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Thursday, March 21, 2013

Idiom of the Week


This week’s idiom is “chiocciola”.  Literally this word translates as “snail” in English, but its idiomatic use has no counterpart in English!
When saying an email address to someone in italiano, you say “chiocciola” for where the at sign (@) goes in your address.  It’s quite logical really, “@” looks very much like a snail!
If you’re someone who uses email a lot, now you’re set to share your address in Italian.  If you want to share your email with Sentieri Italiani for news on Italian classes, events and other Italian opportunities in Chicago, feel free to contact info@sentieri.com, or “info chiocciola sentieri punto com”.
The “chiocciola” has gone on to become the symbol for Slow Food, a social and culinary movement that began in Italy.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Free Italian Programs with Italian Subtitles

For those of you who can't get enough of the Italian language, here's a resource where you can keep up with Italian news and entertainment.  The RAI network is Italy's primary broadcasting system, and it has a website where everyone can follow along.  If the spoken Italian is too difficult to follow along with, there is now the option to watch RAI online with Italian subtitles to help understand what you're hearing!  Check it out and enjoy!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Italian Cinema in Chicago

The 16th Annual European Film Festival continues through March 2013 at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago.

Sentieri Italiani has a pair of free tickets to the Italian film "Dormant Beauty" that will be playing at the Festival on March 22 and 24.  These tickets will be raffled off to all up-to-date individuals in the Sentieri membership program.  If you're not sure of your membership status, contact Enrico (enrico@sentieri.com) before Saturday March 16th, when the drawing will take place.  Members do not need to be present, an email will be sent to all members with the winner's name and the tickets can be picked up the week of March 18th.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Idiom of the Week

This week’s idiom is “Ora Legale” or in English “Daylight Savings Time”.

The English idiom of “Daylight Savings Time” emphasizes the benefit of the moving forward of the clocks to have an extra hour of daylight in the evenings. The Italian “Ora Legale” meanwhile simply translates to “legal time”.

Tonight, March 9, 2013, will conclude, until the autumn, the “Ora Solare” or the “Standard Time”, in the English idiom.  The Italian “Ora Solare” literally translates to “solar time”, this is when clocks are at the true time as indicated by the pattern of the sun.

Don’t forget that at 2am, March 10th, your clocks need to get set an hour ahead to commence the “Ora Legale”!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Italian Cinema this Month in Chicago

This March there are plenty of opportunities to see the newest Italian films in Chicago.

Sentieri Italiani, as part of the Cineforum series, will be screening and discussing the film “Good Morning Aman", directed by Claudio Noce and staring Valerio Mastandrea.

The Gene Siskel FIlm Center, as part of the 16th Annual European Union Film Festival, will feature two Italian films.  “Piazza Fontana” directed by Marco Tullio Giordano (The Best of Youth) will be playing March 10 and 14.  “Dormant Beauty” directed by Marco Bellocchio will be playing March 22 and 24.

The Music Box Theater will be hosting the Italian film “Reality” as it makes its Chicago debut beginning on March 29.

On Saturday, March 9, at Sentieri’s Cineforum event there will be a drawing for all ticket holders for a pair of FREE tickets to “Piazza Fontana” and another pair of FREE tickets to “Reality”.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Idiom of the Week

This week’s idiom is “ne uccide piĆ¹ la penna che la spada”.
Although an idiom, it’s better known as a proverb, which is English is “the pen is mightier than the sword”.
This proverb has some variants in Italian, for example the word “language/la lingua” can replace “the pen/ la penna”.
The Italian proverb literally translates to “the pen kills more than the sword”.   This concept of knowledge overpowering brute strength has been expressed throughout history as early as Euripides in Ancient Greece.  It is the variation found in the Old Testament of the Bible is what some Italian’s consider to be the origin of their proverb.
The English rendition has the same historical origin conceptually speaking, but the exact words found in the English proverb are extracted from Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s play “Richelieu” written in 1839.
While only the Italian idiom uses the rather violent verb “to kill/uccidere”, both idioms still refer to the “sword/spada” and as such this proverb has lost allegorical effectiveness as sword-wielding warfare has gone into decline.  Still the concept remains that knowledge is power and in both languages this idiom is used to express that idea.
For those readers that agree that knowledge is power and want to enhance their intelligence, why not take an Italian class at Sentieri?  Spring classes are available for registration until March 15.  Uncap your pens e venite a studiare l’italiano con noi!