Comunità Italiana USA: 2011

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Sono arrivate le feste...Buon Natale a tutti!

l'albero di Natale

I love Christmas-who doesn't?! The celebrations, the preparations and the merry-making that comes with this end of the year festivity have roots far earlier than European Christianity. It is believed that ancient Romans celebrated the winter solstice by decorating evergreen trees (symbolic of the spring to follow winter) with garlands of laurel and candles. The Scandinavians decorated their evergreen trees with apples. There are so many symbols associated with Chrstmas time that I decided to make a list. Having said that, I raise my cyber glass to you and toast this beautiful end of the year holiday.

Today I offer Christmas vocabulary words for my students of Italian:

Buon Natale, la vigilia di Natale, Buone Feste, Babbo Natale, la stella, la lista, gli ornamenti

la corona dell'avvento

il calendario dell'avvento

il panettone

il panforte

il ceppo di Natale

il regalo

il giocattolo
il pupazzo di neve

la ghirlanda

il presepio

il bambino Gesu', la vigilia di San Silvestro, il Capodanno, la Befana, l'Epifania

Buon divertimento e Buon Natale a tutti!

"Preghiere di Natale"

fuochi d'artifico a Capodanno

Friday, October 21, 2011

Autumn, the Italian Circus & Halloween

Il circo italiano ...is coming to town on the heels of Halloween and we have lots of fun words and images to learn. As always, click the image to the right to translate the Italian words into English.

Anche l'autunno e arrivato!
foglie cadute, i funghi, lo spaventapasseri, il corvo

Abruzzo National Park, Italy

Two hours east and slightly north of Rome, "is the town of the snake-catchers, Cocullo whose residents have combined the millenary Marsican traditions with the Christian devotion to S. Domenico."

l'incantatore di serpenti

Il mio orto domestico (My kitchen garden)

il girasole

Gardening is one of my favorite pastimes; growing fruit, vegetables and flowers and herbs to eat is so satisfying to me. This is my prize girasole. It grew over 10 feet tall and the flower head was almost 36 inches.

our organic garden

Gardening is really universal, but it is so Italian! I hardly know any Italians that don't have an "orto" out in back or right in front of their house instead of silly grass.

L'orto domestico is the word for "kitchen garden". L'ortaggio is used to describe the vegetable. With Spring (la primavera) fleeting by and Summer (l'estate) grasping for air (l'aria) and sun (il sole), this month's vocabulary building will focus on the garden (l'orto). Here are some pictures of il mio orto!

i broccoli

i fagiolini

i pomodori bio

la lattuga

piantare

il seme

l'acqua

il terriccio

il sole

piantare semi

Aromatic herbs are divine for cooking! Here are some of my favorites

il rosmarino

il mazzolino d'erbe

il prezzemolo

il basilico

la bonta

These are my favorite medicinal herbs for making le tisane (herb teas).

la camomila ungarese

la lavanda francese

I love summer and I especially love my garden. Fate una buona estate!

Days, Months, Time and Astrology

Ciao a tutti....Buon Anno Nuovo!

A new year brings hope for change. We measure time, space and seasons with words to describe change. How about if we add new vocabulary words to this new year of change.This "new year post" will focus on the months, the days, the seasons and the Western astrological signs.I hope you enjoy adding these words to your expanded vocabulary!

I MESI

gennaio febbraio marzo aprile maggio giugno luglio agosto settembre ottobre novembre dicembre

The months of the year are not capitalized and no article is necessary.

I GIORNI DELLA SETTIMANA

lunedi` martedi` mercoledi` giovedi` venerdi` sabato domenica

Except for domenica, days of the week are masculine and they are not capitalized. They are usually not preceded by a definite article.

LE STAGIONI

l'inverno la primavera