The merenda tradition is something that people do throughout Italy and it involves food. Merenda is a small mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon snack that younger kids usually consume. The type and quantity of food varies from north to south. Where does it come from? Merenda comes from the Latin ‘’merere’’, that means ‘’to deserve’’, so it would be something that you deserve after having done something, for example, after kids had done their homework. The...

What is World Pizza Day? On January 17th, Italians celebrate World Pizza Day, ”La Giornata Mondiale della Pizza”. The day was chosen because it’s the same day Sant’Antonio Abate is celebrated, the saint protector of all bakers and pizza makers (”pizzaioli” in Italian). In the past families who owned pizza restaurants and bakers, used to shut their businesses for the day and get together to light a big fire to celebrate the saint. Nowadays, businesses work even harder to...

Welcome to another italianando blog! Talking about fruit today, la frutta! Check out the podcast too to hear the pronunciation. In Italy there are a lot of farmers who own land and have their own little business, so when they have a lot of produce they will go out around the town or village selling what they’re produced. This is a great way to buy fresh and organic fruit and vegetables and support a local family with their business. In this post we will be looking at...

Buongiorno bellissima gente, how are you enjoying this summer? Even though I know it’s almost finished. Today we’ll be talking about some Italian language vocabulary – what do you say when you’re at the airport? I went to Italy recently to visit my family and things just felt a little different travelling during these strange times. Actually a lot more organised than usual but what you say at an airport surely hasn’t changed, so that’s good news. Find out the most common...

Italy is a country rich in traditions that vary from north to south, region to region. Traditions might be the same but celebrated in different ways depending on the places. If you’ve ever visited Italy you might have heard about the ”sagre”, local celebrations and festivals that involve food that take place throughout the year, and during the summer they might even take place every weekend. Every town or village has its own sagre, and every single one of them is...

This is a typical Italian tradition and it’s a pre-meal drink and snack between 6 pm and 9 pm. If you walk in an Italian bar around that time you will most definitely see people in groups chatting and laughing, having a drink and some nibbles, which always come free!! These type of snacks are called stuzzichini and they can be a variety of things, sometimes you get so many they could be eaten in place of dinner. Can you imagine going to Wetherspoons, ordering a beer and getting free...

Italy is well known for its beautiful landscapes and beaches. From north to south there are so many stunning places to visit during your stay. Going on holiday in 2020 sounds a little bit tricky I know… But that doesn’t stop me to take you on a digital journey across the country and show you some secret beaches that you can add to your list when you next visit! So you can plan your stay. So… where are these beaches? You might know about some already… like Amalfi,...

We’re back with another coffee blog today! Coffee culture in Italy is so vast there is always a lot to talk about especially if you look at different regions. Everyone has a different coffee tradition. Today I want to explain what a caffè sospeso is. In English this means ”suspended or pending coffee”; it’s a cup of coffee paid in advance by the person before you as an act of kindness.  This tradition was born in Naples and there are two theories: The first one...

Welcome back to another blog post. Today we will talk about some of the ways you can introduce yourself in Italian, both formal and informal. Make sure to check out the podcast episode above too to hear the exact pronunciation and context! 🎤👆 On to the post! There are different ways of introducing yourself in Italian, depending on who you’re speaking to, where you’re going and who you’re with. And because Italian has a different form when using the formal way, it becomes...

We all know coffee in Italy is a big deal. Espresso is essential to Italians like tea is for the English I’d say. Most Italians homes have a coffee maker, a Moka, which you better clean as soon as you’re done with it otherwise it’s impossible to do so later on 😂  Espresso is taken in the mornings and most of the time, after lunch. I remember during our family lunches someone at the end would always ask ‘’Chi vuole un caffè?’’ (who wants a coffee?) and not a single person used...

The Italian word ‘proverbio’ comes from the Latin ‘proverbium’ which means, indeed, ‘word’. In Italian, as in all other languages, there are a lot, also depending on the region and the particular dialect they speak.  Let’s have a look at some of the most unusual ones and explain their meaning and origin. Le calende greche This expression is attributed to the Roman Emperor, Augustus when he used to refer to a payment that wasn’t going to take place. ‘Calende’ refers...

Ciao! 😁 Benvenuto su italianando where we will be talking all about Italy and Italian.. the language, the people, the traditions and so much more. I’m Italian myself and I’ll be taking you on a discovery journey, posting blogs, videos and podcasts! Sharing the coolest information and Italy’s behind the scenes if I can say so. I was born and raised in Italy but I never truly appreciated where I came from and my Italian roots until I moved away for university....