Prepositions and Zen

Complete the text by filling the blanks with the correct prepositions. Choose among the following ones:
alla - a - per – dalla - in - alla - a - dall’ - con - di - in - all’ -a - per - a - con

Un uomo che camminava_______ un campo si imbatté _______ una tigre. Si mise_______ correre, tallonato _______ tigre. Giunto _______ un precipizio si afferrò _______ radice _______una vite selvatica e si lasciò penzolare oltre l’orlo. La tigre lo fiutava _______ alto. Tremando, l’uomo guardò giù, dove, _______fondo _______ abisso, un’altra tigre lo aspettava _______divorarlo. Soltanto la vite lo reggeva. Due topi, uno bianco e uno nero, cominciarono _______rosicchiare pian piano la vite. L’uomo scorse accanto _______sé una bellissima fragolina. Si afferrò _______ vite_______ una mano sola, _______l’altra spiccò la fragola…com’era dolce! (da “101 storie Zen”, trad di A. Motti, Milano, Adelphi 1973)

If the exercise is driving you crazy and Zen is not enough ... you can always write to us!

From Japan

Haiku is a Japanese classic poetry form, a snapshot of a sensation coming from the outside world: it is not a photograph of an item, rather of an atmosphere. Basho, master of haiku in the 17th century, wrote that to write a haiku one needs “to say simply what happens in that place, in that precise moment.”
Caorle’s dam, between Piazza Vescovado and the sea, holds two haiku by two contemporary great poets, Aigner and Zanzotto. In a few words, they captured the moment in which they opened their souls to the world without the desire to possess it, just with intention of letting it be.

Relaxing at the Spa

A few kilometers from Caorle is Bibione with the thermal baths.
The alkaline mineral water of the baths that gushes out of the hydrothermal spring in Bibione is 52°C (125° F) and is rich in sodium and fluorite bicarbonate. Its therapeutic value is acknowledged by the Health Ministry.
The “Bibione Thermae” Spa is located in the middle of a relaxing pine forest, and it offers all kind of therapeutic and beauty treatments.
In addition to the curative and rehabilitative treatments, guests can also enjoy the fitness center, beauty farm, indoor and outdoor thermal pools with hydro-massage, a sauna, Turkish baths, the solarium and restaurants.

Children and language learning: the Secret World of Children

One of the most efficient foreign language teaching methods to use with children is to reproduce in class their normal activities. Playing and drawing which children normally use are thus the central element of our language class. Children love to paint and play with colors, actions which are innate and spontaneous to them, well before verbal communication. Using these tools encourages a natural, engaging introduction to the language itself. Here we can admire one of the works of art done by two very young students in our class for young learners.

Frescos Tour

One of the excursions our students appreciate the most is the one that takes them to discover the beautiful frescos hidden in the region off the beaten tourist path. It is an authentic tour back in time, from the marvelous paintings in Caorle cathedral, to Concordia Sagittaria 11th century baptistery, to the early 13th century abbeys in Summaga and Sesto al Reghena. Of course, the tour is also paired with food and wine tasting of the wonderful, fresh, regional products.

Se fosse... a technique to make learning fun!

In order to grasp with ease and memorize the use of the subjunctive and conditional in hypothetical clauses, we often play an enjoyable game with students on image associations: “Se fosse”!
It requires two or more people.
One player thinks of a famous person, and the other players ask questions to determine who the student is thinking of, such as:
“se fosse un’automobile?” “se fosse un luogo?” “se fosse un abito?”
“Were it a car ... were it a place... were it a piece of clothing, what would it be?”

The first player must then answer the questions providing comparisons that would hint to guess the mysterious person: “sarebbe…”

After asking a few questions to guess the identity of the person, remembering the verb combination of imperfect subjunctive and present conditional will be just child’s play!

Book: Tiziano Scarpa, Stabat Mater

Tiziano Scarpa, Stabat Mater (Einaudi, 17 euros, pp.136).

The novel is the journal of Cecilia, an adolescent orphan in 18th Century Venice.
In her diary, the young girl addresses the mother she never met; she dialogues with death, and experiences the outside world, solely through the narrations of others.
Her gloomy view of existence changes significantly when she encounters a charismatic and challenging music teacher, Antonio Vivaldi. This is not a love story, but rather a novel of rebellion, which aims to suggest that in any moment in life one can change, grow and begin a new life!
The novel’s crystalline and at the same time, whirling style captures the reader to the last page.
“Stabat Mater” is a little (just in size) masterpiece to read all in one go!

The unexpected benefits: elective affinities

Teaching Italian to students who come from different parts of the world is for us a privilege as well as an enriching experience.
Those who travel abroad to learn a new language and a new culture have an exceptional mental openness and intellectual curiosity.
Thus, every month, faculty, staff and students, feel part of a cosmopolitan family that, in its precious differences, is united by common interests and passions. We have a fabulous time together, during the excursions and at meals, but above all in class. The funniest, most memorable, moments are always during role play activities, when students put themselves in someone else’s shoes and pretend to be a different person... sooner or later some of them we believe, will consider starting an acting career!

A movie review: “Pane e tulipani”...enjoy life!

This film is already a decade old (1999), yet it still holds its charm.

“Pane e Tulipani” by Silvio Soldini is the romantic story of a clumsy and undervalued housewife, Rosalba, superbly played by the talented Licia Maglietta, who finds a new life in Venice.
On the way back from a group trip to Paestum, Rosalba is “forgotten” by her family at an autogrill (highway restaurant) near Rome.

Mistreated by her husband for her clumsiness and generally burdened by all the preoccupations of a wife and mother, she decides to take advantage of the situation by taking a short trip to Venice, a city she has never seen.
In Venice, she meets intriguing and hilarious characters such as an Icelandic waiter who speaks in the style of Renaissance poetry and quotes from Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso; an unhappy and lonely masseuse; a plumber/detective; and an anarchical florist.

Her brief sojourn continues and is not temporary any more. Because of the characters she meets, Rosalba manages to change her life and embrace her flaws as her peculiar, charming qualities.

If you haven’t watched it yet, you had better do it soon.

With its lighthearted, yet profoundly optimistic message, “Pane e tulipani” will surely give you a new joy of life.

Individually Tailored Programs for Italian teachers of primary and secondary institutions who teach Italian abroad

If you teach Italian abroad and you would like to take your students on a study trip to Italy, we have the right place for you. The Language School IL FARO, in Caorle, Italy, organizes study programs (3 days and longer) which can be individually tailored to meet your students’ needs and interests at competitive prices. The programs build around language classes at Il Faro, and include guided excursions in the area and various extracurricular activities, some described above. Programs can be developed to build on special interests of the proposed group. The School also has resources available to facilitate a search for accommodations that best meets the needs of a particular group.
We look forward to working with you to help you plan and make your Italian abroad program a success. Do not hesitate to contact us for any questions or needed information.

Contact us at info@ilfarolingua.it to plan a program for your group.

S.O.S. Spritz: a recipe to share

This post is for all our students who wish to taste the faboulous Venetian Aperitive at home.

Here is the Spritz recipe as you have enjoyed it in Caorle:
fill 2/3 of the glass with Aperol and white wine (in proportion of 1/3 and 2/3 respectively) and 1/3 with soda water.

Stir it and decorate with a slice of orange or lemon.

Add ice if preferred.
Drink it with a variety of “Cicchetti” and appetizers of your choice or chips.

Cin cin!

FARO excursions

Here are some of the varied excursions we offer to students attending IL FARO.
Promenade in Caorle: an hour-long guided walk along the most significant artistic and historical locations in this old town of fishermen.
A tour in history with a private bus we visit Concordia Sagittaria, an ancient roman colony, and the medieval town of Portogruaro. We conclude the trip with D.O.C. wine tasting in the Lison-Pramaggiore winery.
Gourmet bike ride a 20km (12 miles) bike ride in the Caorle countryside to admire the natural beauty of the area with stopovers at local farms to eat and enjoy the fresh and delicious regional products (level of difficulty: easy).