Calvino’s five senses

It is one of the least known books by Italo Calvino, actually to be precise it is not even a book, rather a "collection of notes"written during a conference in 1983. It is "Sotto il sole giaguaro".
Here it is how Calvino himself introduces the story:
"Un libro che sto scrivendo parla dei 5 sensi, per dimostrare che l'uomo contemporaneo ne ha perso l'uso. Il mio problema scrivendo questo libro è che il mio olfatto non è sviluppato, manco di attenzione auditiva, non sono un buongustaio, la mia sensibilità tattile è approssimativa, e sono miope."
We highly recommend this charming reading that you will surely enjoy: an authentic sensory experience!

Film: “Baciami ancora”

If you enjoyed the film "L'ultimo bacio" you would probably be interested to know that on January 29 the sequel "Baciami ancora” was released in Italian movie theatres.
The lives of Carlo and Giulia and of their friends proceed amid mistakes, achievements, desires and disillusions, which change them from young adults unwilling to grow into real adult.
The soundtrack of the film is by Lorenzo Jovanotti.
Enjoy it!

Superstitions

As any other peoples, also Italians have their own superstitions.
In Italy, the number 17 means bad luck, because in roman numbers (XVII) it uses the same character of the Latin word VIXI, which means “I lived” (thus, now I am dead). Thus, Italians avoid the number as much as they can: in hotel rooms, plane seats and even in everyday life.
Another superstition involves broken mirror.
It was the Romans who decided that a broken mirror means 7 years of bad luck. Indeed, it was one of their beliefs that life starts anew every 7 years. Hence, because a broken mirror means that health has been damaged, it would take 7 years to be again as healthy as before.

Buon appetito!

Upon request, we share the recipe of a traditional local dish: “sarde in saor” (Venetian Style sardines).

It is generally eaten as a starter or antipasto but it could also be served as main course.

Sarde in saor (Jewish-Venetian antipasto)

Ingredients:
1 kg of big fresh sardines
700g onion
50g pine nuts
50g raisins
2 glasses of wine vinegar

Preparation
Clean and gut the sardines. Remove the heads. Flour the sardines and fry them in oil. Rinse and dry the excess oil. Add vinegar, pine nuts and raisins. In a serving dish, alternate a layer of sardines and a layer of sautéed onions until you have laid all the sardines. Top with the remaining onions. Let it marinate and serve cold.

Songs and grammar: ti vorrei sollevare

Here are the lyrics of Elisa’s 2009 popular song (feat. Giuliano Sangiorgi) TI VORREI SOLLEVARE.

Some words are missing.

Conjugate the verbs in parenthesis in the proper tense (passato prossimo, or imperfetto), then listen to the song, and check if you did it right.

Mi (lasciare) ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_________ senza parole
come una primavera
e questo è un raggio di luce
un pensiero che si riempie di te
E l’attimo in cui il sole
diventa dorato
e il cuore si fa leggero
come l’aria prima che il tempo
ci porti via
ci porti via
da qui
Ti vorrei sollevare
Ti vorrei consolare
Mi (dire) _________ti (vedere) _________ cambiare
Tu non stai più a sentire
per un momento avrei voluto
che fosse vero anche soltanto
un po’
Perché ti (sentire) _________ entrare
ma (volere) _________ sparire
e invece ti (vedere) _________ mirare
invece ti (vedere) _________ sparare
a quell’anima
che (dire) _________ che non ho
Ti vorrei sollevare
Ti vorrei consolare
Ti vorrei sollevare
Ti vorrei ritrovare
vorrei viaggiare su ali di carta con te
sapere inventare
sentire il vento che soffia
e non nasconderci se ci fa spostare
quando persi sotto tante stelle
ci chiediamo cosa siamo venuti a fare
cos’è l’amore
stringiamoci più forte ancora
teniamoci vicino al cuore

Listen

Find out if you are a Latin lover

In addition to being very passionate, the real Latin lover is extremely creative in his seductive techniques, made of precise strategies and elegant attentions and courtesies.
He is an old-fashioned character, and only a few are still alive. Are you one of them?

This test will help you find out:

What do you wear on your first date?
a. something that emphasizes your body
b. you decide at the last minute
c. a pair of jeans and a shirt

You woke up in a bad mood:
a. you turn on the stereo and select a song that would give you energy
b. you select a song that is slow and sweet
c. you take a shower hoping this will wash away your sad mood

You are very attracted to a woman and she is attracted to you; you have just met:
a. you wait for her to step up
b. you make the first move
c. you wait to see how the situation would develop

Do you believe in friendship between a man and a woman?
a. no
b. it is possible, but there is always an attraction
c. yes

If you were to associate an image to love, what would that be?
a. a cloud
b. a ball
c. a house

Profile A
You enjoy seducing. However, when the situation becomes serious, you run away afraid of being hurt in the future. Do not run! Let it be and live your life!

Profile B
You start very fast and you may scare people away. You know that loves come and go, yet you live them thoroughly. Each day can bring a new love! You are the real Latin lover.

Profile C
You warm up gradually. You don’t believe in love at first sight. Your favorite moment in the relationship is not the exiting beginning, but the present: this is the base for a solid future. You believe in long-lasting serious relationships.

attimino?!

“Attimo” (instant) means a “brief fraction of time” and comes from Greek “atomos”, indivisible quantity. Thus, the diminutive “attimino” is meaningless, as “attimo” already indicates the most brief and indivisible fraction of time. It is even more incorrect the (very frequent) use of “attimino” as synonym of “un po’” (a little):

Es. E’ un attimino antipatico; Sono un attimino stanco ( He is a little unfriendly, I am a little tired)

From De Giuli, Guastalla, Naddeo, Magari! Corso di lingua e cultura italiana di livello intermedio e avanzato (Firenze: Alma Edizioni)