Napoli - Naples, Italy

Ahhhh Italia ! The country of ‘la dolce lingua’, Romeo and Juliet, dramatic opera’s and lovers in the streets showing affection like no-one is looking. Funnily enough, Valentine’s Day isn’t made a huge deal of in Italy like it is in other countries. Maybe because Italians show plentiful amounts of love and affection on a daily basis to their partners, friends and family. ‘La Festa di San Valentino’ is celebrated all around the world thanks to the ancient Roman festival Lupercalia. The festival celebrated the coming of spring and men and women being paired off by lottery. Thank goodness we now celebrate it with flowers, cards and love notes to a partner most of us have chosen ourselves.

Here are a few Italian love phrases you can use to woo your sweatheart this Valentines Day!

1.     Ti amo

‘I love you’

A phrase familiar to many ears, and one we use when we want to tell our partner we love them. Ti amo isn’t a phrase we would use to tell a family member or friend we love them…they may get the wrong idea!

2.     Ti voglio bene

‘ I love you / I care about you’

This is the phrase we use to tell family members, friends and partners we love them.

3.     Sono pazzo di te (If you are female you say ‘sono pazza di te’)

‘I am crazy for you’

4.     Sono innamorato di te (if you are female you say ‘sono innamorata di te’)

‘I am in love with you’

5.     Amore mio

‘ My love’

 Used as a term of endearment to your partner but mothers also call their  child ‘amore’ like English speakers say ‘darling’.

6.     Dammi un bacio

‘ Give me a kiss’

 You can use this for anyone really! But if you want to ask your child for a kiss you  would ask for a ‘bacetto’.

7.     Ti penso sempre

‘I think about you all the time’

This phrase can be used to sign off on a love letter or email, but can also be said in conversation.

8.     Sei bellissmo (or bellissima if you are saying it to a girl)

‘You are beautiful’

This can also be used to say to anyone.

9.     Sei sempre nel mio cuore

‘You are always in my heart’

When you just want to be a sweetheart to your partner and make them feel loved

10.  Amo solo te

‘I love only you’

Another phrase to melt the heart of your lover

Campobasso, Molise- Italy

When the mouth watering aroma of fried capsicum filled the air at nonna’s house you could pretty much bet she was making her ‘Pipi e Patati Friuti’ (calabrese dialect for Peperoni e Patate Fritte - Fried capsicum and Potato), and now every time I make it it takes me back to when I was a little girl. Nonna still makes it at 95 years of age! She really is pretty damn awesome. I got her to show me how to make it after I got married and moved out.

‘Quando mi viene voglia’ (when I get the craving) I will make it at home myself. Does it ever taste like nonna’s? Well, can anything ever taste like nonna’s? So if you have a spare couple of hours and want a dish true to the Italian ‘la cucina povera’ style (poor mans food), then give it a go. It’s great to eat hot or cold, with some ‘carne alla brace’ (barbecued meat), or even as is, in a nice crusty bread roll. Either way, you won’t regret the time spent preparing it. Fried food can be quite heavy and not something Italians eat on a daily basis. These kinds of dishes are like little treats.

Here is the recipe, as good as I could jot it down while I was making it, accompanied by a couple of snaps taken in the time that I had. It feeds about 8 people so just halve the quantities if you don’t have to cook for an army like I do. It is quite labour intensive so set aside at least 2 hours (prepare yourself a nice glass or two of vino before you start), or less time if you are making less. Trust me this dish is worth the time spent cooking it.

Ingredients:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

8 lge potatoes

8 medium capsicum

1 tin Mutti Tomato Polpa

Dried Oregano

Clove of garlic

Method:

Use a large fry pan for all of these steps. You shouldn’t have to clean or change the pan.

Cut the capsicum into strips.

Peel and cut the potato into chip like shapes and par boil.

While they are boiling, using half cup of the EVO or a little less if you prefer, simply fry the capsicum until it softens. Don’t forget to salt them. Pop them aside in a bowl big enough to fit both capsicum and potato.

Strain the potato and in the other half cup of EVO lightly fry them bit by bit and as you remove them from the fry pan pop them in the bowl the fried capsicum are in, lightly salting them as you do.

Once you have finished frying the chips, fry a bit of garlic in the remaining oil, pour in one tin of Mutti Tomato Polpa in the pan, fill the empty can with water and pour it in the pan also. Add salt and oregano and simmer until cooked (say 40 minutes or so). If the water evaporates a lot and it’s really thick and still not cooked, just add a little more and simmer a little longer.

Once the sauce is cooked, pour it over the capsicum and potato and fold everything through gently.

Enjoy with loved ones.

Rustic as can be

So apparently pasta was brought to Italy from China by Marco Polo in the 13th century. They say it derives from noodles. Hats off to the Asian cuisine. What a blessing! Because what the Italians created with it after has gone down in history!

When I think of pasta, fresh or dry, I think of way more than just food. For us Italians it’s a part of life, it’s good for you, and we eat it every single day. Here are some of thine things I think of when I hear the word ‘pasta’…. 

Mamma helping out at the school for our Cavatelli class

Eavesdropping

As a child, making pasta brought us into the kitchen on Sundays when the women of the family were chit chatting while preparing family lunch, and we would eavesdrop. They’d be updating each other on their week or reminiscing about the past, and the stories I’d love most were the ones nonna told about things that happened back in her paese in Calabria. They’d giggle and talk loudly, or lower their voice if it was a bit of juicy gossip. The ‘ragu’ (meat sauce) would be simmering away and would fill the air with an aroma that would make even a full tummy rumble. If you told them you were hungry they’d get that look of distress on their face typical of an Italian mother, and dip a bit of Italian loaf into it, and hand it to you as a snack followed by the words ‘mangia figlia’ (eat child).

Ravioli with zucchini, eggplant and mushroom

Sunday lunch

Sundays were definitely the day of the week we’d look forward to. It’s when the extended family would gather at nonna & nonno’s and we’d eat, drink and laugh for hours. Either homemade potato gnocchi or ravioli with spinach and ricotta or meat filling were nonna’s favourite fresh pasta types to make, followed by a salad with the meat from the ragu sauce. Standard. The ragu was a treat (if you like meat) because during the week the pasta was usually made with vegetable based condiments.

Sunday lunch in tavernetta (Ripalimosani, Italy)

It’s easy, good for you & covers all food groups

It truly is one of the easiest and quickest meals you can make and it covers a lot of food groups in just one plate. You don’t have to make your pasta from scratch all of the time. There’s nothing wrong with a good packet pasta. Make a quick sauce with some greens, legumes, or meat you like and you’re done. Sauces don’t have to be heavy with cream or other rich ingredients. Extra virgin olive oil and water to simmer are usually the best.

Zia in Italy preparing the tagliatelle with the Sunday lunch meat sugo

Therapy

Just like sport, knitting, reading and other hobbies, making fresh pasta can be very therapeutic. It’s kind of like a ‘zone out’ time and at the same time you create something that can be shared with family or friends. We all love a family or friend gathering full of good food, good vino and good conversation.

Nonno in Italy serving up the tubettini pasta

Cheap

Absolutely. A nice plate of pasta feeds so many people at such a small cost. Quick, easy, simple and cheap. It’s definitely a win win.

Pasta e ceci

So how on earth could anyone say that pasta is ‘bad’ for you? How do Italians live longer and stay so trim while consuming daily portions of pasta? Because we know the difference between good food and bad and won’t let the marketers of fad diets persuade us into having it any other way, especially when nonna has told you otherwise.

I often receive calls from people, telling me they are going to Italy soon, and would like to come and learn Italian. As much as I wish there was, I can honestly say that there is no fast track way or short cut to learning Italian. Learning to parrot phrases is like entering a dead end road with a car, and even if you have memorised how to ask where the bathroom is, when the native speaker answers you with  ‘in fondo, a sinistra e poi e` sulla destra’, you won’t know what he or she has said because you have only learnt a phrase.

I always remind my students they need to bare in mind that it takes us around 2 years to utter our first word when we are totally immersed in the language and culture of where we are born and raised. Speaking is one of the last things we master because we don’t want to be embarrassed by making mistakes, so here are a few tips of things you could do out of the classroom to speed up your learning.

Watch Italian movies with English subtitles

Even if you don’t understand every word, by listening and reading you are sure to pick up bits and pieces and you get to relax and enjoy a movie while you’re learning. You’ll probably also learn a little more about the Italian culture.

Read Italian books

If you are a beginner, choose some Italian short stories online by doing a google search, or buy a short story book for beginners. If you are a little more advanced choose an easy to read novel like ‘Io e Te’ by the amazing (and my favourite!) Italian author Niccolo` Ammaniti. Make sure you have a dictionary handy so you can underline and translate the bits that are new to you. The more times you see a new word and write it, the more likely you will remember it.

Do some free online learning

There are thousands of free resources online. All you have to do is search for the grammar exercises you are covering in your Italian class and you’ll be amazed at all of the extra practice you can get in. Some sites even have drop boxes so you can check your own answers.

Download some apps like Duolingo and do a little bit each day

 Even if you only spend 5 minutes on the app a day, any Italian is good Italian.

Listen to Italian music, free live radio streaming, or podcasts

Sometimes the old classics are good to listen to because the Italian is sung more clearly than some modern day Italian artists. I am sure a lot of you are familiar with the famous old song ‘Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu’ by Domenica Modugno. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qivzSaALee8 . Listen to it and learn it by heart, then get a copy of the lyrics and translate them. You’ll pick up a lot just from a song, especially if you are learning the grammar in class.

All of the above can compliment your Italian lessons in the classroom where, in my opinion, you should be learning the mechanics of the language and how it works so you are able to construct sentences. Grammar may seem a little boring while you are learning it but it is an essential part of learning how to speak a language and when you learn the rules, it all falls into place eventually. Time, patience and persistence is the key. Don’t try to run before you walk. The speaking will come, a lot later in the game, but it won’t happen overnight.

Piazza Gabriele Pepe - Campobasso - Molise

Molise. Where is Molise you ask?  Well, that’s what a lot of people ask. Once upon a time Abruzzo was the name of the region until 1963 when the province of Campobasso was split to form another region known today as Molise. As a little girl I remember hearing my father say he was Abruzzese when people would ask what region he was from, because it was easier than giving a history lesson!

One of the reasons I chose to take my students to Molise was because apart from being close to my heart, it is not a tourist destination, and I wanted to invite them into our other ‘life’ in Italy, where we still have immediate family, our best friends and godchildren, our nieces and nephews. I wanted them to experience the true taste of local Italian living. The visit turned out to be even more wonderful than I could have ever imagined and I am truly looking forward to doing it all again very soon.

Cantalupo del Sannio - Molise

Our 5 day tour of this delightfully picturesque region situated between the Adriatic Coast and the Sannio and Matese mountains, with the Abruzzo and Puglia regions above and below, I drove the students around in our Fiat 500 and they discovered a winery that was brought back to life, spent a day on a friend’s farm with his family and made pasta, took a trip to one of the highest points in the region to a cheese factory, and visited a Countess at her masseria to taste her extra virgin olive oil, along with some very long lunches of some of the finest typical Molisani dishes served with a whole lot of love and pride. The most important part of the visit was sharing our local Italian life with this very small intimate group. Does it get any better?

Here are a few pictures and a description of how our days went. I will do my best to remember the details because I was too happy living and enjoying the moments to keep a journal and stop too many times to take photos. I am certain I missed a few snaps along the way. I must mention that everything we ate and drank on this journey was either produced by the host, or by a local neighbouring farmer, and our guests could taste it with every single morsal and sip during their stay.

Enjoy!

Riccia - Molise

The students arrived a day early, which wasn’t a problem at all, because in true Italian style nothing usually is. One of the best things about this visit was that the group was small and intimate, and the visitors were considered to be our guests rather than tourists. My husband and I were the guides so we could ad lib when we wanted and add in the odd extra aperitivo, or visit somewhere spontaneously that wasn’t on the ‘agenda’. It was very relaxed and as authentically Italian as can be.

The morning after they arrived we were headed to my sister in law’s farmhouse for a visit. She’d asked us if we wanted to go and make jam as the fruit on her prune tree was ready to be picked. We stopped by at one of the towns pizzeria’s, owned and run by a family who has been baking for over 100 years. You’ve never eaten pizza quite like it. We also stopped to get a bit of prosciutto, mozzarella and parmigiano to take to her farmhouse for a little ‘spuntino’ (snack) at lunch time. On arrival we decided against making the marmellata (jam) and instead went for a short hike through the woods to stretch our legs and breathe in some fresh Molisano air.

Before our orientation that evening (when the visit officially began) we went for an aperitivo and took a stroll through the historic centre up to the Castello Monforte. Later that evening we ate at a restaurant tucked away in the underground city of Campobasso, boasting ancient stone carvings and paintings. We ate melanzane al forno with ricotta, homemade cavatelli with cinghiale, veal medallions, and then enjoyed some deserts, caffe` and of course amaro.

On day two we headed off to Ripalimosani where we took a 4wd and drove through some hillside vinyards to see how this uncultivated land had been given new life by its owners, and how the wines are produced using no preservatives or pesticides. Back at the hosts home, we tasted all of their delicious wines, from Tintilia rose and red (a typical grape from Molise), to whites including chardonnay.

I’m not sure I’d call them ‘tastes’ as the pours were extremely generous, so it was just as well we were offered platters of bread, capocollo, salsiccia, caciocavallo and other cheeses, all from local neighbouring farmers.

After our visit to the vineyard, we headed off to our friend’s horse riding property where they also have a trattoria and we enjoyed a never ending lunch that was absolutely divine. Rosaria prepared many different local delights and the antipasto was full of variety including cacio e uova (cheese and bread balls), buffalo milk mousse and fiori di zucca. My favourite were her homemade ravioli with ricotta filling and a very light pesto di pistacchio sauce. The cantucci biscotti with cherry and lemon jam she made were so good I took some home for our breakfast the next day. From the pips of the cherries she’d used to make the jam, she also made a heavenly cherry liquor enjoyed by all. Waste nothing!

Day three we took a visit to our friend Pino’s farm who greeted us that morning with an espresso made with the moka (stove top espresso maker) and a few different homemade biscotti and crostate (sweet pies). If our guests had known what his mamma was going to prepare us for lunch I know they would have refused breakfast.

We were invited into Pino’s ‘sala dei lampadari’ (the room where all of the prosciutto is hanging to be cured) where he explained to us the process of how it’s all done (in Italian of course!). We also got a chance to taste it at lunch. Pino’s mamma then took us to milk the cow and use the milk to make some fresh mozzarella, followed by a pasta making class of cavatelli (a pasta shape typical of the Molise region) with flour made from their own grain. We tasted the ricotta she had made earlier that morning and all agreed it was the best ricotta we had ever eaten! After lunch we all had ‘la zoletta’ made especially by Pino, which is a sugar cube soaked in alcohol made from a variety of different herbs found on their farm, and was just what we needed to help us digest the 6 course meal we had just devoured. Then we took off up to the top of this wonderful village to enjoy the most supurb panoramic view of Italy, all the way from East (the Adriatic coast) to West (the mountains of Campania), and while up there we visited some churches and drank fresh ice cold water that was gushing out from the mountain side.

Day four was our cheesemaking day in Agnone. Near one of the highest points of the mountains in Molise (alto Molise) we were guided by the daughter of the producers of the famous Caciocavallo cheese, fresh mozzarella, and cheeses with tartufo and peperoncino (chilli) to name a few. The family have been making cheese since 1662 and we watched as they created the cheeses in their petite factory and then headed off to view the ageing produce in their cellar, along with a tour through their very own museum where we found out about the family’s history and ended with a tasting of some of their cheese. Afterwards we drove a little further up the mountain to enjoy another very long lunch by another gorgeous family, who when we couldn’t decide on which ‘amaro’ we would like at the end of our meal, they brought us out every bottle they had (there were around 6 from memory) with some glasses so we could taste them all. One was made with the ginseng root which is grown on their land, though we were told it is hard to find.

Day 5 and our last day was with the delightfully charming countess Donna Marina at her masseria, walking through her olive grove, seeing how the extra virgin olive oil is produced, bottled and labelled by hand, and ending our day with the most wonderful olive oil tasting imaginable. We enjoyed a beautiful light lunch of olives, crostini, pasta with chickpeas, and ‘la pampanella’ which is a typical slow cooked pork rib dish from San Martino in Pensulis, followed by some biscotti and caffe. On the way home we stopped by the family farmhouse to show our guests my fathers old school, which is pictured in what I use as my logo, and was the inspiration for starting up The Little Italian School.Just as well we had a light lunch because we had our aperitivo and fairwell seafood dinner in a quaint little piazzetta in Campobasso that evening where we enjoyed local wine and the freshest fish from Termoli (a coastal fishing town in Molise) caught that morning. It was a great night but I was feeling a little emotional knowing our guests would be leaving the next day, wishing they could stay just a few days more.

I am so grateful for the way in which the hosts embraced our visitors and treated them like family from beginning to end. It couldn’t have been more perfect and we are looking forward to taking more guests to this undiscovered region of Italy that continues to deliver its local culture and traditions in the most authentic way, with so much pride, love and passion. The locals can never do enough for you. There is a saying in Italy that goes ‘Il Molise non Esiste’ meaning ‘Molise doesn’t exist’. I can tell you that it absolutely does, and it has so much to offer. I believe it’s one of Italy’s best kept secrets and kind of hope it stays that way.

Termoli - Molise

Creamy Crema di Limoncello

Crema di Limoncello. So delicious to drink and so simple to make. After popping up a little snap I took of the mini bottles of Crema di Limoncello I am making for my daughters confirmation as a ‘bomboniera’, I had so many requests for the recipe, I though it would be easier to write a very short blog post with the very simple recipe and method on how to make this little party stopper!

The recipe I have is one my sister in law in Italy gave me many years ago and it works a treat every time. So here you have it.

You will need:

1 litre of alcohol

2 litres of long life full cream milk

1.5 kg sugar

A vanilla pod

5/6 lemons

Peeling the lemons

Method

Peel the rind of the lemons and soak them in the alcohol with the vanilla pod for up to 30 days.

Once the infused alcohol is ready you can prepare your creamy goodness to add to it!

Pop the milk and sugar in a pot and melt the sugar (don’t boil the milk).

Allow it to cool and add the lemon/vanilla infused alcohol.

Bottle and pop it in the freezer.

Yes…it’s that simple! Enjoy

Bottling the liquid gold!

Nonna Rosaria 95 years of age

For an Italian, there isn’t much difference between your mamma and your nonna as they play pretty much the same role in your life. My nonna helped raise my brother and I because my parents had restaurants and worked around the clock. I went to visit nonna the other day to chat with her about leaving Italy to immigrate to Australia. I have always wanted to write a blog about her story which is no doubt very similar for most of the Italian immigrants who took the same journey. Having to leave her mamma and other family members and not knowing if she’d ever see them again must have been heart wrenching.

I’d always heard bits and pieces of the story as a little girl. I used to listen in to the family chit chat in Calabrese dialect when we’d sit to eat family lunch on Sundays. Nonna’s signature dish were her soft and fluffy potato gnocchi with ragu. There were always lots of giggles when nonna & nonno would reminisce and tell us stories about different people in their ‘paese’ (town).

Everyone in the paese had a nickname which was usually related to something they did or some sort of habit they had. Nicknames came in handy because a lot of people named their children after grandparents, parents or other family members, which meant there were a lot of people with exactly the same first name and surname so it was hard to know who people were speaking about.

My nonni had 8 children, 7 girls and 1 boy. Nonna turned 95 today and I know how lucky we are to still have her. She’s been living in the same suburb for 35 years and is well known and respected in the community. She grabs taxi’s and heads to shopping malls to shop all on her own and she enjoys frequent day trips with her friends on the Italian Community bus. She still lives at home,  has such a crazy sense of humour and she’s really quick witted and jokes around all the time. She’s always upbeat and playful and considering the life they had I sometimes think seeing the humour in everything helped them get through the tough times. They worked hard to put food on the table, and there was always enough to feed an army! Our table was that of a typical southern Italian family… full of people, loud voices, food, love and good times.

So here is her story, translated just how it was told, and I am sure a lot of you who had parents immigrate from Italy can relate to it or have heard similar stories. Hold them close to your heart, and remember to tell them to your children and grandchildren, because it’s also a part of who they are.

Nonna Rosaria in her 40's

How old were you when you met nonno and when did you marry?

I was 15 years old. Nonno came to work for my dad on his farm. That’s how we met. He was very tall and handsome. I fell in love when I saw him. We were together for one month before we got married. Nonno was 20 so there was a 5 year age difference.

When did he leave for the war?

He had to leave for war just six months after we married. We married on the 1st of June 1940 and he left on the 4th January 1941. Six months. I was so sad and scared for him. But he was one of the lucky ones. He lived.I had my first baby, Giuseppina, named after nonno, just 13 months after we married. Nonno came back for leave and met the baby. Giuseppina died when she was just three years old from an illness.

When nonno returned from war what work did he do?
He came home for good after 5 years.  He had been sent to Russia. He was so thin we he returned I could barely recognize him. They had no food. Men were dying from the cold and hunger. In Calabria there was nothing after the war ended. No food. Nonno was a farm guard. He watched over the farms. There was very little food so people would steal it. There was no bread. We were only allowed 400 grams of bread a day. The government would give it to us. During the war all of the bridges were blown up by bombs so there was no way to transport it. We had our 3rd baby and when she was 18 months old he left for Australia which was about 7 years after the war had ended.

Nonno Giuseppe receiving his Australian Citizenship

Why did you choose to come to Australia? Who did he come with and what did you all know about Australia?

Nonno’s cousin told us about it. Other family members had come and said there was lots of work here. He came alone and the boat took 32 days exactly to arrive. He was 34 years old and he couldn’t speak English. He knew nothing. Nothing. Bush and kangaroos that’s all. But it doesn't matter.

What work did nonno do when he arrived and how long after he arrived did you come?

He first lived in Balcatta. He would go to work in the bush cutting wood and burning to clear for wheat. Then he went to ‘Wes Feely River’ (Westfield River) in Adelaide.  They all got taken by train.
I left 3 years later with our 3 children. I was very nervous and scared but I was happy we would see nonno again.

Nonno Giuseppe settled in Australia with his veggie patch

What was it like travelling with your children alone on a boat all the way to Australia ?

It was a little bit scary. There were about 300 people on the boat. Italian, Polish, Macedonian, Yugoslav & Greek. The ship left from Genova and travelled down to Sicily to pick up the Italians.

How did you pay for the boat trip and what did they give you to eat on the trip?

Nonno sent the money after he had been working in Australia for a while. On the boat we ate soup and sometimes a little bit of meat.

What was it like to leave your mum and your family?

It was very hard, very painful. My mum died 3 years after I left so I never saw her again.

When you got off the boat did nonno pick you up and how did he get to Fremantle?

Yes he came by bus. We didn’t have a car of course. We had to save money to buy a car.

Where did you live first?

We lived in East Perth. It’s very fancy now but East Perth was a very very poor area when we moved. Lots of Italians, other immigrants and Aboriginals lived there. Many husbands would leave to work in the bush so sometimes I would send one of my daughters to sleep at a neighbours house who’s husband had gone away, just to keep them company. They hated it but I made them go. We all looked after each other and helped each other.

Did the Australian Government give you money to help you?

The government gave money towards school books. There was no dole but there was lots of work so our eldest children left school early to go to work and help us with the bills and feeding the family. We did jobs like cleaning, and washing dishes. They weren’t paying well but it was better than what we had come from. There was a lot of opportunity.

Nonna Rosaria visiting her home in Italy at 68 years of age

Were the English/Australian people kind?
Not too bad. Yes they were very nice. They mingled with Italians. The people I worked in hospital with when I was cleaning were nice. Nonno used to work at Thompson Steel making railway tracks, and at night he washed dishes in a restaurant. Work was usually where we mixed with other people. At home we had a very big Italian community so we all understood each other. The language, the culture, the feelings. We understood what we were all feeling and that made it easy. We all pulled together, we helped each other. It was very nice. We didn’t have much to share but we shared whatever we had.

Did you always want to go back home to Italy when you first migrated?
I always thought about Italy and wanted to go home but after the 4th baby was born I settled and I liked Australia. When I was 68 years old I went back to visit. I found the ‘paese’ the same as when we left it but I was happy to see some familiar faces.

It doesn’t matter where you are. You have to be happy. You have to be happy you are healthy, you have family, you have friends. Just be happy inside. It doesn’t matter where you are. You have food, you have family, you have friends. Just be happy child.

Learn Some Nouns

You want to learn how to speak Italian but not sure where to begin? Well, a good start would be to learn as many nouns (names of things) as you can. In my Absolute Beginner Classes I also like to expose students to some Italian grammar. Learning grammar gives you a much better understanding of the language and gets you speaking a lot quicker than learning phrases. Exposing students to grammar doesn’t mean they should be memorising and mastering what you teach them in an instance. It just means they have seen the word or the rules and from that point on, each time they are re-exposed to it they may learn and remember a little more. Remembering what is learnt comes with practice by doing exercises, and it takes time.

Essere and Avere Verbs

There are two ‘verbs’ (doing words) in Italian that are taught in the Absolute Beginner course and I am going to write a little explanation on how to learn and use them. While rote learning may be a little old school, it may be a good way to memorise them, but if you have a method that suits you more then you should stick to it.

In Italian, we have verbs just like in English. Only in English, we don’t change the verbs 6 times to suit the person or object doing the action, or the person we are speaking about who is doing the action, like we do in Italian.

To construct a sentence we use lots of words and grammar. A sentence like :

‘The boy is beautiful’. 

‘Il ragazzo e` bello’.

This simple sentence is made by adding a noun + verb + adjective …..or in simple terms subject + doing word + describing word)

So firstly you should learn your ‘subject pronouns’  (the subject of your sentence – who you are speaking about):

Here are the subject pronouns (meaning the person or thing doing the action).

I - io

You - tu

He/She/It - Lui, Lei, esso/a

We - noi

You all - voi

They - loro

Essere (to be) and Avere (to have) are the first two verbs we learn as Absolute Beginners

So the verbs Essere and Avere in English are used like this

ESSERE - TO BE

io sono -I am

tu sei - you are

tui/lei/it e` - he/she is   (notice the verb has changed 3 times already   am, are, is)

noi siamo - we are

voi siete - you all are

loro sono - they are

example sentences:

I am Italian - Io sono italiano

you are French - tu sei francese

he/she is Australian - lui/lei e` australiano  

we are Italian – noi siamo italiani

you all are Italian – voin siete italiani

they are Italian - loro sono italiani

AVERE – (TO HAVE) works the same way.

I have a child - io ho un figlio  (pronounced fi-li-yoh)

You have a child - tu hai un figlio

He/she/it has a child - lui/lei/esso ha un figlio

We have a child – noi abbiamo un figlio

You all have a child – voi avete un figlio

They have a child – loro hanno un figlio

These are very simple sentences, but if you have a few Italian nouns up your sleeve, then you can already start to make simple sentences.

The problem most students face when learning verbs is they get confused when the ‘subject pronoun’ (the person or thing doing the action), is replaced with a name.

For example:

He is beautiful – Lui e` bello

Gianni is beautiful – Gianni e` bello (He = Gianni)

Or a little more complex is when you are speaking with someone asking them questions and they have to answer changing the verb so it all makes sense.

For example:

Question: Do you have a child? - Hai un figlio?

Answer: Yes I have a child. - Si, ho un figlio.

Question: Does Chiara have a child? – Chiara ha un figlio?

Answer: Yes, Chiara has a child – Si, Chiara ha un figlio.

Note how the verb ‘have’ in the English sentences hasn’t changed , but in the Italian sentences it has because it is agreeing with the person in the sentence who is doing the action.

This is a very basic explanation and joining classes can be very helpful and would be the next step for anyone wanting to learn ‘la dolce lingua’. While phrases may be fun to learn, they are very limiting when trying to have a conversation. I always remind my students that they must walk before they run! So start your learning journey by building your Italian vocabulary and slowly but surely the language will all start to come together.

Children’s 'Pasqua" (Easter) Activities

Pasqua in Italy is based heavily on religion. In this FREE 4 page printout I created you can read a simple and easy explanation of Easter in Italy to your children and fill in the activities with them. Building your child's Italian vocabulary is a fantastic start for them if they want to learn Italian, and mixing it with learning about some of the Italian culture and traditions is a perfect combination. Does your little one know that the Easter Bunny doesn't exist in Italy? Italian children still eat chocolate Easter eggs. The egg is a symbol of 'new life', and they usually have a 'sorpresa' (surprise) in them. 

Enjoy this FREE 4 page Easter activity printout and build your child's Italian vocabulary. BUONA PASQUA A TUTTI !

Pasqua in Italia.pdf

Fiadone Cake - Easter Ricotta Cake

This morning I woke up really early with the urge to bake a couple of traditional Italian Easter cakes. There's nothing I like more than to rise before the sun and bake while our bambini are still snuggled up in bed asleep. I'm pretty certain they love waking up to the smell of a freshly baked crostata or biscotti too. We love a little 'sweetness' for breakfast in our home. It's one of those 'Italian' things.

Our kids aren't too fussed on 'La Pastiera Napoletana', so I made them a 'Crostata di Nutella' instead. I'll be sure to share the recipe one day soon. But for now lets talk Easter...

Here are the ingredients for a Fiadone cake my beautiful mother in law handed down to me about 20 years ago when we temporarily lived in the in laws home in Italy before getting our own apartment. She would make it every Easter. I don't pretend to be a cookbook writer but I love to share recipes. When it comes to the method, well, I believe that if you practice making something with love enough times you'll work it out.

For the pastry:

10 tbsp of type 00 plain flour

1 egg

2.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp sugar

about half cup water

Knead it well and set aside to let rest while you make the filling. You will need 

5 eggs

5 tablespoons sugar

1 grated lemon zest

about half kilo ricotta ( I use Thats Amore Cheese Ricotta. It's the creamiest and the best and it's already drained and ready to go)

(if you have any fresh cream you can add a dash to the mixture also)

Roll out the dough and place it over an oiled ciambella tin:

Fill with the mixture and flap the edges over to cover the mixture

Here are the 2 Easter Cakes I made plus the Crostata di Nutella. 

The Pastiera (pictured left) was on the top shelf of the oven and overcooked slightly on one side just the way my husband likes it. Perfectly imperfect!