ITALIAN SKETCHES
Italian Sketches
Zucchero 'Sugar' Fornaciari
From rock to blues
When he appears on stage, frequently wearing a velvet top hat or some other eccentric headgear, Adelmo Fornaciari, in art Zucchero (‘Sugar'), looks more like a snake-oil salesman in a Wild West travelling show than one of Italy's most popular singer-songwriters. …
In Other Words
A comet and a kiss
On a trip home for the Christmas holiday, I met up with a Florentine friend in San Francisco, where the rogue moved two years ago for a short-term photography gig and a girlfriend whose infatuation for him lasted much less time …Florentinisms
Conigliolo, Ghevido, Bastone da pollaio
Your in-progress dictionary of the Florentine dialect
Conìgliolo: Variation of coniglio (‘rabbit').
Example: ‘La mi dia anche un conìgliolo, così lo fo' arrosto pe' i bambini.' (‘Go ahead and give me a rabbit, too. I'll roast it for the kids.')
Ghevido: Cool.
Example: ‘Oh, hai visto ghevido i' motorino di Giacomo?' …
Style + Fashion
Mapping Italian Style #3
The best style is here in Florence
The first two articles in this three-part series, ‘Mapping Italian
Style,' explored Italy's fashion cities and textile districts. Now it is time
to come back home to Florence.
Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, Valentino, and Roberto
Capucci: these are just a few of the fashion …
Economy + Society
Florentines: connect the dots
It's not a resurrection unless you say it is
Recently, when I was in the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio for TEDx Florence, I realized that it had been nearly 1,000 days since my last visit to this marvellous place. I also realized that the theme of the conference, …
Economy + Society
Flat-packed solvency packages?
by Suzi Jenkins
What would you say if a multinational company offered you a 60-million-euro investment when your country was on the brink of financial disaster? Pisa, despite being in Tuscany and being quite famous, is rather the forgotten corner of the region. It …
In Other Words
Full speed ahead,
Love is something cherished and rare, but for me, falling in love is as unavoidable as tripping on uneven cobblestone. And it's not my fault. For those who have a weak spot for elderly men with kindly eyes and large private art collections, Florence …Florentinisms
Larderello, Formicola, Impazzare
Your in-progress dictionary of the Florentine dialect
Larderello/i: ‘Love handles.'
Example: ‘Non mi piaccio in quella
foto, si vedono tutti i larderelli!'
(‘I don't like that picture of me: you can see my love handles!')
Formicola: Ant.
Example: ‘Eccoci! La
cucina lè piena di formicole! Corri a comprare i' veleno!' (‘Oh great! The kitchen …
Life
Bombay Sapphire in Tuscany
London's 'Doc' gin
Everyone is familiar with the black rooster label, which has come to
symbolize one of Tuscany's most famous areas and products, the Chianti Classico
and its full-bodied red wine. Not many people, however, would associate the
iconic vivid blue bottle of Bombay Sapphire London …
Life
Gifts from Tuscany
Authentic treasures to support the local economy
Whether you live in Florence or are just here for a visit, everyone
always expects you to bring uniquely Italian gifts when you return home for the
holidays. We suggest you eschew tacky souvenirs in favour of something truly
local. TF staff has been …
Families + Kids
When the frosting hits the fan
Bilingual/Bicultural
Perhaps it's some kind of maternal sacrilege, but I must confess a loathing for birthday parties, which, here in Italy, tend to be of epic length, demanding the ferocious stamina of a gladiator fighting off a pride of peckish lions. They …
Life
HELP!
Seven dogs living in a kennel in Groppoli di Mulazzo survived flooding and mudslides in the Lunigiana last month and they are now being housed in Florence's largest city-run dog kennel in Ugnano. The Ugnano Animal Park is calling on citizens …
Style + Fashion
Mapping Italian Style #2
Milan, Rome . . . and always Florence
Is ‘Italian style' a ready-to-wear affair or high fashion? Can Rome reclaim its status as a fashion city? Does money or style rule in Milan? Does the Florentine tradition of excellence of accessories and artisanship represent not only the past but …
Italian Sketches
Alessandro Martini
007's great acquaintance
Her majesty's secret servant, James Bond, would certainly not be happy, but I really don't mind whether they are shaken or stirred, just as long as my martinis are icy cold. The martini's important ingredient, vermouth-from wermut, German for ‘wormwood,' a …
In Other Words
Four eyes to find him
There is something about Peter Pan that moves me. It may be the way he knows how to wink. Or how he can laughingly fly into a sword fight. Or perhaps I'm simply struck by the very genius of him, comforted …46-60 | 61-75 | 76-90 | 91-105 | 106-120 | 121-135 | 136-150 | 151-165 | 166-180 | 181-195
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Wednesday, May 22, 2013