About 20 miles southwest of the town of Siena in the magical land of Tuscany lies a town called Chiusdino, where a true tale of a knight and his sword […]
Italy, more specifically The Vatican and Rome, is preparing for its Jubilee in the year 2025. The motto for this Jubilee is “Pilgrims of Hope.” Pope Francis has put an […]
(as told by Maverick Darla Cannavo) A few weeks ago, Mamma mentioned she saw signs of spring and that meant we could be outside più spesso (pew spes-oh) more often. […]
In this issue we continue with Italian surnames that begin with the letter V. VASILE – This surname derives from the first name Basilio, from the Latin “Basilius” and from […]
Previous lessons have mostly focused on learning our heritage language and the importance of understanding some Italian history and the evolution of Italian from Latin through familial languages and “dialects.” […]
Just as Italians can watch programming to improve their English language skills, non-Italian speakers can watch programming in Italian to improve their language skills, whether they’re fully fluent or just […]
The first music festival (musica leggera) for popular music took place in Italy in the city of San Remo. The war had ended a few short years earlier and the […]
You may recall the hilarious 1956 episode of “I Love Lucy” where the barefoot Lucy Ricardo is tasked with squashing grapes in a vat with another barefoot woman, Italian grape […]
As part of the exhibits in Italy celebrating Women’s History Month, the works of Artemisia Gentileschi will be featured at the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa throughout the month of March. […]
Darla and I abbiamo molto da fare (ah-be-ah-mo mol-toe da fa-ray) have a lot to do this month. On March 8 we are going to make it a special day […]
On the 31st of this month, Christians around the world will celebrate Easter. Therefore, it’s time to review a few practical expressions that you may have forgotten or might like […]
In this issue we will highlight some Italian surnames beginning with the letter U and those that begin with the letter V. UBALDI – This surname’s origin is from the […]
Italian TV (T-voo) has come a long way in the past several decades with the introduction of cable and access to streaming channels with content in Italian. Italian programming offers […]
Reflecting on 2023, I’ve come to realize that, more than ever, today’s parents are raising “children of the world.” Having the opportunity to travel to Italy, post COVID, it is […]
Did you know that Italian soccer teams are promoted and relegated each year based on their record? One of the oldest “football” clubs in Italy was founded in Genoa – […]
By Melissa Cannavo-Marino as told by Maverick and Darla Noi sappiamo (noy sah-pea-ah-mo) we know that many people don’t like winter because in many places fa freddo (fa fray-do) it’s […]
Because many Italian Americans are inquisitive about how their surnames came to be, particularly their historic derivation, or a possible translation or meaning of their surname in English, we continue […]
This month’s lesson is the traditional lesson dedicated to an Italian-style Valentine’s Day. Italian lovers are famous throughout history: Paolo and Francesca, the ill-fated pair described in Dante’s “La Divina […]
January, or gennaio in Italian, is the first month of the year and is observed as a time of new beginnings as we also reflect on the previous year. The […]
Dante Alighieri, known today simply as Dante, is unanimously considered the father of Italian language. But what does that mean? In Dante’s time, the Italian vernacular, in its regional varieties, […]
By Melissa Cannavo Marino as told by Maverick and Darla Il Natale è arrivato e passato (eel Nah-tal-a a pah-sa-toe) Christmas has come and gone and now it is un […]
In our first 2024 surname feature, we finish Italian surnames beginning with the letter T. TOMMASINI –This surname derives from the first name Tommaso of Aramaic, its origin meaning twin. […]
Ninety-nine percent of the monthly lessons we present are designed to help our readers learn our heritage language. It is also helpful to understand the evolution of Italian from Latin […]
Il presepio, the nativity manger scene, is one of the most enduring symbols of Christmas for Italian families. The Italian word comes from the Latin word praesepium for crib. Displaying […]
The list of Italian family-business success stories includes such names as illy, Piaggo, Ferrero, Benetton and many others. Today we look closer at two iconic global brands that had their […]