Italian Word of the Day: Castello (castle)

Where we live in Wales, it feels like there’s a castle around every corner. But Italy, too, boasts its fair share of stunning castles, my favourite being Castel dell’Ovo in Naples! As you may have guessed, the Italian word for castle is castello. castello castle Castello is derived directly from the Latin castellum, which is …

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Italian Word of the Day: Città (city / town)

The word for a city in Italian is città. It is derived from the Latin civitatem, a derivative of civis meaning “citizen“. It generally refers to any human settlement of considerable size with streets, public services, and a local administration. Because it is an invariable feminine noun, the plural form is the same as the …

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Italian Word of the Day: Fattoria (farm)

Italian word for farm fattoria

Don’t let the appearance of today’s word fool you: fattoria (feminine, plural: fattorie) is the word for farm in Italian, not factory! (If you’re interested in learning about even more “false friends” in Italian and English, check out our dedicated article!) It derives from the word fattore, the name for a person who manages a …

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Italian Word of the Day: Baracca (hut / shed)

The word baracca (feminine, plural: baracche) in Italian, which comes from the Catalan barraca, literally translates as a hut, shed or shack used as temporary shelter for people, animals or goods. It should be quite easy for English speakers to remember as it shares the same origin as the word barracks. Learn with our video …

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Italian Word of the Day: Ritrovo (meeting place / haunt)

Ritrovo is the word for meeting place, haunt, or hangout in Italian. More specifically, it refers to a place where several people meet on a regular basis to chat amicably, or to entertain themselves with a common interest. ritrovo meeting place / haunt Ritrovo is a masculine noun and takes the following definite and indefinite …

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Italian Word of the Day: Biblioteca (library)

The word for library in Italian is biblioteca (feminine, plural: biblioteche). Its origin can be traced back to the ancient Greek word βιβλιοθήκη which is a combination of βιβλίον (biblion meaning book) and -θήκη (-theke meaning box or chest). Some different kinds of biblioteche include: Mia cugina lavora in biblioteca da cinque anni. My cousin …

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