Becoming Italian Word by Word

A World Without Italy

Imagine a world without Italy: Painting without Leonardo. Sculpture without Michelangelo. Literature without Dante. No Verdi choruses or Puccini arias. No Fellini films or Ferrari roar. Heavens uncharted, vines unplanted, tables bereft of pasta, pizza, and a Sicilian cake so divine that its bakers swore it could make the dead breathe again.

Western civilization would surely have sprouted elsewhere, but the planet would have been a paler place, a rainbow stripped of its most vibrant hues: Raphael’s luminous blue, Valentino’s luscious red, espresso’s inky black. More than a country, Italy embodies a culture that has transformed art and architecture, language and music, food and fashion.

Its borders contain more of UNESCO’s designated cultural treasures than any other nation. Its inhabitants created the first universities, banks, public libraries, and law and medical schools; mapped the moon (in 1651); split the atom; produced the first modern histories, satires, sonnets, and travelogues; invented the first working compass, battery, barometer, microscope, radio, and thermometer; garnered twenty Nobel Prizes; and bestowed upon the world the eternal gift of music.

Humanity, Mussolini bragged, is indebted to Italians “for the majority of its accomplishments.” For once, he wasn’t exaggerating.

Alone among nations, Italy has conquered the world—not once, not twice, but three times. The Roman Empire extended its might over territories spanning a quarter of the globe. Christianity, with Rome as its capital and Italy its cradle, planted the seeds of a religion that now counts 2.3 billion members—about one of every three people on the planet. The Italian Renaissance transformed art, architecture, and philosophy in an explosion of creativity that ushered in the modern age.

Italy has so profoundly permeated our collective unconscious that even if you have never set foot on its soil, you’ve touched and been touched by its heritage. Musicians everywhere play the do-re-mi notes invented by an Italian monk. Italian paintings, sculptures, and buildings adorn cities on every continent. Italy’s food, arguably everybody’s favorite, nourishes souls as well as bodies. Its wines soothe and stimulate. Its films, cars, and fashions transport us above the mundane and the mediocre. Leonardo’s Mona Lisaoutranks all other masterpieces as the world’s most famous painting. Ferrari’s Cavallino Rampante (Prancing Horse) outshines other brands as the most recognized logo.

But why Italy? How did a scrawny peninsula smaller than California, home to less than 1 percent of the world’s population, leave such an outsize imprint on Western culture?  What sparked endless innovations and inspired a multitude of masterpieces? Was it a miracle? Serendipity? Luck? Destiny?

After decades of up-close but admittedly unscientific observation, I credit la passione italiana. This fierce drive, three millennia in the making, stems from an insatiable hunger to explore, discover, create, pursue beauty, feel deeply, love and live with every fiber of one’s being. It blazes to life in the Sistine Chapel, surges through a Rossini aria, preens in Bulgari jewels[ Jon: or “on a Milan catwalk”], deepens a vintage Brunello, spices a tangy penne all’arrabbiata(pasta with an “angry” sauce seasoned with chile peppers).

Discover more Italian passions in LA PASSIONE: How Italy Seduced the World.  Dianne Hales is also the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World’s Most Enchanting Language and MONA LISA: A Life Discovered. For more information, visit diannehales.com.

 

 

 

The Red Moon in the Italian Language

La luna rossa

The red moon

“Che fai tu, luna, in ciel, dimmi, che fai?” the writer Giacomo Leopardi (1798 –1837) asked in one of his most famous poems. “What are you doing, moon, in the sky, tell me, what are you doing?”  On a frigid night in January, the answer was clear: La luna piena (the full moon) was putting on a dazzling celestial show.

Un’eclissi lunare totale (a total lunar eclipse) occurs only when the sun, earth and moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the earth in the middle. As the moon passes behind it, the earth blocks the sun's rays, and the moon disappears from the sky. In an eclissi parziale (partial eclipse), part of the moon remains illuminated.

The January eclipse, visible over North America, was un raro fenomeno ottico (a rare optical phenomenon) because it occurred during a "super" moon that appeared larger than usual from earth.  From our home on the California coast,  we watched as the moon faded into blackness. Ever so slowly, thanks to the refraction of the rays of the sun (la rifrazione dei raggi solari), a red moon (luna rossa, a classic Italian sight) emerged. 

In Italian as in English, “eclipse” doubles as a verb as well as a noun, and “eclissare” generally translates as “to obscure or outshine another person.” But Italians also use the verb reflexively with a different twist of meaning: “Mi eclisso,” for instance, means “I disappear” or “I vanish.”

La luna -- which can be nuova (new), crescente (waxing) or calante (waning) -- doesn’t just appear in the night sky. Someone with extravagant wishes may chiedere la luna (asks for the moon). Italians refer to a fetus as being ancora nel mondo della luna (still in the world of the moon, or not yet born).

Some folks are so absentminded or detached from reality that they seem to vivere nel mondo della luna (live in the world of the moon) while others are so cranky that they avere la luna storta (have the crooked moon). In these hard times more people find themselves struggling to sbarcare il lunario (make ends meet).

An Italian lunatico may be temperamental but isn’t necessarily as wacky as an English lunatic. But do watch out for anyone who tries to fare vedere la luna nel pozzo (make you see the moon in a well). He’s just stringing you along. And you certainly don’t want to end up doing as dogs often do during an eclipse: abbaiare alla luna (barking at the moon—or exerting yourself in vain).

Words and Expressions

Luna Rossa -- the name of the Italian sailing team that competes in international races such as the America’s Cup

Lunario –- almanac

Lunarista –- almanac maker, weather predictor

Luna park –- amusement park

Luna di miele –- honeymoon

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language, MONA LISA: A Life Discovered and the upcoming LA PASSIONE: How Italy Seduced the World. For more information, visit her new website: www.diannehales.com. 

An Italian Town's Secrets for Living A Hundred Years

Cent’anni! Cento di questi giorni!

A hundred years--and many more!

This is a common birthday greeting in Italy, but for the residents (abitanti) of Acciaroli on the Cilento coast about 85 miles south of Naples, it’s not just a wish. One in ten (uno su dieci) of its residents live to—and often beyond—one hundred years.

Walking around the seaside town (la città balneare) a few months ago, my husband and I noticed that many of the townspeople are old—very, very old (vecchie--molto molto vecchie). With sun-leathered skin, the men tend to have paunches (avere la pancia). Smoking is common. No one seems to jog or engage in any form of intensive exercise (in qualsiasi forma di attivita’ fisica intensa). Yet the rates (tassi) of heart disease, Alzheimer’s and age-related problems such as cataracts are low.

So how do these villagers manage to live so long in such good health? For the last few years medical scientists from Rome’s La Sapienza and the University of California, San Diego have  been studying the locals to identify the secrets of their longevity (i segreti della loro longevità). Some clues are in their blood (nel loro sangue). Many of Acciaroli’s seniors have low levels of a hormone called adrenomedullin, which helps prevent narrowing of the blood vessels (il restringimento dei vasi sanguigni) and its consequences. This benefit may come from their Mediterranean diet (la dieta mediterranea), with lots of fish, olive oil, fresh produce and wine.

Although many Italians follow this pattern, the Acciarolesi consume two particular items—anchovies (acciughe) and rosemary (rosmarino)—just about every day. Like other oily fish, anchovies are rich in antioxidants (antiossidanti), which help lower cholesterol (colesterolo), reduce inflammation (le infiammazioni) and slow down the aging process (l‘invecchiamento). Rosemary, which pops up as a garnish or condiment in most local recipes, may increase blood flow to the brain (il flusso di sangue al cervello), boosting concentration and memory.

Other anti-aging boons include a pristine environment (un ambiente incontaminato), with a refreshing sea breeze (brezza marina) and no sources of industrial pollution (inquinamento industriale). And even if there aren’t any gyms, residents walk everywhere (camminano ovunque), including up the steep hills and down to the beach. The pace of daily life is slow and sociable, with frequent gatherings to chat or sit in the sun. As one American researcher noted, “It’s a stress free life.” (È una vita senza lo stress.)

While most of us can’t replicate life in Acciaroli, we can apply some of its lessons for longer, healthier lives:

*Eliminate stress whenever and however you can. Set aside quiet times to decompress (momenti tranquilli per rilassarsi) during the day.

*Eat more fish, fruit and fresh vegetables (verdure fresche) and fewer processed foods.

*Use more olive oil (olio d’olivao) and less butter (burro).

*Be more active (più attivi).  Build some form of aerobic exercise—walking, biking, swimming—into your schedule.

*Connect with others. Share moments and meals with family or friends. Remember the Italian proverb: A tavola non si invecchia mai. One never gets old at the dining table.

Dianne Hales is the author of MONA LISA: A Life Discovered and LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language. 

Weighing and Measuring in the Italian Language

 

I pesi e le misure

Weights and Measures

When I weigh myself in Italy, even after third helpings of tiramisù, I look at the double digits indicating kilograms and feel magra (thin). Everywhere else, from the supermarket to the gas station, I’m stumped by Italians' ways of weighing.

Italy, like most of world, uses the sistema metrico decimale (decimal metric system), which is much simpler than that used in the paesi anglosassoni (Anglosaxon countries): You just multiply or divide by 10, 100, or 1000 -- which is much quicker than multiplying or dividing by 12 or by three. However, even a simpler system can be disorienting (disorientare, creare confusione) if you’re not familiar with it. 

Fruit and vegetables are sold in "chilogrammi" (kilograms) or simply "chili" (pronounced keel-ee). "Mi dia un chilo di mele per favore," you’d say. (Give me a chilo of apples.) A chilo is a little more than two libbre (pounds) and is divided into ten etti (one etto is about three ounces). If you want to buy some prosciutto, you would say, “Vorrei un etto (o due etti) di prosciutto.” (I’d like an etto—or two etti—of prosciutto.) 

A chilo is divided into a thousand grams or grammi, una misura piccolissima (a very tiny measure). If you go to a goldsmith’s (dall'orefice) to buy something, the weight dell’oro (of the gold) would be expressed in grammi. 

The basic measure di lunghezza (of distance) is il metro (the meter), which is a little more than a yard. A meter is divided by 100 centimeters. A thousand meters make un chilometro (a kilometer), which is used to indicate le distanze (the distances) -- say, between two cities. Un miglio (a mile) is about 1600 meters, more than one and a half a kilometer. Milan and Rome are about 600 chilometri or 380 miglia from each other.

L'altezza delle montagne (the height of mountains) also is expressed in metri. Monte Bianco (Mount Blanc), for instance, is alto 4900 metri e non 4 chilometri e 900 metri (4900 meters high -- not 4 kilometers and 900 meters). 

If you want to buy milk or gasoline, the measure to use is il litro (the liter). It takes 3,78 litri to make a gallon. (Attention: Italian uses la virgola--the comma-- in numbers where the United States uses il punto—the period.) With gas, it’s easy to get around this problem in two different ways: You can ask for “il pieno” (a full tank) or you can buy whatever quantity corresponds to the amount of money you want to spend. For instance, you might ask for 20 euro di benzina (20 euro worth of gasoline). 

You may be tempted to try, as I have,  to translate the unknown measurements into familiar ones. A better option: imparare le misure del luogo (learning the measures of the place). If you do, you will feel a sense of satisfaction that is fuor di misura (beyond measure). 

Words and Expressions 

Vendere a peso -- to sell by weight 

Vendere a peso d’oro -- to sell by the weight of gold or at a high figure 

Il peso degli anni -- the weight of the years 

Avere due pesi e due misure --  to have two weights and two measures, to be unfair 

Peso morto -- dead weight

Dianne Hales is the author of MONA LISA: A Life Discovered and the New York Times best-selling La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

However many kilometers or miles you travel every day, here is a song to keep you company along the way:

The Italian Language in Outer Space

accometare

to land on a comet

Last week a small landing craft (un piccolo lander) boldly ventured where no manmade creation had ever gone before. After a ten-year journey (un viaggio di dieci anni) millions of miles from earth, “Philaen,” created by the European Space Agency, landed on a comet (una cometa) zooming toward the sun.

Italians, who have been at the forefront of the international Rosetta Mission, coined a new word for the feat: accometare—far more precise than the alighting on land (atterrare) of a mere airplane. Italian's space-specific vocabolario (vocabulary) already includes the lilting words allunaggio for moon landing and tuta spaziale for spacesuit.

“Anche l’Italia sbarca sulla cometa” (Italy also disembarks on the comet), declared a headline in La Repubblica, noting that, through l'Agenzia spaziale italiana (the Italian space agency), university ricercatori (researchers) and the strumenti scientifici a bordo (the scientific instruments on board), Italy had made un contributo fondamentale alla riuscita della storica impresa (a fundamental contribution to the success of the historic enterprise).

For everyone involved in the project, Philean's complicated, nerve-wracking touchdown turned into “sette ore di terrore” (seven hours of terror). The small device--grande come una lavatrice, ma più intelligente (as big as a washing machine but more intelligent)—bounced several times on the surface of Comet 67P before settling into place.

With Philean’s first transmission, the centro di controllo missione (mission control center) erupted into lungo applauso (long applause). “Sorrisi, abbracci, e qualche lacrima” (smiles, hugs and some tears), a journalist reported.

Philean and the mission specialists communicated via tweets "in un dialogo personale, emotivo e divertente" (a personal, expressive and entertaining dialogue) -- described in the Italian press as un nuovo modo per rendere più accessibile e comprensibile l'ultima fase di una lunga e complessa operazione scientifica (a new way of rendering more accessible and comprehensible the last phase of a long and complex scientific operation).

Here is part of the cambio (exchange):

    "Pronta a saltare?" (Ready to take off?)

    "Separazione confermata!" (Separation confirmed!)

    “Arrivano persino gli auguri del capitano Kirk di Star Trek, ovvero l'attore canadese William Shatner.” (The best wishes of Captain Kirk of Star Trek, or rather the Canadian actor William Shatner, also are coming.)

    After a long wait for a transmission: "Ciao Terra, bello tornare in contatto.” (Hello Earth, how nice to be in contact again!)

    “Mi sgranchisco un po' le gambe dopo oltre 10 anni..." (I’m stretching my legs a bit after ten years…)

    As the lander approached the comet: "Wow! Mi pare di galleggiare... 67P sempre più vicina" (I seem to be floating…67P is always closer)

    “Accometato! Ecco il mio nuovo indirizzo: 67P” (Landed on the comet! Here is my new address: 67P!)

    “Tocco una cometa e mi sento bene!" (I touch a comet, and I feel great!)

Words and Expressions

"Houston, abbiamo un problema” -- “Houston, we have a problem"

assenza di gravità –- lack of gravity

lontano anni-luce –- light years away

conto alla rovescia -– countdown

Dianne Hales is the author of MONA LISA: A Life Discovered and LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.