Winter (inverno) can be a gloomy time of year in Italy, but it is brightened annually by the arrival of carnevale (carnival), a festival that takes place during the week before Lent (quaresima) involving music, processions, dancing and people dressed up in elaborate costume. A fun saying you can learn in preparation for this beloved …
Now that we’re well into the depths of winter (inverno), we thought we’d share an idiomatic phrase that is widely used in spoken Italian on freezing cold days. Fa un freddo cane! It’s freezing cold!(Literal translation: It’s dog cold! or It makes a cold dog!) It is made up of the following components: So, why …
In bocca al lupo, which literally translates to into the wolf’s mouth, is a very common greeting in Italian addressed to those in need of buona fortuna (good luck) such as, for example, someone about to embark on a risky endeavour or a student about to take an important exam. In bocca al lupo! Good …
Scarpetta in Italian is the diminutive of scarpa, the word for shoe or boot. It refers to any small shoe including a child’s shoe, a small and elegant shoe that ladies wear, or a flat sports shoe made of light and flexible material such as canvas or rubber. The idiomatic expression fare la scarpetta (lit: …