Learn Italian words: il menù in italiano!

Kappa Language School Blog

I bet that one of the main reasons most of you guys are in love with Italy (and studying Italian language) is your attraction for Italian food, and you are damn right about that! With such an amazing variety of ingredients and dishes, Italian cuisine is a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet and part of the world cultural heritage!

Despite being worldly renown, though, a traditional Italian meal has a structure that many of our Italian language students (especially the ones coming from the far east) find puzzling. For many of those who approach Italian cuisine and are used to meals based on a single dish, the distinction between primo and secondo might seem useless and confusing, and the fact that an Italian lunch (or dinner) is often divided in 3 or more dishes can give the impression of an unnecessary generous meal.

Now, we do not expect…

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Monaca, Moglie, Serva, Cortigiana

Sweet Travel

Nun, Wife, Servant, Courtisan.

In light of the recent International Women’s day on the 8th of March I thought I would write about women in Italy.

A little fact sharing:

-post WWII Italian women finally got the right to vote, (over 50 years after NZ), and two years later in 1948 Italian women were granted equality.

This picture is actually Spanish women voting in the 1020s, 20 years before Italian women.

-women’s representation in parliament is currently 1/3 of all seats, (not unusual anywhere);

-they have one of the lowest employment rates in the EU;

-few senior management roles in Italy are held by women;

-there are unequal standards and expectations of employees, (e.g. women sometimes get fired for being pregnant),

-and sexual and domestic abuse are still quite prevalent.

Until 1981 the criminal code still provided for honor killings.

The title of this post is a portion of a book…

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Menu fisso – Set menu

Marcello Comitini – Prendimi per mano

Vasco Pratolini, Firenze – Lungarno

territori del '900

Firenze – Monumento a Garibaldi – Lungarno Vespucci

Il monumento di Garibaldi appiedato, con la mano sull’elsa della sciabola,  che volta le spalle alle Cascine e guarda diritto la fuga dei ponti è, come tutti i monumenti, una caricatura.

Fa da spartitraffico della doppia corsia.

Ha sulla destra il lungarno al suo punto terminale, gli ultimi bei palazzi e, avanzata, la pescaia di Santa Rosa; a sinistra il Teatro Comunale e le strade dai nomi altrettanto risorgimentali dirette su Porta a Prato.

Dall’altra parte del fiume ci sono le Mura e il quartiere di San Frediano. Un angolo di città che in passato doveva sembrare regale, nuovo solamente come topografia, pieno di lustro e di quiete; l’Arno lo divideva dalla miseria e dalle ferriere del Pignone.

Oggi, se non altro all’esterno, le cose sono mutate: c’è un tale via vai che sotto l’Eroe è perfino proibito parcheggiare.

( Vasco Pratolini…

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