How to Say “Chocolate” in Italian – Cioccolato

We all know that Italian dishes such as pasta and pizza are pretty special, but did you know that Italians are wonderful chocolatiers as well? In fact, Turin – the city where Mat was born – is known as the Chocolate Capital of Europe, and for good reason! Cioccolato (plural: cioccolati) was first brought to …

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Tavolo vs Tavola in Italian – What’s the difference?

When I first started learning Italian, I found it perplexing that the word for table could be both tavolo (masculine) and tavola (feminine) depending on the context. If you too are confused, don’t worry – you are in good company! Tavolo (plural: tavoli) is the generic word for table, the ubiquitous piece of furniture found …

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Italian Words and Phrases from ‘Eat Pray Love’ (The Movie)

In the biographical romantic drama Eat Pray Love, unfulfilled business woman Elizabeth Gilbert – played by Julia Roberts – leaves behind her marriage, house and high-flying job in America to embark on a year-long spiritual journey of self-discovery in Italy, India and Indonesia. Her first stop is Rome where she spends four month stint learning …

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How to Say “Butterfly” in Italian – Farfalla

cover image with the word “farfalla” and a swallawtail in the background

One of the most well-loved creatures on the planet is the butterfly, known as farfalla in Italian. It is a feminine noun, so the definite and indefinite articles it takes are as follows: la farfallathe butterflyuna farfallaa butterfly le farfallethe butterfliesdelle farfalle(some) butterflies If this word sounds strangely familiar, this is because farfalle is also …

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How to Say “Restaurant” in Italian – Ristorante

When we used to live in Turin, we’d never let a week go by without a trip to one of our favourite local restaurants. After all, there is nothing quite like Italian cuisine! Ristorante (plural: ristoranti) is the Italian word for restaurant and as you can see, the spelling is very similar to the English …

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