Heather Broster
There are a few “mild” Italian curse words that I would happily use in front of mia suocera (my mother-in-law) without feeling the slightest bit guilty, and mannaggia is definitely one of them! mannaggia darn / shoot / blast Mannaggia is an exclamation, or more specifically an interjection, used when someone is being annoying or …
I’ve never really understood why mothers-in-law get such a bad rap. Whilst living in Torino, my suocera gave me a place to live when I wasn’t earning enough to rent my own apartment, cooked for me when I got home late from work in the evening, and I would even say that she was solely …
Have you ever done someone a small favour, even just a tiny one, only to find yourself wondering a few days later how you somehow ended up doing tutto (everything) for them? Maybe you agree to cover one shift, and suddenly you’re the person everyone asks whenever they need time off. Or you lend someone …
There are few moments in life more satisfying than getting a lot while giving very little in return. You know the feeling: someone else is paying, the work is already done, the fridge is full, and somehow you’ve landed in the middle of it all thinking, Che bello! (How lovely!) Italians have a word for …
My son started piano lessons a few months ago, and while I usually have to coax him into practising with rewards such as TV time or ice cream, he is definitely starting to show some significant progress. In fact, I could even say ci sta prendendo la mano! prenderci la mano to get the hang …
Perhaps it’s due to the heat, or the fact that I’ve hardly had a moment to breathe this entire summer between il lavoro (work), prendermi cura (taking care) of my son, and trying to find time to mantenermi in forma (keep fit), but lately I’ve been feeling more listless than usual and less enthusiastic about …