I studied Italian at school and at university and lived in Rome for nearly 5 years. I have started up an Italian school and have been considering some interesting ways to teach the Italian language. I listed the top 5 things I love about Italy and came up with:
- Amazing Food
- Stunning Landscape
- Romantic Language
- Friendly People
- Beautiful Art and Architecture
So I thought - what about teaching Italian through love and awareness of these wonderful aspects of Italy? Lesson 3 looks at the romantic nature of Italy, instantly obvious when visiting places such as fairy-tale Venezia (Venice) and beautiful Verona where people flock to La casa di Giulietta (Juliet’s house), made famous from Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. And at the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi fountain) in Roma, legend has it that if you throw one coin it means you'll return to Rome; throw two coins, you'll return to Rome and fall in love with an Italian; throw three coins, you'll return, find love, and marry an Italian!
It has become popular for i giovani innamorati (young lovers) of Rome to hang i lucchetti (padlocks) on bridges to represent their everlasting amore (love). This tradition came about following a well-known romantic book written by Federico Moccia, which tells of a love story set in Rome. In fact, there are many books and films and songs about love in Italian, and here’s an introduction to the vocabulary so you can understand or even experiment yourself when visiting romantic Italy...
Frasi d’amore: Love phrases
Ti voglio bene: (TVB): I love you (used with family and friends, expresses affection you feel for them, like ‘I wish all the best for you’)
Ti amo: I love you (in a romantic way)
Ti adoro: I adore you
Amore mio: My love
Sono innamorato/a: I am in love (masculine / feminine)
Sei la mia anima gemella: You are my soul mate
Baciami: Kiss me
Mi manchi: I miss you
That’s all for now, good luck with your storia d’amore (love story)!
Alesha Keene is an Oxford graduate of Italian who is now back in London after years spent living and working in Rome as a language teacher and PR consultant. Alesha is CEO and Italian teacher at Alesha’s Italian Masterclass, which runs Italian immersion courses at authentic Italian café’ in Borough Market (London Bridge). You can contact her at italianmasterclass@hotmail.com or through Facebook or Twitter. Her website it www.italianmasterclass.co.uk.
