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 …
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 …
In English, there are many different words for the humble eggplant: aubergine (from the French), brinjal (South African and South Asian), guinea squash (Southern American) and finally melongene, the word used in the Caribbean. This last word sounds most like the Italian word for eggplant, which is melanzana (plural: melanzane). Although the melanzana is often …