<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
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<title>TheFlorentine.net - Italian Voices</title><link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/articles.asp?browse-by=Italian-Voices</link>
<description>Bi-weekly free newspaper printed in english covering italian news, events, culture, tuscany travel and food, in and around the Florence area.</description><copyright>Copyright 2008 - The Florentine</copyright>
<language>en</language>
<managingEditor>info@theflorentine.net ( The Florentine )</managingEditor>
<lastBuildDate>Sat, 25 May 2013 12:45:32 GMT</lastBuildDate>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[La, la, la]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=3543</link>
<description><![CDATA[Although Italy
has taught me to nurture a neurotic need for aesthetic perfection, I am not
much of a scenery girl. And, while I do prefer palaces to skyscrapers, I'm
seldom subject to the wide-eyed &lsquo;wow' that gives weak knees to those who marvel
at &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 86/2008</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Control issues]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=3269</link>
<description><![CDATA[A month after I had settled into my new apartment, my ex-landlady called. She had just received a notice in the mail from the garbage collectors. They had neglected to bill our neighborhood for three years and now that they'd finally &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 81/2008</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Non fa parte della nostra mentalita'']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1746</link>
<description><![CDATA[If you&rsquo;ve just arrived in Italy and are kicking for a little avventura italiana, you&rsquo;re probably still feeling excited and optimistic. Most likely you&rsquo;re convinced that if you ever decided to stay long term, you&rsquo;d never get homesick enough to miss &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 56/2007</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Mi raccomando']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1682</link>
<description><![CDATA[In 1998, I was hired to teach English at the military barracks in the province of Mantova. The course was funded by the European community so that all the draft soldiers would be able to understand each other. The post was &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 55/2007</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 3 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['L'amicizia']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1674</link>
<description><![CDATA[Nell'amicizia, Italians do not necessarily aim for understanding. The simply see, know and feel. And while this type of soul-searching needs no consent, real trust might not apear for years.

People phone the pressroom with various questions. Some depend on the season. &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 54/2007</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Magari']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1643</link>
<description><![CDATA[My colleagues and I were having a meeting and I might as well have been talking to myself. A curly white wig and a gavel to pound out &lsquo;order in the court&rsquo; would have been the only way to get everyone &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 53/2007</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 5 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Come si deve']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1590</link>
<description><![CDATA[In a country where food must always be served at the right time and temperature, I find Sunday brunch the easiest way to entertain. I say this for two simple reasons. First, I am a morning person who makes a mean &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 52/2007</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Arrangiarsi',]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1472</link>
<description><![CDATA[&lsquo;Arrangiarsi or the ability to &lsquo;arrange oneself&rsquo; is all about overcoming obstacles. Italians love to jump fences, and they do it with an agile grace that people from Anglo-cultures can almost never pull off&rsquo;.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Writing about arrangiarsi is a bit like chasing &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 51/2007</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 8 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Insomma',]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1300</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Florentine is hunting for a new home and I&rsquo;ve been trying all day not to write about it. But our search for an office keeps sneaking into my article as if this page were the rented space we&rsquo;re looking for. &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 50/2007</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Mah...']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=51</link>
<description><![CDATA[&lsquo;Sometimes used to introduce discussion or resume debate, mah is the net that captures stray thoughts. It&rsquo;s the time you take before you jump and your chance to consider how cold the water is.&rsquo;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
I have never been on a speed-date in &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 49/2007</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 8 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['La Privacy']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=87</link>
<description><![CDATA[Watch how people share secrets and you&rsquo;ll discover the things they are trying to hide.&nbsp; Learn how a country exchanges confidences and you&rsquo;ll uncover the cornerstone of social rapport.
&nbsp;
Italians may be known to the world as free-speaking, overly expressive individuals, but &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 48/2007</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Bello, bellino, bellissimo']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=128</link>
<description><![CDATA[It was only the third day of the New Year and I had already decided that I was not going to write a single word until the end of the next century. When I am struck by that particular form of &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 47/2007</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Avere un feeling']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=159</link>
<description><![CDATA[It was an eerily sunny day in December and my friend Silvia and I were weaving our way to the park with the greenhouse. Her daughter Sofia had a play-date and we were, of course, late. As we dragged the poor &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 46/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 14 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Ritratto di signora...' Portrait of a lady]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=206</link>
<description><![CDATA[Today I&rsquo;m waging a silent war against a blank page and an enemy expression that has yet to reveal itself. It is Saturday and, gratefully, the office is quiet. Most of the theatre troupe that makes this newspaper have all trooped &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 45/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Vorrei']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=244</link>
<description><![CDATA[I spent my first years in Florence teaching parts of speech to mother-tongue English speakers who considered grammar the Boogie man under the bed. Now my stints as &lsquo;grammar girl&rsquo; are limited to a few English lessons a month with my &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 44/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Fare il ponte dei morti']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1482</link>
<description><![CDATA[I have just spent the entire afternoon dumping the contents of my drawers into cardboard boxes. I found them crushed on aisle seven at the Coop this morning and spent the better part of an hour trying to tape them into &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 43/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 2 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Prendere la palla al balzo']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=312</link>
<description><![CDATA[During my Venetian years, I lived in a crumbling, 16th-century apartment whose best &lsquo;room&rsquo; was the terrace on the top floor. I was up there one afternoon mopping&mdash; something I did on rare occasions for the sole purpose of keeping my &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 42/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 19 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Si fa per dire...']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=350</link>
<description><![CDATA[Martina and I piled into an already crowded caf&eacute; in hopes of a corner table. Once a month we meet there to talk, sip cappuccino, and perhaps jot a line or two in our 'Be Bohemian&rsquo; notebooks. We were actually both &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 41/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 5 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Italiani mammoni']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=402</link>
<description><![CDATA[Giorgio Moro was admittedly very relieved to be walking me home. The night had been a terrible bore, he said. Unfortunately, I couldn&rsquo;t really deny it. I had spent our entire dinner picking his brain for an Italian expression that might &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 40/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Il rientro']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1484</link>
<description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s Tuesday&mdash;the day we put the newspaper to bed. And yes, since the entire staff has spent the last few weeks boldly courting summer, we are surprised that the paper is already pushing so hard to hatch. On most days, we &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 39/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Fri, 8 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Meno male']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=448</link>
<description><![CDATA[Italians are not too good at worrying about the future, but they do enjoy expressing relief when the future turns out much better than planned. In Italy, that means most of the time. The phrase meno male, literally translated as &lsquo;less &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 38/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 27 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Mamma mia']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=541</link>
<description><![CDATA[My mother says that if you really hate something, the best thing to do is spend time with it. Once enough hours have passed, it will become your friend. Spend time with your enemies and you will develop empathy for them. &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 37/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Prendere in giro']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=477</link>
<description><![CDATA[Lunch at Lola&rsquo;s is a true taste of Tuscan theatre. Everyday, my colleagues and I squeeze in the door at half past twelve in efforts to beat our neighbours to the corner table. The menu is written on a paper place-mat &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 36/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jun 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Allora']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=508</link>
<description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s Monday night and I&rsquo;m desperate for a word. The rest of the world is out watching the World Cup on the big screen. Italy is playing tonight and everyone else knows the word they are looking for. If they find &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 35/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Ci penso io']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=573</link>
<description><![CDATA[In Italy, a best friend is known as a &lsquo;heart friend&rsquo; and my amico del cuore is called Giorgio Moro. Although this is not top secret information, I do have some qualms about using his full name in this article. Any &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 34/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 1 Jun 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Non c' storia']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=13</link>
<description><![CDATA[The summer I turned seven, my cousin taught me an Italian children&rsquo;s chant about a king who begged his jester to tell him a tale. &lsquo;Once upon a time there was a king who sat on his sofa and said to &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 33/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 18 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Boh']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=624</link>
<description><![CDATA[The morning of the election results I purposely avoided turning on the news. There was really no need. The state of Italy&rsquo;s political future would be written on the barman&rsquo;s face. I would know the results by the wrinkles on Maurizio&rsquo;s &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 32/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 4 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Cara-bella-ciccia']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=658</link>
<description><![CDATA[I have a good friend who assigns animals to everyone she meets.&nbsp; I, on the other hand, am partial to fictitious characters. I currently work with four Italian men. In my mind&rsquo;s eye, they are the Wizard, the Scarecrow, the Tin &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 31/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 20 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Un occhio della testa']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=691</link>
<description><![CDATA[Italy&rsquo;s normally salty prices get torn to shreds when sales season comes. From prezzi salati to prezzi stracciati, when prices are shredded, it&rsquo;s time to go shopping. The country waits on bated breath as the stores mark down and the people &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 30/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 6 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Fare un gioco']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=751</link>
<description><![CDATA[I think I have a rare language disease. My symptoms most often show themselves at fancy dinner parties where everyone is wearing black. Somehow, understated elegance brings out all of my quirky linguistic hang-ups. At the very first lull in conversation, &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 29/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Dipende']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=781</link>
<description><![CDATA[In the middle of lesson, my student pulls her desk up closer so we can understand each other better. In Italy, it&rsquo;s best if you can touch whoever you&rsquo;re talking to. Before traipsing into my classroom three weeks ago, Marilena had &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 28/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 9 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Poi vediamo']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=814</link>
<description><![CDATA[Just relax. Take a deep breath. Abandon Plan A. Leave it at the bus stop before you mount bus 14. It&rsquo;s already too crowded in there. Leave Plan A at the bottom of the stairs before you brave the five flights &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 27/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Dottoressa']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=847</link>
<description><![CDATA[It starts with the usual Thursday afternoon phone call. Supposedly, there&rsquo;s an urgent manuscript waiting for me at the translation studio. Can I pick it up? Stay up all night to do it? Bring it by in the morning?&nbsp; My boss &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 26/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 9 Feb 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['E' difficile']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=881</link>
<description><![CDATA[During university I had the great fortune of living right above a Venetian canal. The apartment&rsquo;s floor was uneven in places and its mosaics rippled as if someone were slowly pulling them from under your feet. There were high gothic windows &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 25/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Una razza morente']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=917</link>
<description><![CDATA[When my up-stairs neighbour finds an article she thinks I can&rsquo;t live without reading, she tapes it to a packaged merendina snack and throws it at my head as I pass under her window. Not a photocopy, the original. Signora Norma &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 24/2006</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Compiere gli anni']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=741</link>
<description><![CDATA[If you want to have many birthdays, live in Italy. Together with Japan, Italy boasts the longest life span in the world. Thirty-six paid vacation days a year and the Mediterranean diet are probably partly responsible. Frequent art-filled walks and friendly &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 23/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['In casa']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=940</link>
<description><![CDATA[Just before Christmas last year, my cousin Marianna announced that she would be inviting her boyfriend Tierri in casa. She had been going out with him for a year and a half. They had been going to school together since middle &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 22/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Arriviamo al punto']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=966</link>
<description><![CDATA[English speakers follow a straight line; Italians talk in circles. If you engage in intercultural communication on a daily basis, this is something you probably already know, but possibly have never thought about. So let&rsquo;s think about it now, shall we?
&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ll &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 21/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 1 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Prego']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=992</link>
<description><![CDATA[If the Italian language is a locked door that you&rsquo;re still struggling to open, then I&rsquo;ve come to bring you the key. No matter how many subjunctive verbs your language teachers want to fill your brains with, all you really need &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 20/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Avere fegato',]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1015</link>
<description><![CDATA[I'd been recently hired by a Tuscan regional association whose goal was to provide youth services and career training to young Italians who wanted to become more desirable candidates for the international job market. During a workshop on writing resumes my &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 19/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 3 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['La politica  cosa sporca',]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1040</link>
<description><![CDATA[Sitting on the terrace in Chianti, happy as a clam, I was enjoying my first meal al fresco in eight months. It was my friend Edoardo&rsquo;s birthday, and the spring air was crisp and the company warm. Then suddenly the winds &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 18/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 20 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Non si fa']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1065</link>
<description><![CDATA[Italians, as a race, are fairly relaxed. They will not obsess about politically correct word choice or nit-pick about pseudo moral dilemmas. They have great capacity to put things in perspective and avoid unnecessary fuss. But there are some things that &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 17/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 6 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Il conto per favore']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1089</link>
<description><![CDATA[&ldquo;Il conto per favore.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s how you ask for the bill in Italian. And now that you know, you might as well forget it. It&rsquo;s not worth your brain space. You can ask for the bill in restaurants in Italy, but &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 16/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Fare lo shopping',]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1116</link>
<description><![CDATA[There are many advantages to shopping in Italy. Everyone knows that for high quality and chic designer clothes this is the place to buy. Besides, you will almost always come away with more than you bargained for, at least culturally speaking. &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 15/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 8 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA['Un popolo timido',]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1141</link>
<description><![CDATA[If you really want to make an Italian squirm, politely listen to what he has to say. Sit with your hands in your lap and nod attentively after each of his emphatic affirmations. For an Italian, there is no worse scenario. &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 14/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 4 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA['Gli Azzurri']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1166</link>
<description><![CDATA[W&#8201;hen gli Azzurri, the Italian National Football team, are together on the field, Italy&rsquo;s citizens call themselves Italian. Other times they are veneziani, fiorentini, romani, o siciliani. Other times they walk their regional walk and talk their regional talk. But when &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 13/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jul 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA['Uno dev'essere sveglio']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1379</link>
<description><![CDATA[Amongst the innumerable laws that crowd the Italian constitution, I&rsquo;m told there&rsquo;s one about pedestrians having the right of way. I, however, have never seen it happen in real life. And I&rsquo;ve been keeping my eyes open. 
&nbsp;
While at university, I &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 12/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 7 Jul 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA['Entrata Libera',]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1403</link>
<description><![CDATA[The shoppers who flock to Florence from all over the world come with the strange misconception that shopping in Italy is fun. Armani&rsquo;s class, Ferragamo&rsquo;s craftsmanship, a bit of Versace sparkle, and a dash of Valentino red might make you think &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 11/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA['Gli Italiani parlano con le mani',]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1199</link>
<description><![CDATA[Elena is twenty-five and has been for the past five years. She was born six years younger than her brother and I but stayed younger only until she learned to talk. We call those the good old days. Elena is what &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 10/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA['Anche il calcio dev'essere bello',]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1224</link>
<description><![CDATA[It was Sunday afternoon and we were sitting around watching soccer. Actually, we were sitting around watching people watch soccer. &ldquo;Quelli che il calcio, Those Who Soccer&rdquo; is one of Italy&rsquo;s best loved programs and an absolute bore. The real matches &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 9/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jun 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA['Gente Simpatica',]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1260</link>
<description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s day five of their education abroad adventure in Florence, and my students are worried. Overseas for the charm of glossy exported Italianness, most are shocked to discover that the Italians they&rsquo;ve encountered in the bars, banks, and Benettons throughout the &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 8/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 9 Jun 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA['Raccomandato',]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1296</link>
<description><![CDATA[Some say that to get a good cup of coffee in Italy, you need to be friends with the barman. It is also said that to get hired in this country you have to be friends with the boss. Well, maybe &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 7/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 2 Jun 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA['La Familiarit',]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1325</link>
<description><![CDATA[If you want to be successful in Italy, get yourself a newsagent. Mine is called Matteo. He sells papers, but his news is free because he sees it as his duty to tell you everything you need to know. Should you &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 6/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 26 May 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA['La vergogna',]]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1344</link>
<description><![CDATA[It was marted&igrave; grasso, fat Tuesday, and there we sat, thinking of how good we would have to be over the next forty days. My aunt Donata had made fritelle, deep-fried fritters with pine nuts and candied fruit, that come from &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 5/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 19 May 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA['Un colpo d'aria']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1554</link>
<description><![CDATA[Homeopathic doctors will tell you that illness starts as a psychological issue and has to do with your state of mind. Not only. It also has to do with the state you happen to be living in. Life on the peninsula &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 4/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 12 May 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA['In bocca al lupo']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1421</link>
<description><![CDATA[In Italy, it is good luck to touch iron. Knocking on wood will do nothing for you. It is also good luck to touch the hump of a hunchback or stroke the nose of a wild boar. Fortune will also smile &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 3/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 5 May 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA['Anche l'occhio vuole la sua parte']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1440</link>
<description><![CDATA[For three years, I had the good fortune of living with two Italian painters. This is relevant to me, mostly because when it was my turn to make a meal, I always got painter-related commentary. They never told me how good &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 2/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA['Non te la prendere']]></title>
<link>http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=1178</link>
<description><![CDATA[Years of Italian living has taught me that one must be brave when talking to Italians, mostly because they will always tell you what they know. If you have gained a kilo and someone notices, which is probable, they will tell &#8230;<br><br><em>Issue no. 1/2005</em>]]></description>
<author>Linda Falcone</author>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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