Italian Phrase: Vorrei una birra. (I would like a beer.)

Although Italy is renowned for its excellent wines, there has been growing demand for artisan beers since the 1980s. In the place of famous brand lagers such as Peroni and Moretti, many Italians now prefer craft beer infused with local flavours and ingredients. After all, there’s something truly magical about pouring yourself a frothy pint …

Read more

18 Italian Quotes about Strength

Today we will look at some of the most famous Italian quotes about strength, which is forza in Italian. In Italian, the word forza has several meanings. It can refer to physical strength, which sometimes leads to brutality and violence, or inner strength and the will of the mind, which makes people capable of brave …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Merenda (afternoon snack)

In Italy, in addition to the three main meals – colazione (breakfast), pranzo (lunch) and cena (dinner) – there is a fourth that occurs between lunch and dinner called merenda. Like most words in Italian, merenda derives from the late Latin merere (to deserve), and literally means “things you have to deserve”. /me·rèn·da/ Merenda is …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Zanzara (mosquito)

The Italian word for that pesky insect whose high-pitched buzzing is enough to drive even the most patient of people to the brink of madness is zanzara (mosquito). It comes from the late Latin zinzala which has onomatopoeic origins. /ẓan·ẓà·ra/ Zanzara is a feminine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: la …

Read more

40 Important Italian Words to Use at Thanksgiving

When I first moved to Turin many years ago, I was surprised to discover that not only is Thanksgiving not celebrated in Italy, but also that many Italians have never even heard of the national American holiday. (Looking back, I probably shouldn’t have been so shocked since the celebration is based on the 1621 harvest …

Read more

Italian Pronunciation Challenge: C / CH / CC

Although Italian has gained the reputation of being a “phonetic language” – meaning that there is a direct relationship between the spelling and sounds – there are a few pesky letters that aren’t always pronounced in the same way. One such letter is C. In today’s article, we’re going to discover the different ways in …

Read more