At the Countryside

| Fri, 07/26/2019 - 02:15
At the Countryside

Many of us head to the Italian seaside in the summer, but the Italian countryside is just as beautiful. There are beautiful mountains, hills, valleys and lakes all to be seen. You could stay in a country villa with a private pool. Or what about an agriturismo? An agriturismo is a type of farm that produces wine or food and has rooms for guests to stay in. You may have the opportunity to visit small hill towns and maybe see a local festival. What’s not to like?!

 

Let’s look at some vocabulary that might come in handy on your next trip to the Italian countryside:

 

La campagna – countryside

La montagna – mountain

La collina – hill

La valle – valley

Il bosco – woods

La foresta –forest

Il campo – field, meadow

Il sentiero – the path

La fattoria – the farm

La natura - nature

Il raccolto – harvest

La vendemmia – grape harvest

 

There are many country festivals taking place all year long in the countryside. A country festival is called ‘una sagra’ or ‘una festa di paese’. There is la sagra del pesce (fish festival), la sagra del cinghiale (wild boar festival), la sagra della polenta (polenta festival), la sagra del gorgonzola (gorgonzola festival), la sagra del Pomodoro (tomato festival), la sagra della patata (potato festival) and la sagra della nocciola (hazelnut festival) to name just a few!

 

Other activities in the countryside include:

 

Andare a cavallo – horse riding

Nuotare in piscina – to swim in the pool

Fare una passeggiata – to go for a walk

Fare trekking – to hike

Raccogliere la frutta dagli alberi – to go fruit picking

Fare un picnic – To have a picnic

Andare in bicicletta – to go for a bike ride

Degustazione di vini – wine tasting

Degustazione di prodotti tipici – local food tasting

Fare una griglia / fare un barbecue – to have a bbq

Fare un’escursione / fare una gita – to go on a day trip

Fare arrampicata – to go climbing

Andare in barca – to go on a boat

Andare in canoa – to go canoeing 

Fare canotaggio – to go rowing

Guardare le stelle – to look at the stars / stargazing

Dormire in amaca – to sleep in a hammock

 

In English we say going TO the countryside but in Italian we say going IN the countryside: andare in campagna. 

 

And finally, one of the best things to do in the Italian countryside is relax. In Italian there are two verbs which mean to rest and to relax. They are both reflexive verbs:

 

Rilassarsi

Io mi rilasso – I rest / relax

Tu ti rilassi – You rest / relax

Lui /  lei si rilassa – He / she rests / relaxes

Noi ci rilassiamo – We rest / relax

Voi vi rilassate – You (plural) rest / relax

Loro si rilassano – They rest / relax 

 

Riposarsi 

Io mi riposo – I rest / relax

Tu ti riposi – You rest / relax

Lui / lei si riposa – He / she rests / relaxes

Noi ci riposiamo – We rest / relax

Voi vi riposate – You (plural) rest / relax

Loro si riposono – They rest / relax