FLORENTINISMS
Florentinisms
Ciccia, Seguitare
Your in-progress dictionary of the Florentine dialect
Ciccia: This word has various meanings, among them ‘meat'; it is also used as a friendly nickname, or expression of resignation.
Example: ‘Via nini, mangia la ciccia sennò un tu cresci!'
(‘Come on, little one, eat your meat or else you won't grow …
Life
Holiday TOP 10
Are you KIDding?
Wondering how to celebrate Christmas and entertain the babies while school's out and the holidays are upon us? Luckily, Florence is positively overflowing with Christmas cheer. So much so that I've compiled my top 10 for making the holidays as fun …
Economy + Society
Winter's gift
From olive harvest to liquid gold
While some dream of a white Christmas (could this year be the year?), at this time of year the Italians look to the heavens for other reasons. Since late October, the olive harvest has been in full swing. All over the …
Italian Sketches
Renato Zero
The best years of our lives
Singer-songwriter, actor
and showman, Renato Zero, turned 60 on September 30, 2010. He
celebrated his birthday by giving six unique concerts entitled Sei
Zero in Rome's piazza di Siena.
Not unlike David
Bowie for the poetry of his music and lyrics and, during the budding
stage of …
In Other Words
Via con me
‘You almost never write about women,' a woman friend told me not long ago. ‘Most of your articles talk about men.' I had not been tallying up the statistics. ‘Really?' I asked, doubtful at first. She nodded. ‘Definitely.' Since then, I've thought about it. Perhaps it's because I …Florentinisms
E unne' i' bere, glie' i' ribere, Visuccio, Bailame
Your in-progress dictionary of the Florentine dialect
E unnè i' bere,
gliè i' ribere!: Literally, ‘It's
not the drink, it's the drinking again!' Expression used to
describe the effects of drinking to excess.
Example: ‘Gino! Come mi
sento male....e unnè i bere, gliè I ribere che ti spezza in due!' (‘Gino! I feel …
Style + Fashion
In with the odd!
The value of eccentricity
Visiting the
marvelous exhibit entitled Salvador Dalì. Il
sogno si avvicina (‘The dream is
getting closer') at Milan's palazzo Reale (until January 30,
2011; www.mostradali.it),
I found myself reflecting on the essence of personal style and on a
time when clothes were vehicles for self expression. Especially
during …
Economy + Society
'Where are you?'
A phrase soon to become passe'
by Suzi Jenkins
?Give me a ring and tell me where you are.' ?What time did you get there?' ?Who's there with you?' All these phrases are destined to the fate of the Dodo bird, the typewriter and Pac Man. Mobile geolocation is here. …
In Other Words
A dog's day,
You'll see them at the hairdressers, at the spa and by the beach. You'll find them toted like fuzzy Pokemon hand-bags that whine and yap. Most often, their fur matches their owners' hair. We could even start a debate: discuss the identity …Florentinisms
Avellare, Stiantare, Meglio ave' paura che toccanne
Your in-progress dictionary of the Florentine dialect
Avellare: To stink.
Example: ‘Apri le finestre e s'avella qui dentro!'(‘Open the windows! It stinks in here!')
Stiantare: Florentine pronunciation of ‘schiantare'; to break violently or to die.
Example: ‘Un tù lo vedi che lè pe' stiantare dalla fatica?'(‘Can't you see he's about to …
Families + Kids
Sick kids
Musings on 'bambini malati'
by Dan Woodford
One morning last spring at the Esselunga's café in Florence I had met an Englishman and his wife having the coffee we all need before fighting our way down the aisles. They were sitting outside, in part to avoid the noise …
Life
One stormy night in 1600
Approach the Duomo from via del Proconsolo and you are at what was the edge of Florence in Dante's day. Continue towards the pollution-covered pink and green facade of the cathedral's apse. Once past the taxi stand and the chain barrier, …
Italian Sketches
Pietro Valpreda
The dancer anarchist
December 12, 1969 is a date indelibly printed on the pages of recent Italian history. On that cold winter's day, at 4:37 in the afternoon, a bomb exploded inside the crowded Banca Nazionale dell‘Agricoltura situated in piazza Fontana in downtown Milan. …
Families + Kids
Are you KIDding? A day at the park
Exploring via Faentina's Area Pettini
After having spent the majority of the last decade living in the center of Florence, I became one of ‘those people' who high-tailed it to the outskirts as soon as baby came along. Amidst romantic notions of ambling through the Santo …
In Other Words
Threat or promise
Word gifts are all around. Sometimes they come as swooning song lyrics or arrive in the mail with greeting card sweetness. And sometimes, yes, sometimes, a lovely pair of parole will crop up in the most unlikely of places and rock …151-165 | 166-180 | 181-195 | 196-210 | 211-225 | 226-240 | 241-255 | 256-270 | 271-285 | 286-300
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The English-speaking news magazine in Florence
Friday, May 24, 2013