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 …
To say yes in Italian, you use two letters and an accent: sì. As in English, it is used both as an interjection and a way to express a positive answer. The grave accent above the i is very important. Without the accent, si becomes a noun or a pronoun. (You can read more about …
Water is one of the most precious resources we have. 60% of our body is made up of it, and we use it for many things including washing, drinking and cooking. If there is one Italian city that has a close association with water, it is Venice or Venezia as it is known in Italian. …
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 …
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 …
An Italian word that has an established place in the English language is graffiti which specifically refers to writing or drawings on public walls, usually done without permission and as a form of artistic expression. In English, graffiti is almost always used as if it were a mass noun but in Italian, you will encounter …