of passing nuns.
7. Madonna! (mah-DOHN-nah)
While many Italian stereotypes turn out to be less true on the ground in Italy than you might have expected them to be, the one about Italians using “mamma mia!” as an exclamation of surprise or annoyance holds water - they actually do use it. But personally, I prefer the equally common “Madonna!” if for no other reason than it amuses me in this predominantly Catholic country. You can even pair this one with “porca” (see #1) for more emphatic (and less polite) uses.
6. Merda! (MEHR-dah)
Now, because I’d often get the “How do you say ’shit’ in Italian?” question from students, I’ve learned this one - but I’ve honestly not heard it as much in Italy as I have some of the other swear words on this page. This is, however, how you say “shit” in Italian, and it’s used in exactly the same way we use it in English. It also is incorporated into other phrases for more colorful meanings as well.
Date: April 14th, 2008 |
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Italy Q&A: Accommodation Options for a July Trip
This is one of my Italy Q&A posts. Antoinette says:
My family will be going to Italy for the the whole month of July and I’m trying to find good family hotels in the following places:
Centre of Rome
Another one in downtown Campobasso (Molise)
One more in Cosenza - near Amantea (Calabria)
And finally one in Sicily near the Lipari islands
Also, we need to rent a car as we will be driving from Rome all the way down to Sicily - and so I would like to know what car rental company you would recommend.
In case you need to know, my two daughters are 10 and 12.
Thanks for the email, Antoinette, and what a great trip - a whole month in Italy! It also looks like you’re doing quite an untraditional trip, hitting Rome and points South rather than Florence and Venice, which is cool. In general, the good news is that this means you’ll probably have better luck finding more inexpensive accommodation options - unfortunately, the bad news is that you’ll find fewer options overall, especially on the internet.
Date: April 11th, 2008 |
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Italy Photo of the Week: Ravenna Mosaics
For this Italy photo of the week, we’re in Ravenna:
Ravenna is one of those places you may not need to spend more than a couple of hours - but if you like the Byzantine mosaics of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, you should do yourself the favor of a two-hour tour of Ravenna. You can reach the city by train as a day-trip from Venice, or en route between Venice and points south. I snapped this picture in San Vitale church, my favorite of the churches in Ravenna - although it’s pretty nondescript from the outside, the …
Date: April 9th, 2008 |
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Alessandro Palace in Rome
Sometimes the thing you want most in the world is to be given only one option, so you don’t have to bother with making a choice. But sometimes options are the best thing. And with the Alessandro hostels in Rome you get choice - Alessandro (yes, there really is an Alessandro) has two properties, one on either side of the main train station. Today, I’m going to cover the original - Alessandro Palace in Rome.
Alessandro Palace, open since 1990, is on the northeast side of Termini Station in Rome, a short walk from the station itself. The reception desk is down a short hall from the main door at the street, and the hostel’s computer stations are just off the reception area. In addition, there’s a very cool bar at the end of the hallway that serves as the breakfast room in the morning, a common room during the day, and a great place to meet and hang out at night (it’s open from 18:00 until 02:00). The ceiling is even painted like the Sistine Chapel, just in case you forget where you are. The bar isn’t restricted to hostel guests only, so bring your new Roman friends along as well!
This is the kind of place you come to meet up with other travelers, to socialize and to have a good time. There are a few double rooms, but the vast majority of the beds are in dorms. There are no male-only dorms, but there are female-only dorms and also mixed dorms. All rooms have lockers available where you can store your stuff during the day.
>>Check out my reviews of other hostels in Rome, too!
Date: April 18th, 2008 |
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Academy Hostel in Florence
Florence is one of those cities that is overrun with tourists pretty much year-round, so prices for accommodation are higher as a result. Finding a cheap place to stay is a must if you’re traveling on a budget, but not everyone likes the dorm-room atmosphere of hostels. Thankfully, there are hostels that don’t really feel like hostels - and the Academy Hostel in Florence is one of them.
To start with, if you’re used to Italy hostels only being cheap when they’re miles away from anything you want to see, you’ll be amazed when you see where the Academy Hostel is in Florence - it’s not only within sight of the Duomo, you can see the Duomo from some of the rooms and hear the bells from the Campanile loud and clear. The front door to the hostel is less than a block from Duomo Square. In short, the location is enough to make anyone say “wow.”
On top of that, the hostel itself is new - though it’s in an historic building, the interior has been entirely remodeled and renovated, and the hostel was just opened in December of 2007. Everything is spic and span, and although the rooms had a bit of that hospital-room ambience when I visited, I was told by Ivan, the manager, that things were scheduled to be painted the week after I left. So it’s likely that there’s quite a bit more color in the Academy rooms now.
Date: April 16th, 2008 |
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Italian News Snippets: 04.13.08
Some Italian news for your Sunday reading pleasure:
It’s election day in Italy today! Well, the first of two (April 13-14). So, if you’re even vaguely curious about the Italian elections, you can read the party platforms and see who you might have voted for.
Venice might be seriously expensive, but the famous Harry’s Bar is offering “discounts to ‘poor’ Americans,” so that should help.
Italians say they’d sacrifice higher pay for even more time off. I think I’d be okay with that, too, especially if I were getting paid in euros.
I thought Milan’s smog was …
Date: April 13th, 2008 |
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Locanda Daniel in Florence
For budget travelers who have graduated from big hostel dorm rooms but haven’t yet quite reached the budget hotel stage, Italy has plenty of options. Many are called things like “residenza,” “locanda” and “soggiorno,” and most Italian towns have several in this category. I visited one in Florence called Locanda Daniel which is very small (only five rooms!), and could be a great option for budget travelers who still want a little bit of charm in the heart of the city.
Locanda Daniel is on the busy Via Nazionale not far from the San Lorenzo church and the leather market along Via dell’Ariento. The street itself is noisy, but the double-paned windows on the street side block out the noise so it’s peaceful inside the locanda. With only five rooms, we’re not talking about a big place here - it’s basically one hallway with doors opening onto rooms along one side. All but one of the bedrooms has windows that open onto Via Nazionale, with the remaining bedroom (a double) having the only view of the dome on the Florence Duomo. (Unfortunately, it was occupied when I visited, so I didn’t get to see it.)
Date: April 10th, 2008 |
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Italy in May
Italy in May can be the stuff that dreams are made of, even if the prices are hiked accordingly. The weather is more reliably good than it is in April (though still not too hot), and tourists are flocking to Italy in droves starting in May. No, unfortunately you are not the only person who woke up this morning and thought, “Y’know what we should do? We should go to Italy in May.” Still, if you’ve had that thought, you’re in good company - and there are lots of good reasons to see what May is like in Italy.
Prices, as mentioned, are likely to be higher in May than they are in February or November, so be prepared to pay more for everything from your Italy airfare to your car rental to your hotel room. You can save money on accommodation by staying in hostels rather than hotels (many have private rooms that are still less expensive than most hotel rooms), and taking the train rather than renting a car. But if you are hoping to get off the beaten path - which is always a good thing to do, especially as more and more tourists start coming to Italy - you may need to have a car to get into the countryside to towns that don’t have train stations.
There are festivals and events going on throughout Italy year-round, and if you can participate in one or several during your trip you are bound to come away with a better understanding of the real Italy - not to mention some amazing vacation memories. Check out this Italy festival finder for some ideas of festivals that may be taking place in May near where you’re visiting. For instance, who can resist the allure of something in Cortona called the “Festival for the Elderly and the Sick?” Seriously, some events are actually worth seeking out, including the 19 days in May when Florence’s Iris Garden is open to the public (the only days it’s open to the public all year), or the festival of sailboats in Venice, or the White Asparagus Festival in Cimadolmo in the Treviso area. To use the festival finder, just choose the month and the region(s) you’ll be visiting from the drop-down menu and click the “Search” button for a few highlights of festivals and events you may want to add to your itinerary.
Date: April 9th, 2008 |
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