Becoming Italian Word by Word

Italian for Travelers: Reading an Italian Menu

il menu 

A menu  is a menu in Italian as well as in English and French (and perhaps many other tongues). But this doesn’t mean that one country's menu is like any other's.

Here is what you can expect to find on il menu at an Italian ristorante: 

 *L'antipasto (before the meal), small dishes that accompany an aperitivo and stimulate the appetite. Hot (caldo) items might include crostini, bruschetta and mozzarella in carrozza. Among popular cold (freddo) items are funghi ripieni (stuffed mushrooms) and olive (olives). 

A good starter if you want to taste a little bit of everything is the antipasto misto di terra (prosciutto, pancetta, bresaola, etc.) or antipasto misto di mare (a mix of seafood). 

*Il primo (first course), usually consisting of pasta (cooked al dente, literally to the tooth, or firm), minestrone, risotto, or zuppa (soup). Unless we’re extremely hungry, Bob and I usually split a pasta course. “Uno per due” (One for two), I say. 

*Il secondo (second or main course), which can be di pesce (of fish) or di carne (of meat). If you are ordering beef, you can specify if you want it al sangue (rare), medio (medium), or ben cotto (well done). However, there is only one way that the famous bistecca fiorentina is prepared: very rare. 

*Il contorno (side dish or vegetables) such as melanzane (eggplant), spinaci (spinach), or insalata mista (mixed salad).

*Il formaggio (cheese), usually featuring a selection of local specialties 

*Il dolce (dessert), which might include tiramisù, zabaglione or zabaione (custard of egg yolks with wine and brandy), or dolci della casa (special homemade sweets) such as panna cotta or torta al cioccolato.

*Caffè (espresso). If you want an extra charge of caffeine, you can order un doppio (a double). If you like just a “stain” of milk, ask for a macchiato. But remember: cappuccino isn’t an Italian after-meal option. However, a digestivo, such as limoncello or grappa, is, particularly after a long and satisfying dinner.

After giving you a chance to review the menù and la carta dei vini (wine list), a waiter may ask what you want in several ways: “Che cosa desidera?” (What do you desire?) “Posso prendere l’ordinazione?”” (May I take your order?) "Cosa prendete?” (What are you taking?) "Avete deciso?" (Have you decided?) The simplest way to answer is “Vorrei… (I would like).

Once you are served, be sure to eat the true Italian way: piano piano (slowly). There's no need to rush through a meal. Remember the old Italian saying, “A tavola non si invecchia mai.” (One never gets old at the table.)

Words and Expressions 

Che cosa consiglia? -- What do you recommend? 

Quali sono le specialità di questa regione? -- What are the specialties of this region?

Qual è il piatto del giorno? --What is the dish of the day?

Abbiamo mangiato molto bene -- We have eaten very well

Complimenti al cuoco! -- Compliments to the cook!

pagare alla romana -- to go dutch

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language. Click here for more information on her "writer's studio" in Capri this fall. 

How a Chocolate Kiss Is Like an Italian Mamma

Il Bacio Perugina e una mamma italiana

The Perugina “Kiss” and an Italian Mom

How is a world-famous chocolate made in Perugia like an Italian mother?

In a delightful essay published in a collection called Italianità, the author Alessandro Guerriero explains that Il Bacio Perugina is like una mamma italiana because:

*non cambia mai (it never changes).

*è un po’ troppo dolce (it’s a little too sweet), ma non priva (but not lacking) a certain tartness.

*come una mamma italiana d’altri tempi (like an old-style Italian mamma), it is ricca di sentenze (rich in sayings) che non servono assolutamente a nulla (that serve absolutely nothing) but make you smile. (Click here for some samples of frasi dei baci Perugina.

*come una mamma Italian d’altri tempi con gli abiti della festa (like an old-style Italian mom dressed in Sunday clothes), it is un po’ sognante (a little dreamy), un po’ futile (a little frivolous), un po’ fane’ (faded) but you become fond of these things because they make her stand out tra migliaia di altre mamme italiane (among millions of other Italian mothers).

*come una mamma italiana di altri tempi vestita con gli abiti della festa (like an old-style Italian mom  dressed in party clothes), it’s nice to encounter her ma non tutti giorni (but not every day).

*come tutte le mamme italiane è da prendere a piccole dosi (like all Italian moms she should be taken in small doses), altrimenti provoca “maldipancia” insormontabili (otherwise she provokes an insurmountable tummy ache).

Of course, there are many other types of kisses, including a mother's baci affettuosi (affectionate kisses). Friends might exchange a bacino or bacetto (little kiss), but you'd reserve a bacio sulla bocca (kiss on the mouth) or a baciozzo (slang) or bacione (hearty kiss or smooch) for a romantic partner. A date usually ends with a bacio della buonanotte (goodnight kiss). Lovers say goodbye with a bacio d’addio (parting kiss). But there's one type of kiss everyone want to avoid: il bacio della morte (the kiss of death).

Words and Expressions

mandare un bacio -- to throw a kiss

sbaciucchio -- continual kissing, smooching

sbacciucchiarsi -- to be always kissing one another,  to smooch, to canoodle (if anyone remember this word)

baciamano -- hand-kissing

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

Click below for a tribute to an Italian mamma:

April fool--or fish--in the Italian language

il pesce d'aprile

April fool 

According to legend, a raven on Noah’s ark set off on April 1 to search for a sign that the flood waters had receded, but it never returned. Others trace the madcap holiday back to the year 1564, when Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar that changed the beginning of the new year from April 1 to January 1. Some people who didn’t believe or wouldn’t accept the change kept celebrating New Year’s Day on the first of April. Others tried to show how silly these original April fools were  by sending them on pointless errands or tricking them into thinking something false was true.

Somehow the fool came to take the form of a fish in Italy.  Children try to tape a paper cutout of a little fish  (pesciolino) to the back of a schoolmate. “Have you seen it?” they chant. “Who?” the unwitting child asks.  “Il pesce d'aprile!”

In a country of pescatori (fishermen), and marinai  (sailors ), il pesce swims through daily life—and language.  In Italian you’re sano come un pesce  (healthy as a fish rather than an ox).  A big shot is un pesce grosso (big fish).  But be wary: I pesci grossi mangiano i piccini. The big fish eat the small fry. 

You don’t need a pole and bait to go fishing in Italian. Buttarsi a pesce (literally throw yourself like a fish) means to dive into an activity headfirst or with enthusiasm. Non sapere che pesci pigliare (not know which fish to pick) refers to being at a loss and not knowing which way to turn. Rather than the early bird catching the worm, in Italian chi dorme non piglia pesci (he who sleeps doesn’t catch the fish.) 

But in Italy, as everywhere,  “L’ospite è come il pesce; dopo tre giorni puzza.”  (Guests are like fish, after three days they stink.)

 
Words and Expressions

*trattare a pesci in faccia — to mistreat, to humiliate, to mortify

*un pesce fuor d'acqua — a fish out of water

*un pesce lesso — a boiled fish (boring person)

*prendere un granchio -- to take a crab (make a blunder, overshoot the mark)

*pescivendolo -- fishmonger

*pescheria -- fish shop

Dianne Hales is the author of La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

 

A Year of Italian Language and Culture: Carnevale

Carnevale
Carnival

For centuries the pre-Lent festivities of carnevale sumptuously celebrated “carne,” a word that translates as both "meat' and "flesh," in every sense. However, the name comes specifically from the Latin for meat (carnem) and “take away or remove” (levare).  A church decree dating back to 653 declared that anyone who ate meat during the forty days of Lent (Quaresima in Italian) could not receive communion on Easter. Charlemagne reportedly sentenced Lenten meat-eaters  to death. 

The prospect of  long months without meat or merriment inspired Italians to gorge themselves  throughout -- and often long before -- la settimana grassa (the fat week) before Ash Wednesday. It also inspired a luscious vocabulary for the culinary treats of this festive time, such as the delicate fried pastries we might call fritters. 

In Piedmont and Liguria, they’re bugie (little lies); in Tuscany, cenci (rags); in Emilia-Romagna, lattughe (lettuce leaves); in Milan, chiacchiere, the same word Italians use for gossip or chatting.  Cooks elsewhere may call them nastri delle suore (nuns’ ribbons), galani or sfrappe and add ingredients such as raisins and anise.  

The sin-drenched Venetian Republic was famous for indulgences of carne in its more sensual sense. During Carnevale, which lasted for months, party-goers of all classes hid their identities behind elaborate maschere (masks).

Artisans known as mascherari gained fame for their exquisite creations, which came in three varieties.  The bauta covered the entire face but had no mouth opening and a lot of gilding.  The oval-shaped moretta was worn by women, often along with a veil. The full-face white larva (from the Latin for mask or ghost) was made of fine wax cloth.   

Carnevale also inspired some pithy Italian axioms. "A Carnevale ogni scherzo vale," revelers often say. "Anything goes at Carnival time." But don't get carried away with the romance of the moment. "L’amore di Carnevale muore in Quaresima,"  wise souls caution,  "A love that starts during Carnival dies in Lent."

The allure of Venice, however, outlasts the days of Carnevale. You can stroll its calle (streets), linger in its splendid piazze, savor its specialties, drink its wine, ride in a gondola (or even learn to row one), watch the glass-blowers on Murano island—and immerse yourself in the languages, both Italian and the Venetian dialect, of its residents.

This April my friend Melissa Muldoon, creator of the exuberant Diario di una Studentessa Matta (Diary of a Crazy Student), and Diego Cattaneo, director of the Venice Italian School, are offering all these experiences and more during a magical ten-day immersion in language and culture. Click here for details.

Words and Expressions:

fare le frittelle –- literally, to make the fritters; to celebrate Carnival  

carnevalone –- the four extra days of Carnevale celebrated in places like Milan

carnevalata –- carnival revelry

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language. 

 

 

Celebrating a New Year in Italy--and Italian

 

Buon Anno! 

Happy New Year!

New Year’s Eve as we know it was an invention of the ancient Romans. In 153 B.C. they moved the start of the new year from the Spring equinox to January 1 and dedicated the first month of the year to Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings, who looks back toward the old year and ahead toward the new one. 

For six days, Romans celebrated by hanging lights, preparing lavish banquets, and decorating their houses with boughs of greenery, including holly and mistletoe (considered magical plants because they bore fruit in the dead of winter). The Romans gave each other glass jars filled with dates and dried figs in honey so the new year would be sweet and full of good fortune. These offerings, called strenne from the Sabine goddess of prosperity, Strenia, were the predecessors of the presents we now exchange at Christmas. 

Italians refer to New Year’s Eve by its liturgical name, la Festa di San Silvestro, the feast of St. Sylvester, a fourth-century pope. Traditionally families and friends share a huge dinner called il cenone (literally the big supper). Lentils, symbols of prosperity because they resemble coins, are almost always on the menu, often served with pork, another symbol of the richness of life. 

Tuscans eat lentils with cotechino, a big pork sausage cut like coins. Italians in Bologna and Modena eat them with zampone, or pig’s trotter.  In Piedmont, rice symbolizes money, so a cenone is sure to include risotto. Raisins, another symbol for coins, appear in desserts throughout the peninsula. 

In a relatively recent tradition, couples give each gifts of red underwear—a color that wards off the malocchio (Evil Eye) and a symbol of love, prosperity, and fertility. Traditionally Italians wear these special undies only once and throw them away after New Year’s eve.

That’s not all that Italians toss out. In order to make room for the new, they once literally threw old brooms, dishes, even furniture out the window. Regulations now prohibit this dangerous dumping, but the practice continues in some parts of Naples and the South. 

After the evening feast, most Italian cities throw a big party under the stars with music, dancing, and fireworks. Italy’s equivalent of Times Square in New York is the Piazza del Popolo in Rome. Huge crowds gather for an outdoor concert and a magnificent midnight fireworks display. The favored drink is spumante or prosecco, Italian sparkling wine, for a toast (brindisi) when the clock strikes twelve.

Whether public or private, il Veglione di Capodanno (the New Year’s party) typically lasts all night. As they head home at the dawn of Capodanno (New Year’s Day), weary revelers watch the first sunrise—and look out for the first person they see in the newborn year. According to ancient traditions, an old man or a hunchbacked person carries good luck, while a child or a priest brings bad luck in the upcoming year. 

Words and Expressions 

Il conto alla rovescia -- the countdown to midnight (meno 10, meno 9, meno 8, meno 7 ...) 

I botti di capodanno -- New year’s firecrackers and fireworks 

“Anno nuovo, vita nuova” -- new Year, new life (let’s make a fresh start)  

i buoni propositi per l’anno nuovo -- New Year resolutions, such as smettere di fumare (to stop smoking), mettersi a dieta (to go on a diet), and iscriversi in palestra (to join a gym). 

You can find a round-up of this year's celebrations from Italy magazine here.

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

Click below for new year's greetings in tutte le lingue (all the languages) of the world, accompanied by John Lennon's immortal "Imagine":

 

Christmas in the Italian Language: Three Days of Celebrating

 

Le Tre Feste di Natale 

The Three Christmas Feasts 

 Most families in Italy begin celebrating il Natale on the evening of December 24 (la vigilia di Natale) with a big dinner. Because Christmas Eve is a vigilia di magro (a day of abstinence on which the Catholic Church prohibits the consumption of meat), the centerpiece of the meal is fish. 

The traditional choice is eel, a favorite of the ancient Romans that appears in the earliest known cookbook, written by a gourmand known as Apicius. This symbol of life and immortality was sold alive and wiggling, then beheaded, chopped and dropped into boiling water, spit-roasted, grilled, stewed with white wine and peas, or pickled in vinegar, oil, bay leaves, rosemary and cloves.

 In some regions the Christmas Eve feast has seven courses (for the seven sacraments); others serve nine (the trinity times three) or thirteen (for Jesus and his twelve disciples). Some of the fish dishes include fritto misto with lemon (mixed fried fish), calamari, or pasta with anchovies.  

Families may go to midnight mass (la messa di mezzanotte) in their local church or watch the Pope’s televised outdoor mass at St. Peter’s basilica in Rome. At midday on Christmas the Pope again appears on television to deliver his annual “urbi et orbi” message to “the city and the world.”

Il pranzo di Natale (the Christmas day meal) usually starts with a rich pasta, such as cappelletti in brodo, little hats stuffed with chopped meats, cheese, eggs, or pumpkin. By tradition everyone is supposed to eat at least a dozen. Depending on the region of Italy, the main course may be capon, pork or turkey. 

Everyone saves room for the special dolci (sweets). Many were created by nuns who prepared special types of sweets as gifts for prominent clergymen and noble families. They include: 

 *cartellate -- curly ribbons of dough that symbolize the sheets on which baby Jesus lay 

 *calzoncelli—the pillows for his head 

 *latte di mandorla—Virgin’s milk 

 *calzone di San Leonardo— trousers of St. Leonard, which represent the cradle. 

Among the various types of holiday bread (pane) are pangiallo (a round bread crammed with fruits and nuts--an ancient symbol of fertility), panforte (a fruitcake-like specialty of Siena), and panpepato (peppery and dark, somewhat like gingerbread). 

The most famous is the tall cupola-shaped panettone, with origins that date back to ancient Rome. The term derives from panetto (loaf of bread) combined with “one” (a suffix meaning large and pronounced “oh-nay”), although some claim its name comes from the Milanese expression “pan di ton” (luxury bread).  

After the meal, families play a game called tombola, similar to bingo, with dried beans as markers. Players win coins or small prizes for covering two numbers (ambo), three (terno), five (cinquina), or the entire card (tombola). In towns and cities many Italians have started a new Christmas day tradition: going to the movies. 

December 26 brings Prima Festa (first feast) and another big family meal to honor Santo Stefano (St. Stephen), the first Christian martyr, who was stoned to death for his beliefs. This day gave rise to an idiomatic expression--da Natale a Santo Stefano (from Christmas to St. Stephen’s Day)—to describe a very brief period of time. 

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

Words and Expressions

Buone Feste -- Happy Celebrations/Holidays

Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo -- Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 

i più cari auguri per un sereno Natale e per un anno nuovo ricco di soddisfazioni -- dearest wishes for a peaceful Christmas and a fulfilling new year 

I migliori auguri per il Santo Natale e per il 2013 -- best wishes for Holy Christmas and for 2013 

Click below to hear Nat King Cole blend Italian and English in this Christmas song:

The Olive Harvest in the Italian Language

l'oliva

the olive

This is the time of the raccolta delle olive (olive harvest) in Italy, one of the world's top producers of olive oil. But to Italians, the olive (l’oliva) is far more than a crop.

According to an ancient legend, the gods Athena and Poseidon once argued over who would rule the city of Attica in Greece. Zeus, the father of the gods, declared that the new ruler would be the one who could present him with a discovery that would most benefit mankind. Athena commanded Mother Earth to grow a new tree whose fruit would have almost magical powers. Upon beholding the albero d’olivo or ulivo (olive tree), Zeus pronounced Athena the winner.

The olive became revered as a symbol of life and fertility, and olive groves (oliveti or uliveti) spread throughout the Mediterranean. In the time of the Roman empire, the arca olearia, or olive market, offered no fewer than 15 varieties of olives. Gladiators would rub their torsos with olive oil (olio d’oliva) before entering the arena.

Many olive trees withered in the Dark Ages following the fall of Rome, but the Catholic Church, which made the olive branch a symbol of peace and used olive oil in sacred rites, helped preserve this natural resource. In monasteries throughout the peninsula, monks continued to cultivate olive trees and to experiment with various uses of their fruit. Olive oil, they found, soothed itchy rashes, relieved headaches and stomach pain, and alleviated ear infections. Chewing olive leaves strengthened the gums and kept teeth white.

In the Renaissance, the influential de’Medici family promoted the cultivation of olives around Florence, while olive groves spread to other regions, including those around Siena, Arezzo, Pistoia, and Lucca.

Others may think of olives as simply black or green, but Italians recognize and appreciate regional varieties, such as moraiolo (a Tuscan olive that produces a fruity oil with an intense flavor), leccino (which produces an extremely mild, golden-yellow oil with a delicate almond flavor), frantoio (which yields a fruity green oil that is not aggressively olive-y) and taggiasca (a Ligurian olive that produces small fruit and a light aromatic oil).

My favorite olive oil comes from the 12,000 olive trees of Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio in Umbria. In additional to producing traditional extra-virgin oil (olio extravergine) and olio aromatizzato (oil with balsamico or other flavors),  the azienda uses state-of-the-art technology to press, bottle, and immediately deep freeze unfiltered oil with no exposure to air. Because its natural properties remain unchanged, this oil,  kept frozen until 30 minutes before use, tastes so fresh that it truly qualifies as “liquid gold” (oro liquido).

Although Italians use olive oil in almost every type of dish, the elixir of the Mediterranean dazzles even in a simple salad--if you know how to mix one properly. Here is some classic Italian advice: Find un prodigo (a spendthrift) to pour the oil, un avaro (miser) to add the vinegar, un saggio (a wise man) to add the salt, and un pazzo (a crazy man) to mix them all together.

Words and Expressions

olivastro, olivigno -- brown, tanned, olive color

olio di gomito -- elbow grease

sott’olio -– in oil (e.g. carciofini sott’olio or baby artichokes in oil)

andare or filare liscio come l’olio -- to go or flow (smoothly) like oil

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language. 

The lovely video below captures the work and the spirit of an Italian olive harvest:

Autumn in the Italian Language

l'autunno

autumn

In Italy every stagione -- la primavera (spring), l’estate (summer), l’autunno (autumn), and l’inverno (winter) -- has a different feel and focus. L’autunno is my favorite.

The names of the months of autumn date back to ancient Rome -- and remind us that our calendar (calendario) was one of the enduring gifts of Julius Caesar. Before his time the Roman calendar, devised by Rome’s founder Romulus some 2700 years ago, had only ten months. January and February as we know them didn’t exist.

The new year began in March, with the beginning of field work to plant new crops. The Latin numbers seven, eight, and nine -- septem, octo, and novem — gave their names to the months of September, October, and November.

By the first century B.C., the calendar was several months out of whack with the seasons. In 48-47 B.C. Caesar, planning massive military campaigns in the East, wanted a single official calendar that would keep in touch with the sun. Consulting with a Greek astronomer and mathematician, he devised a new calendar consisting of 12 months and 365 days, with a leap year inserted every fourth year.

Shortly before his assassination, Caesar gave his name to what had been Quintus, the fifth month, which we know as July. His successor Augustus bestowed his name on Sextilis (the sixth month). But the final months of the new calendar retained their numerical names.

Autunno is the time of ripening (maturazione), and  the Italian language has several words -- raccolto, messe, and mietitura -- for the harvest of crops such as fruit and grains. But the grape harvest has a name of its own: vendemmia. Vine-growers (viticoltori)) keep a close eye on their vines (viti) to determine when the grapes (uva) are ripe (matura or vendemmiabile).

La vendemmia begins with white grapes (uva bianca), which ripen before the red. If there’s a threat of damaging rain, grape pickers (vendemmiatori) may have to work by the light of the harvest moon (luna della vendemmia or luna di Settembre) to save their crops. At the cantina, bunches of grapes (grappoli d’uva) are sorted, washed, stemmed, and crushed.

Then everyone waits, hoping that this will turn out to be una buona annata (a vintage year). The novello (new) wine is uncorked and enjoyed during Italy’s equivalent of America’s Indian summer -- l’estate di San Martino, the summer of St. Martin, whose onomastico or saint’s day falls on November 11. As a traditional saying puts it, “Per San Martino, cadono le foglie e si spilla il vino." (For St. Martin, the leaves fall, and the wine is tapped.")

Words and Expressions 

fare il raccolto -- get in the harvest

cogliere l ‘uva -- to gather grapes

pigiatura dell’uva -- grape pressing

vitigni -- species of grapes

uva da tavola -- dessert grapes

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

Click below for some scenes and sounds of the season by the Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi:

Traveling in the Italian Language: Eating Etiquette

  

Eating Out in Italy

Mangiare fuori in Italia

Americans sometimes assume that restaurants in Italy are like old-fashioned Italian restaurants in the United States, with checkered tablecloths and dishes like fettucini Alfredo. They’re not — and never were. Here is a preview of the array of Italian eating establishments: 

*Bar / caffè, the perfect place for a morning cappuccino or for an espresso any time of the day. Italians also may stop at a bar before lunch or dinner for an aperitivo – a light alcoholic drink such as a prosecco, Campari or Bellini, accompanied by a snack. Prices vary depending on whether you eat in piedi (standing) or seduto (seated, the more expensive option).

*Tavola calda (literally hot table), a buffet of prepared hot dishes that you can eat on the premises or take away. 

*Pizzeria. At a pizzeria al taglio, you buy pizza or focaccia by the “cut” or slice. At a pizzeria you sit and eat a whole round pizza. 

*Paninoteca, a sandwich shop. 

*Birreria, the Italian version of a pub, where you can have sandwiches and salads. 

*Osteria or taverna, an informal restaurant serving simple, inexpensive dishes 

*Trattoria, a mid-priced restaurant, often family-run, with a cozy atmosphere and local specialties. 

*Ristorante, a more formal and expensive restaurant, serving high-quality Italian or international cuisine. 

Wherever you decide to eat, always greet the staff, including the waiter (cameriere), with a buongiorno or buonasera (good day at lunch; good evening at dinner). Italian waiters are professionals respected for their knowledge of food and wine. If you speak Italian, use the formal (“lei”) form of address, not the familiar “tu.” You may hear Italians calling out “Senta!” to attract attention, but it can sound rude. I prefer to say “Mi scusi” (Excuse me)—always with a polite smile. 

Rather than pouring tap water, your waiter will ask if you prefer still (naturale) or sparkling (gassata or frizzante) bottled water, which is not served with ice. Italians typically drink only water and wine -- bianco (white), rosso (red) or rosato (rose’) -- with meals. Sugary drinks such as Coca-Cola or limonata are considered an insult to the taste buds. Not even young children drink cold milk with meals. 

Don’t expect a small plate with bread and olive oil. Restaurants in Italy provide a bread basket with grissini (breadsticks) and bread and serve salads with extra-virgin olive olio and aceto (vinegar), not creamy salad dressings. 

Essential Do’s and Don’ts 

*If you want to eat on an outdoor terrace, ask for a table fuori (outside), not al fresco (which translates as the equivalent of “in the cooler,” slang for “in jail”). 

*Don’t ask for grated cheese on any dish containing seafood, such as spaghetti ai frutti di mare. Fish and cheese are an unthinkable combination. 

 *Respect others’ privacy. Italians tend to talk among themselves rather than getting into conversations with strangers. Keep your voices low. 

*Never, ever order cappuccino after a meal. To an Italian, this breakfast drink is like a bowl of cereal after dinner. 

*Ask for the check ("Il conto, per favore”). A waiter would consider it rude to bring the bill before it’s requested. 

 *Leave a tip. Yes, coperto e IVA (cover and taxes) are included in the bill. Most Italians simply round up the bill, but an extra 10 to 15 percent is always welcome—and ensures excellent service if you return. 

*Say goodbye. As a common courtesy and sign of appreciation, be sure to extend an “arriverderci” or “buonasera” to the waiters and staff as you leave. 

 Buon appetito!

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

For a behind-the-scenes view of an Italian restaurant, click below for a clip from the wonderful movie Big Night:

The Art of Making Caffè in the Italian Language

 

il caffè

coffee, café

In 1638 specialty shops in Venice began serving a stimulating black beverage called Kahavé made from Arabian “seeds.” Venetians flocked to these caffè to meet friends, gamble — and flirt. Soon so many illegitimate babies flooded orphanages that the state banned women from entering a caffè.

In other cities the caffè proved to be a hotbed of a different sort. In the late 1800s the young intellectuals who created Futurism operated out of Florence’s Giubbe Rosse (named for the waiters’ red jackets). In Rome Vezio’s caffè, lined with portraits of Lenin and his cronies, served as unofficial headquarters of the Communist Party. For decades  Federico Fellini, who lived around the corner, considered the Canova caffè in the Piazza del Popolo an extension of his home.

The machines used to make coffee have a different history. In 1901 Luigi Bezzera, a Milan businessman, wanted to cut the time his employees spent brewing coffee. And so he invented a macchina espresso (fast machine), which produced an individual cup of coffee in mere seconds. After going broke trying to market his newfangled coffee maker, Bezzera sold the patent in 1905 for the equivalent of $8 to Desiderio Pavoni, who set up kiosks selling “la Pavoni-Caffè Espresso” across the country. The Italian coffee “bar” was born.

About thirty years later an engineer named Alfonso Bialetti was watching his wife do laundry. As boiling soapy water percolated upward through the primitive washing machine, Bialetti wondered. What if the same process pushed boiling water through ground coffee? His aluminum stovetop espresso machine, known as the Moka, made its way into almost every Italian kitchen. Its mascot — l’omino coi baffi (the little mustachioed man), a caricature of Bialetti — remains a national icon.

Every morning in Italy I begin my day the same way millions of Italians do: making coffee in a caffettiera (coffee pot). “Tanti italiani” (so many Italians), writes Maddalena Padovani in an essay in a charming book called Italianità, "associano fisicamente e affettivamente il momento del risveglio al rito quotidiano, intimo e tutto casalingo, della preparazione del caffè" (associate, physically and emotionally, the moment of awakening with the daily ritual, intimate and completely domestic, of preparing coffee).

The steps are always the same: pouring water into the bottom half of the coffeepot (la caldaia), inserting the flavorful grounds (polvere odorosa) into the filter, screwing on the top (l’avvitamento), turning on the flame (l’accensione) and waiting for the characteristic gurgling (l’attesa del caratteristico borboglio).

Then come the little pleasures of the intense smell (il profumo intenso), the tinkling of the spoon that mixes the sugar in the cup (il tintinnio del cucchiaino che mescola lo zucchero nella tazza), the tasting in slow sips (la degustazione a sorsi lenti), accompanied by reading of the newspaper (accompagnata dalla lettura del giornale). Aaaah! Can there be a better way to start a day (cominciare il giorno)?

I now understand why some Italians refer to caffè Americano (also called caffè lungo) as “acqua tinta” (colored water).

Words and Expressions

chicchi di caffè –- coffee beans

caffè nero –- black coffee

caffè tostato –- roasted coffee

caffè macinato or in polvere –- ground coffee

caffè corretto –- with a drop of anise liquor or grappa

caffè doppio –- double shot espresso

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

And here's some music to accompany your morning caffè: