About Italian Language

Dog Scratcher, Wild Hog, and Big Nasty Dragon

2009-06-28T02:42:56Z

If there is any comedy to be found in Dante Alighieri's La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy), it might in the fifth ditch of the eighth circle (introduced in canto 21), where devils assigned to patrol are called the Malebranche (Evil Claws). Their colorful, often satirical names include: Graffiacane (Dog Scratcher), Ciriatto (Wild Hog), Draghignazzo (Big Nasty Dragon), Cagnazzo (Nasty Dog), and Barbariccia (Curly Beard).

The joking stops with their given names, though. These diavoli hook and torment one of the sinners (Ciampolo), who tricks the Malebranche in order to escape back into the boiling pitch. They also turn out to have lied to Dante and Virgil, having given them false directions to the next bolgia (ditch of stone).

Like a Dog in Church

2009-06-25T02:42:32Z

In general, Italians are known for their cordiality and generous disposition towards guests. But in the event that they are less than neighborly, there's an idiomatic expression that perfectly captures an inhospitable regard: essere ricevuto come un cane in chiesa—"to be received (welcomed) like a dog in church"!

When Hell Freezes Over

2009-06-24T02:33:39Z

In Bonn, West Germany, on June 24, 1963, while signing a charter establing the German Peace Corps, President John F. Kennedy misquoted Dante Alighieri when he claimed: "Dante once said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality."

In fact, Dante placed those who "non furon ribelli né fur fedeli"—were neither for nor against God—in a special region near the mouth of Hell; the lowest part of Hell, a lake of ice, was for traitors. The passage is from La Commedia Divina (specifically Inferno: Canto 3, lines 35�42).

Maybe Dante knew that Hell had already frozen over!

NEH Summer Program for Teachers of Italian in Italy

2009-06-21T02:33:19Z

Beginning today, 25 Italian-language teachers based in the U.S. will begin a four-week summer program in Rome. The National Summer Institute 2009, titled: "The Art of Teaching Italian through Italian Art in Rome, Italy" is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and is part of their Summer Seminars & Institutes for School Teachers program. The primary purpose of the Institute is to provide teachers of Italian, in elementary and secondary schools both public and private, with innovative tools and techniques on how to teach Italian language and culture through a content-based approach.

The content chosen for this Institute is Italian art and the principal Italian artists whose outstanding works can be found in the museums and monuments of Rome and Tuscany. Expert linguists from Italian universities specializing in the teaching of Italian as a foreign language will show how to use works of art in the teaching of Italian as a second language, and will discuss new teaching methodologies and changes in contemporary written and spoken Italian language.

Study Abroad Italy

2009-06-19T02:32:55Z

U.S. college students interested in studying in Italy may want to investigate Study Abroad Italy (SAI), an organization that offers undergraduate semester programs, summer programs, and intersession programs in four Italian cities. SAI oversees and coordinates all aspects of your enrollment, including application processing, course selection and credit, visa preparation, housing, and student health insurance.

Students enrolled in SAI programs from affiliated universities receive U.S. credit for courses from their home school and can choose from a wide range of classes including business and economics, liberal arts, science, art history, and classical studies.

The Mayor's Water

2009-06-15T02:26:02Z

In Italy, tap water is often called "the mayor�s water" (l'acqua del sindaco). That's the joke behind a new poster in Venice that features the mayor, Massimo Cacciari, promoting the city's tap water. "Anch'io bevo l'acqua del sindaco" (I too drink the mayor's water), proclaims Cacciari.

It's all part of a public education campaign to encourage the use of tap water (l'acqua di rubinetto) to reduce plastic waste. City officials invented a brand name for Venice's tap water—Acqua Veritas—and even gave away carafes free to households. In Venice especially, trash is a costly problem since it's collected by men with wheelbarrows along the canal. Collection costs over four times as much on the mainland.

You Say Baar�a, I Say Bagheria

2009-06-14T02:25:44Z

For the first time in two decades, the reknowned Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica di Venezia (the Venice Film Festival) will open with an Italian title. The festival, which takes place this year from September 2-12, will showcase "Baarìa—La porta del vento," the latest feature from Giuseppe Tornatore. The Italian director is best known for his 1988 film Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, which won the Oscar for best foreign language film. His new movie is an autobiographic epic of three generations in the Sicilian village of Bagheria, where he was born (pronounced "Baarìa" in the local dialect).

The subtitle of the film alludes to one possible etymological derivation of the town's name; some sources claim that it derives from the Arabic Bāb al-Gerib, or "windy gateway." (hence la porta del vento). The film will be presented in two versions—one in local dialect for Sicily and a version in Italian for the rest of Italy.

Francobolli Worth Licking

2009-06-12T02:25:24Z

The Poste Italiane will soon release another francobollo (stamp) in its Made in Italy series dedicated to Italian food products. The 60 centesimi stamp will commemorate five hundred years since the first documented mention of the famous Prosciutto di San Daniele. The first-day cancellation will naturally take place at the San Daniele del Friuli post office in the province of Udine. The town, represented in the background of the stamp, is the production center of the San Daniele prosciutto. The issue of the stamp will coincide with Aria di Festa, a festival at the end of June dedicated to the dry-cured raw ham.

Previous stamps in the series have included gastronomic specialties such as: gelato artigianale (2006), sagra degli spaghetti all'Amatriciana (2008), and zafferano dell'Aquila (2008).

I Trend della Blogosfera Italiana nel 2009

2009-06-09T02:25:01Z

Wondering what tags, personaggi famosi (famous persons), brands, and temi (topics) have been the most popular in the blogosfera italiana over the past five months? La Repubblica has published the study L'Italia vista dai Blog: "Una ricerca illustra pensieri, opinioni e valutazioni emotive dei blogger italiani, sugli argomenti della cronaca, della politica, di sport e spettacolo."

Estath�

2009-06-07T02:24:39Z

The Estathé brand, sponsor ufficiale della maglia rosa, (official sponsor of the pink jersey—[a reference to the Giro d'Italia]), is an interesting play on words. The iced tea product, from Ferrero (makers of such Italian favorites as Nutella and Kinder Cioccolato), combines the words estate (summer) and thé (tea). One of their marketing messages even reinforces the portmanteau, claiming it's "Il gusto dell'estate" (the taste of summer).