Speak Italia! The Domino’s effect

Takeaway Hawaiian Pizza

In this edition of our bilingual feature, Tom Alberto Bull reports on the rise and – in hindsight at least, inevitable – fall of the Domino’s pizza chain in Italy, home of the handmade pizza KEY WORDS Useful Italian words and phrases to add to your vocabulary Cotta (cotto) alla perfezione Cooked to perfection Prosciutto […]

Italian Word for the Week: ‘Latte’

Italian Latte meaning milk

‘Latte’ seems like a fairly simple Italian word, but there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye… Latte (pl. latti) meaning ‘milk’. In English, we understand it to mean a delicious steamy coffee, but in Italian ‘latte‘ simply means ‘milk’. So, to avoid being handed a glass of the white stuff, ensure you […]

Italian Word for the Week: ‘Culaccino’

culaccino italian word meaning water ring-on table

‘Culaccino’ is an Italian word which sums up an irritating party phenomenon. We teach you the meaning of this word and how to use it… We all know this stain. The unsightly ring left on a wooden table when someone doesn’t use a coaster for their cold drink. It’s infuriating. Well, did you know that […]

Italy at your fingertips

Dreaming of Italy? Rachael Martin looks at how you can bring the country closer to you with online experiences, from live-streamed art history and cookery classes, wine tastings and more. There’s no doubt that the past two years have clipped our wings somewhat – and while travel appears to be opening up again, for many, […]

Siena’s Palio: the Thrill of the Race

Siena Palio, Tuscany Siena

Having failed on previous occasions to see the actual races, Jane Keightley finally experiences all the pride and pageantry of Palio week in Siena… Photos by Jane Keightley This was far from the first time I had visited Siena, but never before had I actually been there to experience the Palio. On one occasion I […]

Q+A: Teaching English as a foreign Language

Our experts are here to help with all your questions about Italy. Today, we look at teaching English in Italy… Q: I will be teaching English as a foreign language at a language school in Italy for six months this year with the possibility of extending the contract if it goes well. I am going […]

Learning in style: Speaking Italian in Le Marche

Speaking Italian isn’t all about cramming verbs and vocabulary as Amanda Robinson discovers when she takes a language course with a difference in the heart of Le Marche. The fragrant aroma of our morning caffè rises up from the iron lattice table, strewn with notebooks and dictionaries as we wrestle with the basics of Italian. A […]

Top 3 Language Apps

Forget dull classroom lessons, it’s never been easier to get by in Italian – for instant translation and fun language lessons, just download one of these free apps to your smartphone and away you go… No limits Next time you’re in Italy, get over that language barrier with ease  and improve your skills – just […]

Italian Word for the Week: Vespa

A Vespa is, of course, a motorcycle – but it’s also a wasp.  Vespa – Wasp It’s obvious, when you think about it, why they called the scooter the ‘wasp’. It sounds like one – and the yellow ones even look like one. The Italian word is clearly very closely related to the English word, and is […]