Volume 4 : Issue 9 / September 2009
Greetings and Salutations
An ad I saw in the Metro of Rome (June 2009)
Welcome to the latest installment of Il Bollettino. I spent a lot of time working on this issue so I hope that you enjoy all the sites, news and reviews that I’m going to bring you in this issue. Remember to sign up to be an email subscriber (see the instructions in the sidebar) to become eligible for the monthly drawing for a $25.00 Amazon.com gift certificate. You’ll receive the gift certificate in your email if you’re the winner — the only requirement is that I ask that you just email me so that I know that you received it.
I also created a new Facebook page for my blog, Parola del giorno. The pages are more interactive than groups, and I can do more with widgets to publicize the group and attract a wider audience. If you use Facebook and are looking for a more convenient and easier way to follow my blog and learn a new word each day, become a fan of my page and receive updates directly on your Facebook wall!
Contest Winner
I’ll announce the contest winner on October 9th so if you still want to become a subscriber and be part of the drawing, please enter by October 8th!
More Italian Recipes
Cantucci (known as biscotti to American readers) - a simple twice baked cookie, usually with almonds. Pictured is a cantucci of chocolate, almonds, and orange zest.
I recently talked about cantucci in a recent Parola del giorno blog post. Cantucci are what we Americans call biscotti - you know, those long, dry and slender cookies that you always see in American cafes and coffee shops. They’re originally from Tuscany (although there are variants all over Italy). I found a great recipe for them here - check out this site called Ricette Mania which has hundreds of great recipes. The recipes are in Italian so it will definitely give your Italian a workout. If you need help, consult a dictionary or check out my Vocabolario on cooking terms!
You might think that cooking from an Italian recipe can be also a recipe for disaster, but have no fear. With a little patience, practice, and possibly the help of a dictionary, you can quickly decipher the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. You’ll probably find that many of the words you can figure out simply by using context clues in the sentence.
Also check out Recipes Library - this cool site has tons of recipes from all over the world, including Italy (the recipes are in English). Click here for a listing of various biscotti recipes.
My two cents or la mia opinione
I’m going to rant for a moment, so I hope that you’ll bear with me.
I received an email from the show, AnnoZero. They sent out an email to all their subscribers letting them know about the shows return this season as well as to showcase some “spots” or ads for the upcoming season. These ads are no where to be seen on Italian TV, and one can only deduce that Berlusconi and his media empire are doing all they can to squelch the show and reduce its following, presumably because of the many appearances that Marco Travaglio has made on the show. Marco Travaglio is a huge thorn in Berlusconi’s side, having written numerous books on Berlusconi and his stifling of free speech in Italy.
I find it disheartening, discouraging and worrisome that a “democracy” such as Italy’s would have these kind of problems. I’m also concerned that the populace are not worried about the state of their government, where one man controls the outflow of information. You can be sure that anti-Berlusconi news and programs never appear on his television stations, and more and more you see these kind of stories disappear from Rai and other government sponsored media outlets. Too many Italians rely on the television for their information, and when you have an aging population that cannot use computers, you can see the problem. If you don’t read English, Spanish, French or German you’re also unlikely to hear or be able to read the foreign press, which are more scathing in their assessment of Berlusconi’s policies and power grab. (Also, not to mention that Rai Due is now a digital station so if you don’t have the right TV or equipment, you can’t watch the station - funny that? - what better way to reduce the number of viewers to your station, especially older viewers who might find changes of technology daunting than by switching an entire station to a different broadcasting format).
Ok…I’m done. Below is a copy of the email that I received from the redazione of AnnoZero:
Buongiorno Keith,
Cari amici, sono Michele Santoro e ho bisogno del vostro aiuto. Mancano pochi giorni alla partenza e la televisione continua a non informare il …pubblico sulla data d’inizio di Annozero. Perciò vi chiedo di inviare a tutti i vostri amici e contatti su Internet gli spot che abbiamo preparato a questo scopo e che non vengono trasmessi.
Qui trovate i nostri spot
Su Youtube:
Primo spot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e-HvwOhmjE
Secondo spot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kJRHdrLfWI
Su Rai.tv:
http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-616d28e5-f635-4e1f-a3d9-e153752d2e91.html?p=0
E come sempre il nostro sito
Italian Book of the Month
Viva il congiuntivo!
This month’s Italian book that I want to highlight is Viva il congiuntivo! by Valeria della Valle and Giuseppe Patota. One of the most troublesome aspects of Italian grammar for many students is when to use the subjunctive. It’s no secret that the subjunctive baffles even many native speakers who simply ignore the rules surrounding its usage. You’ll definitely impress native speakers on your next trip to Italy if you can learn more about how it is used.
Now we have a resource that is devoted completely to the use of this mood and finally sheds some light on the complexities involved. Both authors have a very clear and concise way of writing — the book is very approachable so even if you’re Italian is only intermediate, this book shouldn’t present too much of a challenge.
Often Italian grammar reference books are dismissed as being unapproachable to foreign students, but I don’t think that this is the case with this book (nor any others written by these two authors). The authors of this book also wrote Il nuovo salvalingua, and both are accomplished linguists in their own right.
In the coming issues of Il Bollettino, I’ll be writing some posts on using the subjunctive as well as improving my lessons and blog content from ILGUR.
La Cucina Italiana
This month’s issue of La Cucina Italiana focused on chic peas (along with some other great articles) - those tasty little legumes have quite a storied history in Italian cuisine that goes as far back as ancient Rome! It’s a great magazine and a great read, and it’s full of wonderful recipes and articles about Italy and Italian cooking. You can probably find the magazine at your local newsstand or bookstore. Their web site is an excellent source for recipes that you’ll find in the magazine as well as a marketplace as well as information on their cooking school in Milan, glossaries, cooking guides and much more.
App Spotlight: Il Corriere della Sera.it
Before heading to Italy this summer I decided to purchase an Ipod touch because I wanted something to tinker with on the long flight over as well as have a mobile internet device so that I could check email, blog, put up photos, etc. I’m thinking that there are a lot of ways that mp3 players but also touchscreen devices such as Ipods can help us connect with our Italian language and culture.
Il Corriere della Sera has a cool Iphone/Ipod touch app that lets you connect with its content, see the weather, watch videos and more. Il Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest newspapers, and it’s also a newspaper that employed and published many stories, essays and pieces from several of Italy’s greatest writers. You can be sure that the news coming from this source is generally pretty good.
Within the app, there’s also a cool section called Trova that works better if you’re actually in Italy, but what it does is find restaurants, movies, bars, gas stations, clubs, places to eat and more that are near you. You can also view photos from the newspapers as well as search the archive, see other editions of the paper around Italy, get the weather, and see how the markets are doing. The downside is that, unlike many apps (such as for La Reppublica), the Corriere app costs $2.99, but I like its functionality and ease of use. Check it out!
Italylogue
Visit Italylogue.com!
If you’re planning a trip to Italy, have been before or just like to “arm chair” travel, then check out this site, Italylogue — it’s one of my favorite resources on Italy and is full of practical and common sense tips on getting around, finding lodgings, understanding Italian culture and more.
I’m slightly jealous that the blog’s author Jessica Spiegel) gets to travel more to Italy than I am able (hehe), but her web site is packed full of great information. If you’re looking to head to the north of Italy (Milan, Venice), then Jessica’s site and posts are a worthy and reliable resource for you. But she’s also got oodles of information on most regions and areas of Italy!
The site is fun to explore, and I think that if you’re looking for help in planning your trip and some of the logistics, then it’s a great site to bookmark and check often!
Videocracy
This new documentary was screened recently at the Venice Film Festival — looking forward to seeing it here in the US or buying it on Dvd. Check out the trailer below:
Il Vocabolario
This month’s Il Vocabolario is dedicated to musical instruments, music and orchestras:
lo strumento (musicale) musical instrument
la musica music
musicale musical
il tono tone
tonale tonal
il timbro timbre
il flauto flute
il flauto dolce recorder
il ottavino piccolo
il fagotto bassoon
il violino violin
la viola viola
il violoncello cello
il pianoforte piano
il corno horn
il corno francese French horn
il corno inglese English horn
la tromba trumpet
il trombone trombone
il sassofono saxophone
il sassofono contralto alto saxophone
l’oboe oboe
il basso bass
il controbasso contrabass
il clarinetto clarinet
il triangolo triangle
i cembali cymbals
il clavicembalo harpsichord
la cornetta cornet
i timpani timpani
il tamburo drum
la bacchetta/la mazza di tamburo drumstick
il tamburello tambourine
la chitarra guitar
la chitarra elettrica electric guitar
la chitarra acustica acoustic guitar
il/la cantante singer
lo xilofono xylophone
l’organo organ
la partitura score
i spariti sheet music (pl.)
il leggio music stand
il direttore conductor (of an orchestra, band, etc.)
la bacchetta del direttore conductor’s baton
il/la musicista musician
l’orchestra orchestra
il gruppo band
la sinfonia symphony (the group and the piece of music)
la sinfonia in G maggiore di Mozart Mozart’s Symphony in G majory
il concerto concert (also means: concerto, Concerto for Flute and Orchestra)
la sonata sonata
il basso continuo figured bass
la sonata per violino e basso continuo sonata for violin and figured bass
in concerto a/con in concert at/with
la voce voice
vocale vocal
soprano soprano
contralto alto
controtenore countertenor
tenore tenor
basso bass
l’opera opera
maggiore major (key)
minore minor (key)
la tonalità key
in G maggiore, in c minore in G major, in c minor
