Le parole italiane

sport

Alessandro del Piero

Born in 1974, del Piero plays for Juventus in Turin, in the north of Italy.Del Piero holds the goal-scoring record at Juventus, where he has scored 188 goals. He also has 91 caps for the Italian national team.

Francesco Totti

Totti was born in Rome in 1976 and has played for Roma since he was in the youth team there as a teenager. He is fiercely proud of his home city and says he will never leave. He has appeared for Italy 58 times.

arte e

musica

Luciano PavarottiProbably the most famous tenor of all time, Pavarotti was born in 1935. His greatest commercial success was ‘Nessun Dorma’ which he performed for the 1990 World Cup which was held in Italy.He died in 2007, aged 71.

Botticelli

Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) was a famous painter during the Renaissance period. His most famous painting is ‘The Birth of Venus’ which can be seen in the Uffizi gallery in Florence.

Leonardo da VinciLeonardo (1452-1519) was born in the village of Vinci in Tuscany. He is probably most famous for the Mona Lisa (La Gioconda). However, as well as painting da Vinci was also a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, sculptor, architect, musician and writer!

Michelangelo

Michelangelo (1475-1564) is another famous artist from the Renaissance period. He created a number of famous pieces, including the sculpture of David, and some of the most famous frescos (another Italian word!) in the history of art.

Madonna

However, Madonna is also the Italian term for the Virgin Mary.

Madonna Ciccone (of Italian origin) is the famous American singer.

Andrea BocelliBocelli is a famous Italian tenor who has appeared in concerts all around the world. He was born with problems with his sight, and became completely blind aged 12, after an accident when playing football.

vivace‘vivace’ literally means quick or lively.It is used as a musical term to indicate that a piece of music should be played in a lively mood.

operaThe art form of opera began in Italy at the end of the 16th century. Many famous works of opera were written in Italian, by composers such as Mozart, Puccini and Verdi.

soprano

The soprano is usually the highest range of female voice(s) in an opera or choral piece.

cibo

lasagneA dish from the Emilia-Romagna area of Northern Italy, lasagne usually consists of layers of pasta with meat sauce (known as ragù in Italian), tomato sauce, bechamel sauce and mozzarella.

gelatoThis famous dessert is thought to have originated in Sicily, an island in the south of Italy.

pasta

There are approximately 350 different shapes of pasta and each area of Italy has its own specialities.

macaroni

Correctly spelt maccheroni in Italian, these are a different shape in Italy to the small tubes we have here. Also, macaroni cheese is very much a British invention - I’ve never met an Italian who has heard of it!

spaghetti

Long, thin strips of pasta which are eaten all over Italy. The famous spaghetti bolognese is known as spaghetti con ragù in Italian and is from Bologna (hence the English name!).

pizza

It is thought (although often debated) that pizza originated in Naples, in Southern Italy.

paninoThe word panini which we now use to mean a toasted sandwich in English just means filled rolls. In Italy you would ask for a panino.

bevande

Chianti

Probably the most famous Italian wine, this red wine is produced in Tuscany to the south of Florence.

Asti Spumante

An Italian (cheaper) version of French champagne which Italians drink at celebrations - New Year, weddings, etc.Asti is town in the North of Italy where this wine is produced.

Amaretto

A sweet almond liqueur, most famous here for its use in cakes and desserts.

cappuccino

An espresso topped with frothy milk, and occasionally chocolate powder. The cappuccino is said to be named after the white hood (cappuccio) on the robes of monks. Be warned - if you just ask for a caffé in Italy you will be given an espresso!

cinema

Roberto Benigni

A famous actor and director from Tuscany, Benigni’s most famous film is La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful), which won him 3 Academy Awards.

Sofia Loren

Sofia Loren was one of the most famous Italian actresses in the 1950s and 1960s.

moda

GucciFounded by Guccio Gucci (yes, really) in 1921, Gucci is now one of the most famous Italian fashion brands.

Dolce e Gabbana

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana started their famous fashion label in 1985.

Gianni VersaceOne of the most influential designers of the 80s and 90s, Gianni was killed in 1997. Versace is now run by his sister Donatella.

Giorgio ArmaniNow 74, Armani has built a fashion empire now worth an estimated 1.69 billion dollars.

turismo

Pisa

Pisa is a town near the Tuscan coast. It is most famous for the Piazza dei Miracoli where you’ll find the famous Torre pendente (leaning tower).

VaticanoThe Vatican is actually a separate state within a walled enclave in Rome. It is the headquarters of the Catholic church and official documents are issued mainly in Latin.

RomaLa città eterna was founded in 753 BC. As Italy’s capital city, Rome now has a population of approximately 2.7 million.

VeneziaVenice is made up of 118 islands spread across a lagoon. In recent times, Venice has suffered from a number of floods and experts agree that the city is actually sinking.

trasporto

Alfa Romeo

This famous car manufacturer was founded in Milan in 1910. Among other things, Alfa provide all of the cars to Italy’s carabinieri or police force.

FerrariFounded by Enzo Ferrari in the 1920s, Ferrari are now as famous for their Formula 1 successes as they are for their luxury sports cars.

gondola

A traditional Venetian rowing boat, gondolas were originally a form of public transport. The are now used more frequently as a luxury treat by tourists.