Italian language, culture and travel tips
What was stopping me from doing so? well, I was waiting for it to be translated into English and now it’s finally done. So now I can tell you everything about one of the best books I have read lately: The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti.
It is an issue that has to do with Alto Adige, or South Tyrol, as it is known in English, and what is now the autonomous province of Bolzano. Alto Adige is part of Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy’s northernmost region, which is now famous for the amazing mountains, some of the highest in Europe, and the breathtaking views of the Dolomites.
When you are tired or feeling a bit down or simply in need of a boost of energy, sitting on the couch and watching a movie is just the perfect thing to do. Movies can change your mood, make you dream, make you want to go out and explore new places, and also make you discover new cultures.
These are some of the questions I get asked quite frequently, by either students or newsletter readers. It’s always difficult for me to answer this kind of questions, as I have the feeling that each of us lives his or her own life and it is really difficult to generalize.
If during summer months I am barely at home, trying to be outside as much as I can, in autumn things change quite a bit. I usually have dinner quite early at night – most of the times at 7 pm, which is pretty early for Italian standards – and then I sit on the sofa with my dog and a comfy blanket, ready for a wild night either with a book or with Netflix.
No matter of well you know a language, there’ll always be hues of meaning that you might not immediately get until a native explains them to you or until you spend some time in the country where such language is spoken.
Her name is Donatella Di Pietrantonio and I am sure that – once you know her – you will love her work as much as I do. She has written three books so far: I have read two of them in the last couple of weeks and I loved them so much that I immediately wanted to share such love with you!
Over the last 30 years or so, Tim Parks has tried to understand Italy in every possible way. As a matter of fact, as Parks says, “Italy is not a country for beginners” and it takes some time to go beyond the surface and dive deeper into Italian culture and lifestyle, in order to understand certain behaviors and attitudes.
If you have never heard about it though, let me explain you a little bit. Hygge – according to the Cambridge dictionary – is “a Danish word for a quality of cosiness (= feeling warm, comfortable, and safe) that comes from doing simple things such as lighting candles, baking, or spending time at home with your family”.
Let’s be honest: how many of you have read all the classics that have been assigned to you, when you were a student? Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be a liar and I can easily tell you that I haven’t. I was a good student and have always loved reading, but some of the assigned reads stayed on my desk almost untouched.
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