Time for nougats, merry lights, and much deserved rest.
Magically here is also il Giornalino Natalizio (the Little Christmas Journal), a fun enrichment of the Italian language and culture even during the holidays.
In it you will find stories, quizzes, riddles, proverbs and more to enjoy a bit at a time or all in one breath.
You can browse the pages in company or alone, sipping a hot chocolate or mulled wine.
After a year of commitments and frenetic races, it’s nice to sit and breathe holding il Giornalino Natalizio and not think about anything!
Mi è giunta la notizia di tre racconti vagabondi quest’estate…per la precisione sono racconti scritti da tre autori italiani superlativi che hanno segnato la storia della letteratura italiana del XX secolo.
A questo punto ti starai chiedendo: “Ma chi saranno questi tre?” E va be’, te lo rivelo! Sono Natalia Ginzburg, Gianni Rodari e Italo Svevo. Tre autori diversi tra di loro sia per genere letterario che per stile di scrittura.
Scopri alcune chicche su di loro facendo questo quiz:
Quanto conosci questi 3 autori italiani?
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Entra nel Circolo Letterario Italiano dell’Estate.
Quale di questi autori italiani è di origini ebraiche?
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Natalia Ginzburg è nata a…
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Quali di questi libri non è stato scritto da Italo Svevo?
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Gianni Rodari diceva che con un po’ di esercizio è possibile prendere lezioni di ottimismo anche da
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Era anti-fascista e nel 1983 viene eletto/a nelle liste del Partito Comunista Italiano al Parlamento
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«Andrà lontano? Farà fortuna? Raddrizzerà tutte le cose storte di questo mondo? Noi non lo sappiamo, perché egli sta ancora marciando con il coraggio e la decisione del primo giorno. Possiamo solo augurargli, di tutto cuore: – Buon viaggio!»
(Gianni Rodari, Il giovane gambero, da “Favole al telefono”)
Alla salute e alla lettura!
Mirella
“La bella al davanzale” 1971 | “Chi mi guarda?” 1972 Gianni Rodari
The news of three wandering short stories has come to my attention… to be exact they are stories written by three outstanding Italian authors that have marked the history of Italian literature of the twentieth century.
At this point you must be wondering: “Who are these three?” OK, I’ll reveal them! They are Natalia Ginzburg, Gianni Rodari and Italo Svevo. Three authors that differ both for literary genre and for writing style.
Check out some goodies about them by doing this quiz:
How much do you know these three authors?
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Question 1 of 7
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Which of these Italian authors is of Jewish origins?
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Natalia Ginzburg was born in …
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Gianni Rodari was one of the greatest writers of
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Who was the English teacher of Italo Svevo?
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Which of these books was not written by Italo Svevo?
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Gianni Rodari said that with a bit of exercise you can take lessons in optimism from
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He or she was anti-Fascist and in 1983 was elected in the lists of the Italian Communist Party to Parliament
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“Will he go far? Will he be lucky? Straighten all the wrongs of this world? We do not know, because he is still marching with the courage and the determination of the first day. We can only wish him, with all our heart: – Have a good trip! ” (Gianni Rodari, The young shrimp, from “Fables on the phone”)
In this guest post Dianne Hales, author of “La Bella Lingua”, tells us how her new book about La Bella Mona Lisa came to life. At the end of the post you can challenge your knowledge of Mona Lisa with a little quiz that Dianne and I have created for you.
“Earlier Version” and the Louvre Mona Lisa – courtesy of the Mona Lisa Foundation
Her name seduced me. The first time that I heard “Mona (Madame) Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo”— many years after I first beheld Leonardo’s portrait in the Louvre — I repeated the syllables out loud to listen to their Italian sounds. Immediately I felt a surge of curiosity about the woman everyone recognizes but hardly anyone knows.
After falling—happily, gladly, giddily—in love with Italian many years ago, I became just as enamored with the life and times of a true Fiorentina, a daughter of the Renaissance, a merchant’s wife, a loving mother, an artist’s muse and, in her husband’s words, “a noble spirit.” Somehow it seemed only natural to go from a passion for la bella lingua to a quest for una bella donna.
On the trail of Lisa’s story, I followed facts wherever I could find them. I sought the help of authoritative experts in an array of fields, from art to history to sociology to women’s studies. I delved into archives and read through a veritable library of scholarly articles and texts. And I relied on a reporter’s most timeless and trustworthy tool: shoe leather. In the course of extended visits over several years, I walked the streets and neighborhoods of Mona Lisa’s Florence, explored its museums and monuments and came to know—and love—its skies and seasons.
Mona Lisa, I discovered, was a quintessential woman of her times, caught in a whirl of political upheavals, family dramas, and public scandals. Descended from ancient nobles, she was born and baptized in Florence in 1479. Wed to a truculent businessman twice her age, she gave birth to six children and died at age sixty-three in 1542.
Mona Lisa’s life spanned the most tumultuous chapters in the history of Florence, decades of war, rebellion, invasion, siege — and of the greatest artistic outpouring the world has ever seen. Her story creates an extraordinary tapestry of daily life in a vibrant city bursting into fullest bloom.
Five centuries after Mona Lisa Gherardini’s death, the world remains eager to learn more about her. Amazon.com chose my book, Mona Lisa: A Life Discovered, published by Simon & Schuster, as one of the “best books of the month” for history and for biography and memoirs. BBC read episodes on the radio for its “Book of the Week” program. CNN and USA Today selected it as one of their “hottest reads” of the summer. Reviewers have praised it as “entertaining,” “enthralling,” “vivid and accessible” and “lyrical.” BRIDES magazine included it on its list of “10 most-read books for your honeymoon.” “Anyone who loves Italy and art—and who doesn’t?—will adore this book,” predicts Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun.
I hope that all of you who love Italian will enjoy this new journey of discovery!
Dianne Hales
Dianne Hales is a prize-winning, widely published journalist and the author of MONA LISA: A Life Discovered. In recognition of her previous book, La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World’s Most Enchanting Language, as “an invaluable tool for promoting the Italian language,” the President of Italy conferred on Dianne the highest honor its government can bestow on a foreigner, the title of Cavaliere dell’ Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity.) You can follow her prize-winning blog on Italy’s language and culture at www.becomingitalianwordbyword.typepad.com and new blog on discovering Mona Lisa at www.monalisabook.com
QUIZ:
10 Facts You May Not Have Known about Mona Lisa
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La misteriosa Mona Lisa is less mysterious now!
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“Mona”—spelled “monna” in modern Italian—means “Madame,” a respectful title for married ladies.
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“Mona”—spelled “monna” in modern Italian—means “Madame,” a respectful title for married ladies.
Question 2 of 10
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Where was the Mona Lisa first hung?
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The Mona Lisa was first hung in a French king’s bathing salon. King Francis I, Leonardo’s last patron, bought the portrait for the equivalent of $10 million and hung it in the royal bathing suite at the Palace of Fontainbleau, where the high humidity damaged and dulled its colors.
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The Mona Lisa was first hung in a French king’s bathing salon. King Francis I, Leonardo’s last patron, bought the portrait for the equivalent of $10 million and hung it in the royal bathing suite at the Palace of Fontainbleau, where the high humidity damaged and dulled its colors.
Question 3 of 10
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How old was Mona Lisa when she was wed?
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Mona Lisa was a teenage bride who was wed at age 15 in an arranged marriage to Francesco del Giocondo, a prosperous merchant almost twice her age.
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Mona Lisa was a teenage bride who was wed at age 15 in an arranged marriage to Francesco del Giocondo, a prosperous merchant almost twice her age.
Question 4 of 10
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What was Mona Lisa’s last name?
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Her last name was Lisa Gherardini. She was a real women who descended from a proud, ancient clan who once were rich and powerful Tuscan knights and barons.
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Her last name was Lisa Gherardini. She was a real women who descended from a proud, ancient clan who once were rich and powerful Tuscan knights and barons.
Question 5 of 10
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Leonardo
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Art historians believe that he kept refining and embellishing the painting long after he began the work in 1503. Leonardo kept Lisa’s portrait with him until his death in 1519.
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Art historians believe that he kept refining and embellishing the painting long after he began the work in 1503. Leonardo kept Lisa’s portrait with him until his death in 1519.
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What does “Gioconda” mean?
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Gioconda” means the happy one—a nickname given to the great grandfather of Lisa’s husband, a barrelmaker so merry that all his descendants inherited his nickname. Italians call the Mona Lisa “La Gioconda” as a play on her husband ‘s name and the descriptive for a smiling or jovial woman.
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Gioconda” means the happy one—a nickname given to the great grandfather of Lisa’s husband, a barrelmaker so merry that all his descendants inherited his nickname. Italians call the Mona Lisa “La Gioconda” as a play on her husband ‘s name and the descriptive for a smiling or jovial woman.
Question 7 of 10
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How many daughters did Mona Lisa have?
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She had three daughters—one died at age two and two entered nunneries.
Mona Lisa gave birth to six children—three boys and three girls—and acquired a stepson from her husband’s first marriage.
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She had three daughters—one died at age two and two entered nunneries.
Mona Lisa gave birth to six children—three boys and three girls—and acquired a stepson from her husband’s first marriage.
Question 8 of 10
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Which art historian wrote a biography of Leonardo and his Mona Lisa?
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Giorgio Vasari’s account of the Mona Lisa comes from his biography of Leonardo published in 1550, 31 years after the artist’s death, and which has long been the best known source of information on the provenance of the work and identity of Leonardo.
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Giorgio Vasari’s account of the Mona Lisa comes from his biography of Leonardo published in 1550, 31 years after the artist’s death, and which has long been the best known source of information on the provenance of the work and identity of Leonardo.
Question 9 of 10
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Who commissioned the painting of The Mona Lisa?
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Leonardo undertook to paint, for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife.
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Leonardo undertook to paint, for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife.
Question 10 of 10
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Who inherited The Mona Lisa when Leonardo died?
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On his death the painting was inherited, among other works, by his pupil and assistant, Salaì.
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On his death the painting was inherited, among other works, by his pupil and assistant, Salaì.
Join the ITALIANO ALLA MANO club for weekly study plans, learning materials and tips:
How to communicate if you don’t speak or read a language? Draw it! (disegnalo)Michelangelo, of course, knew that well. It was actually a common practice in the old days to hand-draw (disegnare a mano) items for the illiterate, such as Michelangelo’s servant in this case.
I was still living in Florence when I embarked in an adventure to retrace Michelangelo’s steps while I was reading “The Agony and the Ecstasy” by Irving Stone. I learned much about il Grande Genio; that he was a humble and poor man (un uomo umile e povero), who only obtained wealth in his later years and that paper was a necessity but also a luxury (una necessità ma anche un lusso) for him; therefore, it would never go wasted. He would save and recycle scraps of paper to draw and write on. He would also destroy his sketches (i suoi schizzi) as he only wanted his polished works to be seen. I don’t think he would be happy to know that his grocery list has now gone viral on the internet! He had un caratteraccio, a temper, that’s for sure! But that is what made him great.
Casa Buonarroti in Florence, an important museum, often overlooked by tourists, is where this document is archived. It was my final emotional stop. It’s the house he built and died in after revolutionizing the world for 88 years!
Here are the 15 grocery items written in 16th century Florentine:pani dua (two loaves of bread) un bochal di vino (a bottle of wine) una aringa (a herring;a line like that over a letter or word stands in for an unwritten “n” or “m”) tortegli (tortelli)
una salama (a salame) quattro pani (four loaves of bread) un bochal di tondo (a bottle of tondo, or full ‘rotund’ wine) e un quartuccio di bruscho (a quarter of rough wine) un piattello di spinaci (a plate of spinach) quattro alice (four anchovies) tortelli (tortelli)
sei pani (six loaves of bread) due minestre di finocchio (two fennel soups) una aringa (a herring) un bochal di tondo (a bottle of tondo).
I find illustrations or drawing the vocabulary myself very useful to be able to memorize it better.
Do you want to learn or improve your Italian in the New Year? Certo! That’s a bellissimo New Year’s resolution!
Do you want to learn or improve your Italian in the New Year? Certo! That’s a bellissimo New Year’s resolution! (buon proposito per l’anno nuovo)… Include into your life more of everything in Italian: language, cinema, music, books, and food of course! Perhaps even a trip to Italy. I don’t think it could get any better!
The easiest way for me to stick to my goals (i miei obiettivi) is to keep them simple and fun. And this way, by the end of the year I sometimes exceed my initial expectations (supero le mie aspettative iniziali).
Here are some tips (alcuni consigli) to incorporate more Italian into your year:
1)Language – Every single day do some Italian. Learning a language requires daily practice. Only 15 minutes can make a big difference. But make sure you alternate different activities that you enjoy.
2)Music – I can’t live without music. It’s usually in the background (sullo sfondo) almost all day long. I find it the best way to learn a language. Language is music! Any music will do. Pump up the volume (alza il volume) and sing along!
3)Cinema – I love old Italian movies and I watch one almost every month. Italian movies allow you to immerse yourself in the Italian culture. If you’re a beginner, subtitles are fine, if you’re not, challenge yourself! Great Italian directors of the past are Visconti, Germi, Olmi, Fellini, Pasolini, and some recent ones are Golino, Moretti, Benigni, Comencini, Tornatore.
4) Books – Reading is very effective to increase your vocabulary and to practice the grammar with almost no sweat(senza sudore). If you don’t feel ready for a novel just yet, try reading a short story (un racconto) every month. The classics are usually not written in standardized modern Italian and they could be harder to understand. Some of my favourite modern authors are Elsa Morante, Italo Calvino, Alda Merini, Dacia Maraini.
5)Food –Every Sunday, (or even everyday!), why not prepare an Italian recipe in Italian? Or perhaps you can go out to an Italian restaurant. Practice reading the menu in Italian and speaking to the Italian waiter. If he doesn’t speak Italian, there might be some chatty Italians nearby!
Let’s combine duty and pleasure (uniamo l’utile al dilettevole)
What are your Italian resolutions for the New Year? Let me know in the comments!
Buon Anno!
Mirella
p.s. Animals are always very wise (molto saggi) not only when it comes to languages!
I was inspired to write this handy little guide to help students improve the quality of their Italian learning practice. It is the fruit of my experience teaching Italian and English as a second language for over 10 years, and learning 4 languages during and after my bachelor’s degree in linguistics.
I’ve listed the 10 most common mistakes that I’ve noticed students make when they’re learning Italian. It might be the first time you’re exploring a second language, and you’re not sure what it entails, especially with a fascinating and complex language such as Italian. Perhaps you’ve been studying for a while and you feel that you are not advancing as much as you wish to. In this case, if any of the mistakes listed are true for you, then you’ll soon be back on track, as I’ve also added some tips to help you avoid or overcome il problema.
So whether you are starting from scratch or you need to refocus, I hope this guide encourages you to stay motivated and helps spark renewed passion in your viaggio della lingua italiana.
Non aspettare, don’t wait, subscribe to Una Parola Al Giorno newsletter by and you’ll receive the free e-book, “Top 10 Mistakes To Avoid When Learning Italian”.
It’s Christmas! 
