Articles by porticando

When digital decorum flew out the window late last year at the stateliest museum in Florence, Eike Schmidt took it upon himself to write a “rules of g…
In English, as in most languages, when we want to express a request, extend an invitation or even give a direct command, we rely on the imperative: “…
Across most countries where Christmas is widely celebrated — including and especially Italy — the holiday season is often synonymous with riunioni di…
Late last month, the office of Giorgia Meloni, the new President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, issued a circular stating that she should be ad…
Italian verbs and all their multiple forms may be a real challenge for Italian language learners, but as we have already seen, their conjugation alway…
Visitors to Italy are often won over by leisurely trattoria lunches, dinners a casa (at home) with new friends, or long and winding conversations…
Many Italian learners, even those who consider themselves fairly fluent, confess that they still struggle when trying to talk like native speakers. In…
Going back to work after summer holidays is not always a pleasant experience, to say the least, but it can be especially traumatic if you’re Italian!…
When learning a new language, beginners often apply the rules of their mother tongue to the foreign one they’re exploring, and that’s where most mista…
In a perfect world, vacation would always be relaxing and everything would go as smoothly as possible. But reality doesn’t always line up with dolce v…
If the last couple of years are any indication, most of us take good health for granted until true emergencies arise. And not knowing how to explain a…
Italy is traditionally associated with a mild Mediterranean climate, warmth and “soft” sunshine. But let’s face it: at the peak of summer, sometimes t…
In previous articles, we’ve introduced you to the concept of il congiuntivo presente, an essential part of Italian grammar if you want to speak like a…
All-inclusive trips can be enjoyable, but nothing can beat the sensation of freedom when planning your own journey! Italy is a perfect place to be a l…
Like in any other language, there’s a group of frequently used verbs in Italian. The verb “fare” (to do, to make) is undoubtedly one of them…
All advanced Italian language learners arrive at some point at the dreaded moment of facing the Italian Congiuntivo for the first time. But what is co…
Language is a perfect instrument made to express ideas, actions and, of course, emotions. Italian, seen as the language of love, art and passion, has…
We all love to shop while on holiday but we dare say that browsing local wares in Italy is truly special. How can you make the most of this experience…
When you hear Italians speaking, you may have probably noticed them using quite frequently such a word as così. This word, pronounced as [co-zee] with…
Many of you may have certainly experienced that having a discussion with someone in a foreign language can be sometimes very arduous and frustrating i…