ISTITUTO EUROPEO FIRENZE

LA PUBBLICITA' CHE HA COSTRUITO LA LINGUA ITALIANA: BRILLANTINA LINETTI!

2012-01-26T07:28:00.001-06:00

BRILLANTINA LINETTI: "Anch’io ho commesso un errore. Non ho mai usato la brillantina LINETTI"

Più che un tormentone! un mito della pubblicità italiana, che tuttora perdura nella lingua italiana. Pubblicità e ripresa da Totò nei suoi film.

Incarnata da Cesare Polacco dal 1957 al 1968, che divenne famoso proprio grazie a questa sua interpretazione e gestualità ossessiva: si toglieva con studiata lentezza il cappello e rispondeva "Non è esatto! Anch'io ho commesso un errore, non ho mai usato la brillantina Linetti" (era quasi calvo). E ogni volta il pubblico televisivo invariabilmente attendeva le immancabili battute finali!

GRANDE CINEMA ALL' ISTITUTO EUROPEO: "Quo Vadis Baby" di Gabriele Salvatores Mercoledì 25 gennaio ore 14 (www.istitutoeuropeo.it)

2012-01-24T05:22:00.001-06:00

LA PUBBLICITA' CHE HA COSTRUITO LA LINGUA ITALIANA: OLIO SASSO LA PANCIA NON C'E' PIU'

2012-01-23T04:36:00.002-06:00

OLIO SASSO LA PANCIA NON C'E' PIU' era una pubblicità, un tormentone trasmesso dal 1965 al 1976. Girata in modo molto neorealista con la luce da sogno pasoliniano con uno stile naif e con la colf di colore che parla in venxiano.
Per un'Italia neorealista e sull'onda del boom economico era lo stile giusto.

Etta James, la fiera nunca domada (In memoriam)

2012-01-22T07:26:00.000-06:00

EL PAIS

Sábado 21 de Enero de 2012

Diego A. Manrique

Activa desde 1954, la cantante mantuvo su dignidad hasta el final, en una carrera que incluyó blues, jazz y soul. Murió en California víctima de una leucemia

Etta James, que falleció hoy en el hospital Riverside Community de California, por culpa de complicaciones en la leucemia que padecía, por era la proverbial dama de armas tomar. En 2009,arremetía contra Barack Obama, que prefirió llamar a Beyoncé Knowles para las celebraciones de su toma de posesión en Washington. El presidente y su esposa bailaron acaramelados con At last, uno de los grandes éxitos de Etta,pero cantado por Beyoncé.

Otra suplantación más, que dolía por venir de quién se suponía lo bastante sensible para evitar esos deslices. Llovía sobre mojado, dado que Etta James había sido encarnada por Beyoncé en la películaCadillac Records, un retrato de la discográfica Chess que se tomaba muchas libertades con la historia real deEtta. Su indignación resultaba comprensible: Beyoncé, el modelo fashion de feminidad negra, se llevaba toda la atención mientras ella, la original,solo podía actuar en locales modestos.

Y es que EttaJames siguió trabajando hasta que su cuerpo dijo basta, debilitado por la leucemia y el alzheimer. En noviembre, Verve/Universal publicó The dreamer,un disco de soul sorprendentemente robusto, y no digamos para tratarse de una cantante de 73 años. La jubilación nunca fue una opción para artistas como Etta James, que no componían y que no recibieron suficiente compensación de muchas de las discográficas que contaron con sus servicios.

Paradigma delas glorias y miserias de la música negra, Jamesetta Hawkins nació en LosÁngeles en 1938. Nunca conoció a su padre, posiblemente blanco (ellasospechaba que pudo ser Minnesota Fats, un maestro del billar inmortalizado enla película El buscavidas). Educada musicalmente en la iglesia baptista,era menor de edad cuando llamó la atención de Johnny Otis, otro extraordinariobuscavidas, que la lanzó con una canción lujuriosa, Roll with me Henry,púdicamente rebautizada en la galleta del disco como The wallflower.

Tuvo más éxitos considerables durante la segunda mitad de los años cincuenta pero su visibilidad aumentó en 1960, cuando fichó para el sello Chess, en Chicago.Leonard Chess la vio como vocalista de amplio espectro y la hizo grabar desde baladas empapadas de violines (Trust in me o la citada At last)hasta sesiones de jazz, aparte de un incendiario directo, Etta James rocksthe house. Con la eclosión del soul a mediados de los sesenta, Ettapudo sacar al aire todos sus recursos de mujer brava y lenguaraz. Fascinó al gran público con Tell mama y la doloridaI’d rather go blind,ambas grabadas en 1967 con los músicos blancos de Muscle Shoals, en Alabama.

Todo setorció poco después. La muerte de Leonard Chess provocó la decadencia de su compañía, incapaz de proporcionar el impulso que necesitaba Etta. Aún peor:ella, que había flirteado con muchas drogas, se convirtió en heroinómana. Los años, las décadas, se fundieron en un vertiginoso carrusel de malas compañías,detenciones, condenas, intentos de desintoxicación. Aunque también hubo discos con admiradores como el productor Jerry Wexler, responsable del potenteDeepin the night.

Pudo equivocarse a la hora de escoger amantes pero Etta nunca desperdició sus poderes: durante su época dura, el redactor de estas líneas acudió a verla a un pequeño restaurante del downtown de Los Ángeles. En un escenario mínimo,con una banda elemental, dio cumplida cuenta de sus clásicos…y desapareció nada más cobrar, a pesar de que había accedido a una entrevista.

Con la ayuda del experto David Ritz, explicó sus altibajos vitales en una descarnada autobiografía, Rage to survive: the Etta James story (1995) . Se podía permitir la sinceridad ya que su carrera se volvió a enderezar a finales de los ochenta. No pudo tomar el puesto de Janis Joplin, como fantaseaban algunos productores, pero facturó discos espléndidos en Island y Private Music.Solucionó elegantemente caprichos -o encargos- como Mistery lady,colección de piezas identificadas con Billie Holiday, yChristmas,canciones navideñas.

La reedición de su material clásico, en antologías del calibre de R & B dynamite oThe Chess box, ayudó a situarla históricamente. Había en ella un descaro natural, que explica tanto sus andanadas contra Obama y Beyoncé, como las audacias en su repertorio. Para consternación de sus doctores, su reciente disco contenía odas al alcohol y al tabaco, aparte de una insospechada versión de Welcome to the jungle, de Guns ‘N’ Roses.

http://cultura.elpais.com/cultura/2012/01/20/actualidad/1327078925_479708.html

Grande Cinema Italiano all'ISTITUTO EUROPEO: IL GRANDE SOGNO di Michele Placido

2012-01-16T05:33:00.000-06:00

Il grande sogno
Un film di Michele Placido. Con Riccardo Scamarcio, Jasmine Trinca, Luca Argentero, Massimo Popolizio, Alessandra Acciai. GENERE: Drammatico, DURATA:101 min ANNO DI PRODUZIONE 2009

Nicola è un giovane poliziotto che ama il teatro e vorrebbe diventare attore. Laura è una studentessa universitaria di matrice cattolica pronta a lottare contro l'ingiustizia. Libero è un leader del movimento studentesco. Gli anni sono quelli che precedono, attraversano e seguono il 1968 e i suoi rivolgimenti. Nicola, infiltrato dai suoi superiori nel movimento, si innamorerà di Laura e cercherà anche di comprendere un mondo che gli è al contempo congeniale e lontano.
Michele Placido decide di raccontare se stesso e la sua gioventù. Lo fa cercando di descrivere mondi differenti che si incontrano/scontrano in un periodo di fermenti sociali e culturali.

Anche se i paragoni sono sempre azzardati non si può non pensare a La meglio gioventù di Marco Tullio Giordana in cui, quasi rileggendo uno degli slogan dell'epoca, il privato si faceva politico e viceversa. Qui è come se ci fossero due film in uno. L'uno narra delle vicende amorose di Nicola, Laura e Libero e l'altro delinea un ritratto di quegli anni esplorato con uno sguardo forse inconsciamente unilaterale. Uno sguardo che, e in questo Placido è scopertamente sincero, è ancora quello del poliziotto Michele che osserva, senza davvero comprenderlo fino in fondo, un tentativo di cambiare il mondo per lui tanto confuso quanto in fondo velleitario perché dai sogni ci si risveglia. In giorni poi di rinnovata polemica sul ‘cattocomunismo' il personaggio di Laura (che resta positivo nonostante le sue contraddizioni e ha una matrice cattolico progressista) finisce col far nascere quesiti sul ‘chi produce cosa' nel nostro sempre più complicato Paese

(da Mymovies.it)

Il film della settimana all' ISTITUTO EUROPEO: Oggi Sposi - giovedì 12 dicembre ore 14

2012-01-10T03:49:00.001-06:00

Oggi Sposi (2009)
Un film di Luca Lucini. Con Luca Argentero, Moran Atias, Michele Placido, Dario Bandiera, Isabella Ragonese… GENERE: commedia Durata: 118 min.

La storia: nel medesimo periodo e nella medesima città ci sono quattro coppie che si devono sposare. Prima coppia: degli squattrinati che per non rivelare la loro indigenza ai parenti meridionali imbucheranno settantadue invitati al gigantesco e coattissimo matrimonio tra il mago della finanza, connesso con la mafia, e la giovane stellina televisiva (seconda coppia)

Terza coppia: una coppia multietnica composta dalla figlia dell'ambasciatore indiano e il pugliese di origini contadine che lavora nel commissariato in cui un PM tutto casa e lavoro si innamora della giovane promessa sposa di suo padre (quarta coppia)
E’ una commedia brillante e divertente. Un prodotto industriale semplice ma godibile. Un film stupido ma che rende la vita più brillante perché provoca stupore ed estraniazione dai problemi. Di-verte in senso pascaliano del termine.

118 minuti passati in allegria.

THE FEMALE FACTOR Growing Beyond the Fields

2012-01-04T08:17:00.000-06:00

Claudio Palmisano for the International Herald Tribune January 4, 2012

The three generations of farmers on La Mia Terra farm, from left: Tiziana Lauretti, Fia Maria, her grandmother, and Iolanda Di Girolamo, her mother. As small farms struggle in Italy, some women are stepping in with creative survival tactics like agricultural tourism, farmers’ markets, organic farming.

PONTINIA, ITALY — On her tiny farm in a former marshland reclaimed under Mussolini, Tiziana Lauretti grows plums and favetta di Terracina, the bright red, sweet strawberry celebrated in this patch of central Italy.

But oscillating demand for her crops and volatile food prices have pushed Ms. Lauretti to adopt the survival tactics typical of many small farms in Europe.

These days, visitors to this family owned homestead can gawk at a motley crew of farm animals, as well as two tetchy peacocks, the most recent addition to the menagerie, or buy homemade prune or strawberry jam. During the school year, she said, classrooms of children “who have never seen an egg outside of a supermarket” get their hands covered with flour while baking pizza in a small wood-burning oven on the farm, which covers just three hectares, or about seven acres.

If Ms. Lauretti’s experience is typical of small farmers scrabbling to make a living in an increasingly globalized economy, it is also typical in another way: Women, who manage one-third of Italian farms, have been particularly open to branching out the core business, what operators call multifunctional agriculture.

“I couldn’t make a living only by selling strawberries and plums,” Ms. Lauretti said. “Either you have a large farm, or you diversify, like we did.”

Andrea Segrè, dean of the faculty of agriculture at the University of Bologna, said women were finding “lots of space” in multifunctional areas like agricultural tourism, farmers’ markets, organic farming and direct sales.

And agriculture schools across Italy have seen an increase in enrollment, particularly among women, he said. “The agriculture of the future is very much female, as it has always been,” he said. Preliminary 2010 census data, issued in July, showed that the number of Italian farms had decreased by 32.2 percent in the previous decade, but fewer women than men had decided to throw in the towel.

The Italian experience is by no means unique, but the female farm work force is significantly higher here than elsewhere in Western Europe. In the most recent Eurostat figures available, from 2007, Italy had a female farm labor force of 1.3 million, well ahead of comparably sized European Union nations like France and Germany, neither of which reached even 340,000.

Even another traditionally agricultural country like Spain only had 660,000 female workers, half those of Italy. And for all these countries, the profile was similar for women who manage farms.

Mara Longhin, president of Donne in Campo, or Women in the Field, part of the Italian Farmers’ Confederation, said women “are way ahead of the curve” in diversifying, noting that most small farms cannot sustain themselves through crops or livestock.

The involvement of women in multifunctional agriculture has helped society in important ways “like food security, rural development and the safeguarding of the natural landscape,” she said. Increasingly in Italy, too, farms have begun to offer day-care services in rural areas “where there isn’t a lot of support for working mothers,” said Ms. Longhin, who runs a dairy farm in Campagna Lupia, near Venice.

Silvia Bosco, who follows women’s issues for Coldiretti, another farmers’ confederation, said government support for women in business was “practically nonexistent.”

“There’s a lot of talk about equal opportunity,” she said. “but in practice it is limited.”

Women are vastly underrepresented at a political and institutional level, added Susanna Cenni, a member of the Democratic Party who sits on the agricultural committee of the lower house of Parliament.

“There is an enormous distance between the reality of women working in agriculture and their representation” in government or boardrooms or research and economic institutes, “even if they are competent,” she said. “Unfortunately, politics count, and in politics, men are the first pick.”

Agriculture Minister Mario Catania said in an interview that the economic crisis had sharply diminished public spending, meaning that “there are no resources to put on the table” for female farmers. In any case, Mr. Catania said, earmarking money according to sex is “not simple to enact.” Italy would do better, he said, to improve family services like day care to help more women join the work force.

Not all the farms run by women are mom-and-pop operations, of course. In various sectors, like cheese-making and especially wine, “there are many names that count,” said Veronica Navarra, president of the Italian Observatory for Female Enterprise and Labor in Agriculture, a government-run organization.

“The world of agriculture in Italy used to be very male-oriented, but now there’s been a reversal,” she said, thanks in part to a few institutional and grass-root networks that offer both financial and moral support to women.

Gaetana Jacono is the sixth-generation descendant — but first woman — to manage Valle dell’Acate, a 100-hectare Sicilian wine estate that produces about 400,000 bottles a year. The business now exports 70 percent of its production, thanks to Ms. Jacono’s foresight. She said that in Sicily, the top-selling women wine makers, of which there are several, “are tight” and often travel together.

“We have great respect for each other’s work, I think more than men do,” she said. “Women can work together, we have this in Sicily and it only gets stronger as time goes on,” she said, adding that discrimination, “which certainly exists,” had been a strong bonding agent.

Such hurdles include trying to get credit. In June, Ms. Lauretti inaugurated a homey five-room bed-and-breakfast here, crafted from a hulking barn that once housed 20 dairy cows. But before she could get a loan to do the work, she said, her husband, who works for the state railroad, had to offer a guarantee, “even though I owned the land and the house.”

She is the third generation to take over the farmstead, just a short drive from Sabaudia, a popular beach midway between Rome and Naples. Her grandmother, Maria Fia, now 91, still shuffles through the farmyard with the help of a cane.

Ms. Lauretti’s 16-year-old daughter, Giulia, is studying for a pedagogical high school diploma so she can open a day-care center on the farm when she graduates, “even though there’s a lot of bureaucracy involved in that,” Ms. Lauretti said.

And she is still unsure that the gamble will pay off. “It’s taken a lot of money, and a lot of hard work,” Ms. Lauretti said.

Her mother and co-farmhand, Iolanda Di Girolamo, echoed that sentiment: “Sacrifices, many, many sacrifices.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/world/europe/growing-beyond-the-fields.html?pagewanted=all

TRABAJO: Nomen Omen

2011-12-12T09:20:00.000-06:00

Si el trabajo es para usted una tortura, sepa que se trata de un concepto tan antiguo como el propio origen de la palabra, que no proviene del latín labor, que nos dio 'labor', 'laborable' y 'laboratorio', sino de tripalium, que era el nombre de un temible instrumento de tortura.

Tripalium 'tres palos' es un vocablo del bajo latín del siglo VI de nuestra era, época en la cual los reos eran atados a un artefacto de ese nombre, una especie de cepo formado por tres maderos cruzados donde quedaban inmovilizados mientras se les azotaba.

De tripalium derivó inicialmente tripaliare 'torturar' y, posteriormente, trebajo 'esfuerzo', 'sufrimiento', 'sacrificio'.

1 Trebajo evolucionó hacia trabajo, vinculándose poco a poco con la idea de 'labor'. Lo mismo ocurrió en francés, lengua en la cual tripalium derivó en travail 'trabajo', vocablo al que los ingleses dieron la forma travel y un nuevo significado, asociándola primero a la idea de 'viaje cansador' y, más tarde, simplemente, a 'viaje'.

LA PUBBLICITA' CHE HA COSTRUITO LA LINGUA ITALIANA:FALQUI, BASTA LA PAROLA!

2011-12-09T09:34:00.003-06:00

FALQUI, BASTA LA PAROLA. Pubblicità d'altri tempi, che, nel momento che reclamizzava il prodotto insegnava anche la lingua italiana (allora quasi il 70% degli Italiani, forse anche di più, parlava solo in dialetto). Nel filmato si usa la parola "negro". ATTENZIONE: a quei tempi si usava normalmente, non era considerato un epiteto razzista. Lo diceva anche ad Enzo Biagi in un'intervista d'epoca. I telegiornali parlavano di Martin Luther King come "leader negro". Significava semplicemente "nero", e non esistevano espressioni vuote e assurde tipo "uomo di colore" o "afro-americano".
Purtroppo lo slogan, salvo per pochi che vissero il carosello, è quasi uscito dalla lingua. Però all'epoca (anni Sessanta) era un tormentone che imperversava in tutte le conversazioni.

LA PUBBLICITA' CHE HA COSTRUITO LA LINGUA ITALIANA: Cynar, contro il logorio della vita moderna

2011-12-07T09:10:00.000-06:00

Il motto era “Cynar, contro il logorio della vita moderna” e ricorda uno degli spot più longevi della televisione italiana. Negli anni Sessanta furono gli spot con Ernesto Calindri a raccontare l’aperitivo a base di carciofo. Uno spot che è proverbialmente entrato nella lingua italiana e permane a tutt'oggi. Spot che è poi stato ripreso nel 2007 da Elio e Le Storie tese con lo stile della loro tipica comicità: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tCb2rFXeRY

Nuevo Multi-cine abre en Florencia

2011-12-07T06:48:00.002-06:00

Butacas del color de la Fiorentina

El invitado de honor en la inauguración será el famoso actor Leonardo Pieraccioni, que presentó la nueva película, "Finalmente la felicità»

Cinco salas de cine, con butacas de color púrpura en honor de la Fiorentina, y dedicado a cinco campeones del equipo, con 1.068 asientos (incluyendo 10 reservadas para personas con discapacidad) y 32 para los empleados: estos son los números con los que se presenta la nueva multisala Space Cine inagurado el martes por la noche para unos 200 invitados, en Novoli y gestionado por la grande industria, que cuenta con 34 multicines en toda Italia.

"Esperamos - dijo Joseph Conrad, presidente yadministrador delegado del The Space Cinema – que pronto tengamos ocho salas. Pensamos que podríamos dedicar a la Florentina las butacas y pronto también vamos a dar nombres a las salas: en el momento es probable que los nombres sean de campeones como Giancarlo Antognoni, Gabriel Batistuta, Giancarlo De Sisti, Miguel Montouri y Kurt Hamrin. La aperture al public sera el 7 de diciembre.

Las cinco salas estan equipadas con el sistema de proyeccion Full Digital y con el sistema de sonido Dolby Digital.

LA PUBBLICITA' CHE HA COSTRUITO LA LINGUA ITALIANA:No Martini, No Party

2011-12-06T07:21:00.002-06:00

E' l'anno 2007, la Martini inizia a passare uno spot che sarà il tormentone di quell'anno. E' il 2007 l'anno ante-crisi e ancora la gente sogna e ama spendere. La speculazione finanziaria è ancora lontana e i dèmoni dei mercati ancora non hanno fiaccato e depresso i sogni della gente.

LA PUBBLICITA' CHE HA COSTRUITO LA LINGUA ITALIANA: CHIAMAMI PERONI SARO' LA TUA BIRRA!

2011-12-05T07:23:00.000-06:00

CHIAMAMI PERONI SARO' LA TUA BIRRA!: era questa la frase celebre dello slogan della Birra Peroni,andato in onda nei carosello Rai del 1967 -

Lo spot,o meglio il cortometraggio,regia di Francesco Maselli,direttore creativo Armando Testa,musiche di Gianni Boncompagni,era interpretato da Mario Girotti - futuro Terence Hill - e da una bionda,spumeggiante Solvi Stubing : così nasceva un mito. Ed il refrain entrò subito nella lingua per esprimere un desiderio (irrealizzabile)...

LA PUBBLICITA' CHE HA COSTRUITO LA LINGUA ITALIANA; denim - per l'uomo che non deve chiedere mai

2011-12-02T09:23:00.001-06:00

Una mano femminile si insinua desiderosa nella camicia di un uomo, ma la sua mano con forza maschile la blocca: lui non l'ha chiesto! Lui prende non chiede!
Un successo del 1988.

German Christmas Market in Piazza Santa Croce

2011-11-30T04:46:00.002-06:00

By Paige Gherardi

Holiday Cheer has arrived in Florence and today kicks off the first day of one of the city’s most popular Christmas markets in Piazza Santa Croce. This German Christmas market (mercato tedesco di Natale) is composed of 55 booths that look like little wooden houses. With goods from over 16 countries, it is the perfect place to start on Christmas shopping for loved ones. You will find ornaments, decorations, wreaths, nativity scenes, holiday pottery, winter clothing and lots of handmade gifts at the mercato. It is also a great place to browse while munching on German bratwurst and beer or to enjoy a warm cup of mulled wine. This year there are a few booths that focus on goods Made in Tuscany as well. The market begins today, November 30^th and will come down on Sunday, December 18^th. It is open from 10 AM to 10 PM each day.

Restyling Rinascente

2011-11-28T09:12:00.000-06:00

Proposed suspended terrace at Rinascente

By Paige Gherardi

The terrace on top of the Rinascente department store has long been a gem of Florence. Tourists and locals alike flock to the terrace for coffee, tea, and aperitivo for a unique view of Florence with the Duomo practically at an arm’s length. A new investment idea for Rinascente has been proposed by owner Central Retail Corporation Ltd. to remodel and restyle the successful department store. The idea is to remodel the terrace to make it around 200 square meters. This new terrace would be suspended over the current terrace, though the idea is still in the forming stage. Ideas for the suspended space include a larger terrace, a restaurant, and an outdoor area to buy handmade crafts. First, the idea needs to be approved by Palazzo Vecchio and the regional board of the ministry of cultural heritage, who oversee projects on all historical palazzos in Florence. Rinascente Florence’s general director, Alberto Baldan, explains that “the objective is to invest in the Florence store because we consider it to be a pearl in our store collection considering that it had the best performance on increased sales in respect to 2010”. Rinascente’s home, Palazzo Trianon, is one of the Belle Arti of Florence and vice mayor Dario Nardella is on board with increasing its value. This €10-12 million project is only in its beginning stages and has already created a lot of hype and excitement at the idea of a new space in Florence. Plans also include remodeling the interior to be more like the store in Milan. While these big changes are in the making, the department store also has a change for the Holiday Season. The storefront will still have its usual displays, but decorations will be taken to the next level when Rinascente lights the millions of LED lights covering the entire Palazzo in the first week of December.

Source: http://corrierefiorentino.corriere.it/firenze/notizie/cronaca/2011/19-novembre-2011/terrazza-sospesa-10-milioni-1902235412898.shtml

Take Italian at ISTITUTO EUROPEO

2011-11-28T08:26:00.000-06:00

Maratón en Florencia: Etiopía gana

2011-11-28T07:11:00.002-06:00

Bekele Birhanu Berga

Después del “triplete del año pasado, y también de la edición 2011, los etíopes han repetido victoria venciendo en la edición 28 de la Maratón de Florencia. El primero en cruzar la línea de meta fue el el etíope Bekele Birhanu Berga 2h9'52'' (solo 10 segundos sobre su mayor marca personal) que precedió su compatriota Gela Hailu Seif en 2h10'17' y el marroquí Saji Abdelkabir 2h12’11’’.

Un hermoso sol, este año, acompañó a la fiesta del deporte y diversión con miles de personas que han asistido a la Maratón Florentina. También muchas personas que han participado en numerosas iniciativas a lo largo del camino. Ningún italiano ha llegado entre los diez primeros mientras que las mujeres se encuentran entre las tres mejores atletas que llegaron entre los diez mejores.

De hecho, Pasquale Rutigliano, 33 años de Bari, en 2h22’18’’ del Ejercito Italiano fue el primer Italiano en cruzar la línea quedando en 11º posición seguido de Saaid Boudalia, 43 años de nacionalidad italiana que quedó en 13º posición con 2h23’26’’ registrado por la Biotekna Marcon. Quindicesimo Enzo Piacenza, 40 años, de Valdieri (Cuneo) fue el tercer italiano con 2h27’44’’de la Dragonero Caragnese en el debut de la Maratón Florentina.

La línea de partida del lungarno Pecori Giraldi a las 9,15 con la participación de 7.410 atletas (6.300 hombres y 1.110 mujeres) el camino del Maratón de Florencia.

Mitad de maratón

Hombres

1) Berga Birhanu Bekele (ETH 2h09’51’’), 2) Gela Hailu Seifa (ETH 2h10’17’’), 3) Saji Abdelkabir (MAR 2h12’11’’), 4) Zembaba Yemanu (ETH 2h14’03’’), 5) Ronald Rutto (KEN 2h14’28’’), 6) Philip Kiptoo Rutto (KEN 2h16’38’’), 7) Tesfahiwet Gebregergis (ERI 2h17’55’’), 8) Bartosz Mazerski (POL 2h19’22’’), 9) Piotr Palka (POL 2h19’36’’), 10) Medhane Alexsander Tekie (ERI 2h20’04’’).

Mujeres

1) Asha Gigi (ETH 2h31’36’’), 2) Janat Hanane (MAR 2h34’20’’), 3) Gloria Marconi (ITA 2h34’57’’), 4) Tigist Memuye (ETH 2h36’49’’), 5) Joasia Zakrzewski (GBR 2h41’27’’), 6) Claudia Pinna (ITA 2h44’35’’), 7) Josephine Ambjörnsson (SVE 2h48’33’’), 8) Anne Jorunn Hodne (NOR 2h51’10’’), 9) Monica Carlin (ITA 2h51’35’’), 10) Stina Haikka (FIN 2h54’06’’).

Las razones por las que Berlusconi cayó..

2011-11-22T07:25:00.001-06:00

La carrera política de Silvio Berlusconi, que ha dominado la vida italiana durante los últimos 17 años, interpretando simultáneamente un increíble número de papeles: magnate de la televisión, propietario de un equipo de fútbol, primer ministro, acusado en numerosas demandas penales y playboy internacional. 

Parece curiosamente apropiado que Berlusconi —que prometió tantas cosas y cumplió tan pocas— abandone el escenario por la derecha, dejando tras él una escena de devastación moral y financiera. El país está a punto de suspender pagos, y el Fondo Monetario Internacional ha puesto a Italia bajo vigilancia porque ha perdido su fe en que el Gobierno de Berlusconi saque adelante las reformas prometidas. Berlusconi, un vendedor extraordinario y sublime ilusionista de los medios de comunicación, llegó al poder conjurando visiones de una prosperidad sin precedentes para las masas de Italia y se proclamó a sí mismo el "mejor estadista de la historia italiana", así como el líder más importante del mundo.

La carrera de Berlusconi, el primer magnate de los medios (pero no el último) que preside un país, ha estado dedicada al principio de que la percepción es la realidad, de que si haces que la gente crea algo, se convierte en realidad. Pero finalmente, se ha interpuesto una realidad cada vez más cruda: 17 años de estancamiento económico, de reformas prometidas y no aprobadas, una deuda nacional que supera el 120% del PIB y, por último, unos tipos de interés por las nubes, han hecho que las ilusiones se vengan abajo. Paradójicamente, la percepción es crucial para los mercados financieros; pero, a la larga, como en la burbuja inmobiliaria, la percepción tiene que estar vinculada a alguna realidad económica subyacente. Y por eso, irónicamente, este timador político ha fracasado porque ha perdido la "confianza" y la "credibilidad" tanto de los mercados financieros como de las cancillerías de Europa.

En los últimos años, Berlusconi fue sinónimo de escándalo a causa de sus incesantes flirteos, fiestas salvajes en el palacio presidencial, escarceos con prostitutas a sueldo y chicas menores de edad, y una serie de denuncias penales y casos de corrupción que le han perseguido durante años. Y luego está su propensión a hacer comentarios subidos de tono en las reuniones internacionales, refiriéndose al "bronceado" de Barack Obama o fanfarroneando sobre cómo utiliza sus dotes de playboy para obtener concesiones del primer ministro finlandés. Esto ha hecho que a los extranjeros les resulte tentador sonreír y sacudir la cabeza y decir "solo en Italia".

Take Italian at ISTITUTO EUROPEO

2011-11-21T10:04:00.000-06:00

Eating Lunch on a Budget: I Due Fratellini

2011-11-21T08:53:00.001-06:00

I Due Fratellini

By Paige Gherardi

If you want one of the best panini you can find in Florence, try I Due Fratellini. Their sandwiches are made with the freshest ingredients on a soft, chewy roll. The sandwich shop is literally a hole in the wall and customers order their sandwich and glass of wine then enjoy their meal in the street. The menu is posted here below, but they often have flyers posting new ingredients and you can always build your own panino. The line can get very long at I Due Fratellini during lunch hours, but the guys working inside know how to pump out orders and keep the line moving. If you’re looking to stick to a budget while in Florence, you can’t beat their €2.50 panino. Paired with a glass of wine, lunch costs around €5.

I Due Fratellini Menu

Ham, soft goat cheese, lettuce

Ham, pecorino

Ham, mozzarella

Ham, roast pork, parsley sauce

Ham, roast pork, mushroom

Mozzarella, tomato

Tuna, tomato, onion

Tuna, capers

Tuna, parsley sauce

Panino & Vino

Anchovy, butter

Anchovy, parsley sauce

Herring, butter

Herring, onion

Herring, parsley sauce

Soft goat cheese, Tuscan salami with fennel

Sundried tomato, pecorino

Soft goat cheese, sundried tomato

Salami, artichokes

Wild boar salami, butter

Roast pork

Fresh sausage, eggplant

Lard

Truffled pecorino, lettuce

Bologna, eggplant

Bacon, peppers

Bresaola (dried salted beef), lettuce

Spicy salami, goat cheese

Ham, roast pork, truffle cream

Vegetarian mix

#23 and #28 are €3.00 each and all others are €2.50 each

Where: Via dei Cimatori, 38/r

When: Open Monday – Sunday from 9 AM until 8 PM

Website: http://www.iduefratellini.com/

Desconexión de la emisión digital terrestre a todos los ciudadanos de la Lunigiana

2011-11-21T06:01:00.000-06:00

En cuanto a Florencia y su provincia, hoy ha llegado a la sede florentina algunos informes privados de ciudadanos por las dificultades de ajustes y de recepción: en particular el problema es el recibir la señal de emisión de La 7 con el Punto Digital en Pelago y en Empoli, debido a la orientación de las antenas.

Para las áreas recientemente afectadas por graves inundaciones, y por lo tanto un riesgo especial, ha sido especialmente creado una sala de operaciones durante todo el día de ayer (día de la desconexión) y de hoy, en la sede de la comunita montana a Aulla con la presencia algunos técnicos de Uncem Toscana.

Las operaciones se llevaron a cabo en conexión continua a la sala principal en la sede de Via Cavour 15, en Florencia. Los informes recibidos durante el día confirmaron algunas situaciones críticas de la señal de televisión tras el cierre de los repetidores locales comunes.

Mientras tanto, mañana la operación de desconexión hará un descanso; reanudarán sus operaciones el próximo martes con varios municipios de la zona sur de la Toscana, muchos de los cuales forman parte del Lazio.

Cantucci di Prato

2011-11-18T07:58:00.001-06:00

Cantucci di Prato y Vino Santo Toscano

By Rocío de León Herrero

El Cantuccini, tambien llamado cantucci o biscotti di Prato, es uno de los dulces mas conocidos y apreciados de la gastronomia Toscana, típicos de Prato.

Muy famoso como postre en Italia, se suele servir con el vino santo toscano después de las comidas. Este vino se sirve en vasos pequeños parecidos a los vasos de chupitos y en el mismo se moja el cantucci di Prato antes de llevarlo a la boca.

La primera receta documentada proviene de un manuscrito de Amadio Baldanzi, un erudito pratense del siglo XVIII, conservado en el archivo de Prato. En este documento al biscote se le llamaba “la genovesa”.

Los ingredientes base de los cantuccini son: harina, azúcar, huevo y almendra.

Ingredientes:

150g de harina
5g de polvo de hornear
100g de almendras
90g de azúcar
El juego de media naranja
1 huevo
Vainilla y agua de azahar
30 g de pan rallado

Indignados en Ss Annunziata “O se van o intervendremos”

2011-11-18T07:46:00.001-06:00

Indignados en Ss Annunciata

By Rocío de León Herrero

Stefania Saccardi, asesora de la política de salud y asistencia social interviene en la movilización de los indignados en la plaza Santissima Annunziata de Florencia: “O se van o intervendremos”. “No podemos consentir – dijo durante la presentación de una iniciativa de ACI a favor de las personas con discapacidad – que una de las plazas más bellas de Florencia sea expropiada de sus tiendas de campaña”.

La indignación de los florentinos, que llevan estacionados en la plaza desde el pasado fin de semana, han insistíos en que la intención de permanecer ahí “por tiempo indeterminado”, mientras el Pdl ha solicitado la intervención del Palazzo Vecchio “contra la ocupación abusiva de ellos”. En ese momento, Saccardi dijo, la Ciudad “está tratando de entender las intenciones de las personas acampadas”. Pensamos que – dijo- que la quistión podría resolverse en una manifestación de corto plazo; pero si seguimos adelante, aun que sea absolutamente legítimo expresar sus opiniones, debemos actuar”.

La réplica inmediata de los manifestantes: “Reunión en la asamblea general – dijo el portavoz-, hemos decidido llevar a cabo nuestro laboratorio político-social en la Plaza Santissima Aznnunziata”. Ayer mismo había invitado a todos los representantes políticos e institucionales para venir aquí, para ver y tocar lo que hacemos con nuestra ´acampada´. Hoy renovamos la invitación, hablando en particular a la concejala Saccardi.

Los trabajadores se han quejado por el uso del término “expropiación de la plaza” utilizado por Saccardi para describir la iniciativa de los indignados.

Fiorella Mannoia en Florencia, scatta la prevendita

2011-11-18T07:29:00.003-06:00

By Rocío de León Herrero

Tras el éxito del álbum “Ho imparato a sognare”, del cd dvd live “Il Tempo e l´armonia” y del tour acústico que ha jugado un papel de liderazgo a lo largo de 2010, hasta enero de 2012 la liberación del “Sur” sale “Sud”, el nuevo álbum de inéditos de Fiorella Mannoia (publicado por Sony Music).

FIORELLA MANNOIA estará de gira en marzo de 2012. Las fechas de la primera gira (producido y organizado por OYA´ y el Grupo F&P) son las siguientes:

21 de marzo en Napoles (Pala Partenope)

23 de marzo en Bolonia (Pala Dozza)

24 de marzo en Roma (Palalottomatica)

28 de marzo a Pordenone (Pala Forum)

30 de marzo en Florencia (Nelson Mandela Forum)

31 de marzo en Milan (Mediolanum Forum)

3 de abril en Padova (Gran Teatro Geox)

4 de abril en Torino (Pala Olimpico)

A partir de hoy es posible comprar la entrada en www.ticketone.it y en las taquillas de los centros comerciales de la Toscana.

Precios: 1º Tribuna central y este €50,00; 2º Tribuna este lateral – escaleras bajar €40,00; 3º Sector inferior y superior de las escaleras €30,00; 4º Sector escaleras superior €22,00, (todos los derechos de pre-venta).

Descuentos: reducción de 6,00 euros para los titulares de Carta Superflash del Banco CR Firenze.

A Taste of Home at Lungarno 23

2011-11-18T02:35:00.001-06:00

By Paige Gherardi

Missing home? Check out Lungarno 23 for some authentic American burgers with an Italian twist. After living in

Italy

for a while it’s normal that you will have days when you miss things from home. I am American and while there are several restaurants and small fast food places in Florence that have American food, it always seems to fall just short of what I was expecting. Lungarno 23 has a burger and fries combo that will make you feel right at home. It’s the first place I’ve been to in the area that does a burger right, and it’s always full of Italians. With a long menu of extra fixings you can add to your burger, this restaurant has everything from the classic burger to gourmet burgers with Italian flair. You can expect to pay from about €14-€23 for burgers: the classics are less and burgers with delicacies like truffles will cost more. The meat used for the burgers is from Chianina cattle - known to be one of the highest qualities of beef in the Tuscany region. The restaurant also has soups, pastas, salads, and other main courses featuring Chianina beef.

I went to Lungarno 23 with one of my American friends who has been living in Florence for the past two years. We were both yearning for a taste of home. I ordered a cheeseburger and she ordered a regular burger that came with lettuce, tomato, and onion, hand-cut French fries, and condiments. The food was excellent. We went for lunch and had no problem getting a table, but the restaurant is very popular for dinner and reservations are required.

Location: Lungarno Torrigani, 23 Firenze

Phone: 055 2345957

Website: http://www.lungarno23.it/

Florencia y los Madonnari

2011-11-16T04:16:00.000-06:00

<< ¿Plaza de la Signoria? >>

Te la indica el Madonnaro

Las indicaciones para los turistas en el pavimento aparecen tanto en inglés como en italiano. Es la iniciativa autónoma de los Madonnari.

By Rocío de León Herrero

En estos días, unas extrañas marcas con tizas de colores están teniendo lugar (y forma) en una Calimala, en el corazón del centro histórico de Florencia. Ponte Vecchio, Il Duomo “Catedral”, Piazza della Signoria, Uffizi y Plaza San Marco: las indicaciones aparecen en el pavimento, tanto en inglés como en italiano. No es ninguna novedad introducida por la administración municipal, sino de la iniciativa autónoma de una asociación internacional: el Madonnari.

La idea nace en un día de otoño y se realizan dentro de unos rectángulos (con una extensión no superior a 10metros cuadrados), donde los turistas y los transeúntes son los que habitualmente observan a los artistas crear estas obras que tratan de la reproducción de pinturas conocidas (casi siempre) o diseños propios (a menudo).

Los miembros de la “Asociación Internacional de Madonnari”, que cuenta con alrededor de 20 personas, trabajando al aire libre, porque la calle es su lienzo y también su taller. Sus obras, sin embargo, son una expresión de arte urbano, entendido como un servicio de utilidad pública. Y siguiendo esta lógica, nace una nueva forma de dar indicaciones en la calle. Esto es para recordar el sentido efímero de la existencia, llamando la atención sobre una actividad popular antigua a través de la prestación de un servicio.

San Minato Al Tedesco La Tierra De La Trufa Blanca

2011-11-15T06:45:00.001-06:00

Torre de San Minato

Si buscas la trufa blanca de calidad entonces tienes que ir al festival de la Trufa en San Minato al Tedesco. Esta bella localidad de la Toscana se llama “Al Tedesco” por el hecho de que fue construida en gran parte por Federico II, conocido como Barbarroja, emperador de los germanos del siglo XIII. Sin embargo, más que la muralla de la cittadella, el símbolo de esa época es en realidad la torre, símbolo de Federico II y San Miniato.

Bajo la Torre se celebra uno de los festivales más importantes de la Trufa en Italia. Nada más entrar en el pueblo, le dará la bienvenida el olor típico de la Trufa de San Miniato flotando en el aire y penetrando las fosas nasales.

La Trufa es del DOC, que viene del campo y los bosques de los alrededores de San Miniato. Son trufas apreciadas y de gran calidad (Tuber Magnatum Pico).

Caminaras encantado de la abundancia y la opulencia de la calidad entre los puestos de comida que venden trufas, mantequilla a la trufa, dulces a la trufa, embutidos a la trufa, queso a la trufa, aceite a la trufa…y alimentos procedentes de toda Italia.

Para la ocasión, los restaurantes de San Miniato, también los bares, ofrecen una variedad de menús y platos con trufas con los mejores vinos para acompañar los platos de los chefs locales.

Una ocasión única que no se debe perder.

Monti quiere mantener su Gobierno de técnicos y políticos hasta 2013 El doble discurso de los líderes de los partidos dificulta la formación del Ejecutivo

2011-11-15T01:09:00.000-06:00

por PABLO ORDAZ "El Pais" 15/11/2011

Hasta 2013. Los viejos leones de la política romana tal vez acariciaban la idea de que el viejo profesor recién llegado de Bruselas fuese una pieza fácil de cobrar, un mal temporal, un apaño hasta primavera. Pero Mario Monti, el tecnócrata bajo cuya responsabilidad está formar un nuevo Gobierno que saque a Italia de la crisis, lo dejó claro nada más bajar a la arena: "Si se fijara un horizonte anterior a 2013, eso quitaría credibilidad a la acción de mi Gobierno. Sería una definición temporal que yo no aceptaría". Más claro, imposible.

Mario Monti, quien ayer se reunió con los partidos políticos y hoy lo hará con las organizaciones sociales para lograr un consenso razonable en torno a su cometido, tardó 24 horas en cambiar el disfraz de prudente profesor por el de gladiador. Dejó claro que está dispuesto a formar -posiblemente antes del viernes- un Gobierno integrado por técnicos de prestigio, pero también por políticos de distintos partidos siempre que sean capaces de dejar fuera del Consejo de Ministros sus peleas partidarias. "He considerado importante dar una señal concreta y abierta de mi disponibilidad a contar con la aportación de las fuerzas políticas, también en forma de recursos humanos, es decir, de miembros del Gobierno".

Si bien Monti no lo va a tener fácil. Durante todo el día de ayer se fue constatando que los líderes de los principales partidos políticos tienen dos discursos. Uno, con los focos encendidos, en el que alaban la labor del presidente de la República, Giorgio Napolitano, y muestran su disposición a ayudar a Mario Monti en su difícil labor de construir un Ejecutivo que devuelva la confianza de Europa hacia Italia y de los italianos hacia su Gobierno. Y otro, a micrófono cerrado, en el que muestran dos preocupaciones. Las dos legítimas. Pero ambas inconfesables.

La primera es que Monti, tras su piel de cordero, se revele como un político audaz y competente capaz de dejarlos en evidencia y, por tanto, robarles el futuro. La segunda es que el excomisario europeo dé más protagonismo en su Gobierno a políticos de la opción contraria. Tan es así que, después de un largo día de entrevistas con los representantes políticos, el recién nombrado senador vitalicio admitió de forma diplomática que está encontrando más resistencia a su labor de la que tal vez esperaba: "Cuando hablo de integrar a políticos, se trata de una disponibilidad, de un deseo, si lo queremos decir así. Pero si los partidos considerasen que en esta fase no es oportuna su presencia... Lo importante es que de todos modos den su apoyo. Sin su apoyo no me dispondría a asumir la tarea".

Nadie dijo que fuese fácil ni mucho menos rápido. Después del champán, las canciones y las banderas en los balcones por la dimisión a trancas y barrancas de Silvio Berlusconi, regresa la dura realidad. Para empezar, la prima de riesgo italiana -el diferencial entre el bono nacional a 10 años y el alemán en el mismo plazo- volvió a dispararse hacia niveles próximos a los 500 puntos básicos. Y, además, el partido que ha venido apoyando los sucesivos gobiernos de Silvio Berlusconi -la Liga Norte de Umberto Bossi- anunció su determinación de restaurar el llamado Parlamento del Norte, una iniciativa que pretende relanzar la independencia del norte con respecto al sur. Justo lo que más necesita ahora Italia.

Con esta situación, no es de extrañar que Mario Monti le confiara a algunos de los representantes políticos que fueron a visitarlo que a los italianos les esperan tiempos de "lágrimas y sangre". Si bien más tarde, y en un intento de alejarse de los grandes efectos que tanto gustan a su antecesor en el cargo, precisó que para lo que Italia se debe de ir preparando es para una época de "sacrificios".

Los mismos sacrificios en forma de reformas económicas que la Unión Europea (UE) llevaba pidiendo desde hace meses a Silvio Berlusconi y que, al no ejecutarlos, supusieron finalmente la caída de Il Cavaliere. El profesor Mario Monti, que le debe su puesto a Bruselas más que a Roma, está dispuesto a ponerlos en práctica con la mayor urgencia posible. Todo son urgencias.

["Es muy importante que este Gobierno se forme rápidamente y empiece a trabajar inmediatamente en las reformas fundamentales para regresar al crecimiento y sl equilibrio presupuestario", aseguró Emma Marcegaglia, presidenta de la patronal italiana].

(http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Monti/quiere/mantener/Gobierno/tecnicos/politicos/2013/elpepiint/20111115elpepiint_3/Tes)

Flash Mob en Plaza de la Signoria

2011-11-14T07:17:00.000-06:00

By Rocío de León Herrero

Los indignados de Occupy Florencia, llegaron a la Plaza de la Signoria de Florencia a las 17:00 horas con un Flash Mob para unirse a la indignación e invitar a los ciudadanos a participar en el campamento en la plaza de S.S.Annunziata de Florencia.

Se fueron una docena de manifestantes de la acampada en p.za S.S.Annunziata en bicicletas para la puesta en escena de una coreografía Flash Mob tocando en los principales puntos turísticos del centro de Florencia como la Plaza de la Signoria, Plaza de San Ambrosio, Plaza D´Azeglrio y en la Plaza San Marcos.

Con el sonido de una alarma, los manifestantes fueron inmovilizados en un circulo y gritaron en voz alta palabras como “¿y ahora qué?”, y “todavía más recortes y más sacrificios?” e incluso “la precariedad de la vida”. Y por último un grito liberador final “Unamos nuestra indignación, en la Comisión de Nombramientos en p.za S.S. Annunziata”, concluyó el performance.

SAN MINIATO AL TEDESCO LA TERRA DEL TARTUFO BIANCO

2011-11-14T06:36:00.002-06:00

Se cercate il tartufo bianco di qualità allora dovete andare alla Sagra del Tartufo a San Miniato al Tedesco.
Questa graziosissima cittadina toscana si chiama infatti "Al Tedesco" per il fatto che fu in gran parte edificata da Federico II detto il Barbarossa, Imperatore germanico del XIII secolo. Ancora oggi oltre alle mura della cittadella il simbolo di quel periodo storico è infatti la Torre, simbolo di Federico II e di San Miniato.
Sotto la Torre si svolge una delle feste del tartufo più importanti d'Italia.
Non appena entrerete nel villaggio subito vi accoglierà la fragranza tipica del tartufo sanminiatese che aleggia nell'aria e vi impregna le narici.
Il tartufo è di quello DOC, che viene dalle campagne e dai boschi che circondano San Miniato. Un tartufo pregiato e di qualità (Tuber Magnatum Pico).
Camminerete incantati dall'abbondanza e dall'opulenza della qualità fra stand gastronomici che vendono tartufo, burro al tartufo, dolci al tartufo, salumi al tartufo, formaggi al tartufo, olio al tartufo...e prodotti alimentari provenienti da ogni parte d'Italia. Per l'occasione i ristoranti di san Miniato, i bar anche, offriranno menu e specialità più svariate al tartufo, con i migliori vini locali da abbinare ai piatti degli chef.
Un'occasione unica e da non perdere.

(http://www.sanminiatopromozione.it/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/programma-tartufo-2011-finale.pdf)

Kiehl´s inagura su primera tienda en Florencia

2011-11-14T04:22:00.001-06:00

By Rocío de León Herrero

Kiehl´s, la histórica marca que nació en Nueva York en 1851 y ahora conocida en todo el mundo por su amplia gama de productos de alta calidad para la cara, cuerpo, y cabello. Se inauguró oficialmente la primera tienda en la ciudad de Florencia, en Coin, en el corazón del centro histórico.

El público florentino espera impaciente el sábado, 12 de noviembre a las 11.00 a la apertura del Kielh´s no solo para descubrir sus productos, sino también para descubrir el ambiente inconfundible de Nueva York.

Esta peculiar esquina se llenara de vida con una serie de eventos para todos los gustos: sesión de fotos, música en vivo, la Estatua de la Liberta en carne y hueso, una Harley Davidson en la pantalla y un ángulo creativo para los niños.

L'ASCESA DI MARIO MONTI (OBBLIGATA) E' IL FALLIMENTO DELLA DEMOCRAZIA (GRAZIE AI NOSTRI POLITICI INCAPACI CHE CI HANNO PORTATO A QUESTO PUNTO!)

2011-11-14T03:30:00.000-06:00

di Fabrizio Ulivieri

L'ascesa di Mario Monti salverà forse l'Italia dal default, dal momento che lui "sa parlare la lingua dei mercati" ed è gradito dal capitalismo eugenetico in quanto appartenente alla stessa "razza" altamente selezionata ma da un punto di vista strettamente democratico rappresenta la grande sconfitta della Democrazia: un gruppo di tecnocrati si instaura in parlamento e manda a casa un governo che, al di là delle sue incapacità palesi, era stato comunque eletto rispettando l'iter democratico. E la "Sinistra" purtroppo avalla il tutto senza volere rendersi conto del paradosso.

Anche le folle non sembrano aver capito che la gioia per le dimissioni di Berlusconi è una gioia di Pirro, ora che abbiamo anche la benedizione di Barack Obama dalla casa Bianca.

In un articolo comparso sulla Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Slavoj Žižek diceva che è già in atto da parte dei politici americani la tattica del clinching (la tecnica nella box di abbracciare l'avversario per attutirne i colpi) per attutire le proteste di Occupy Wall Street.

Beh la gioia di ieri della piazza condivisa da politici (soprattutto dal garbato gesto del manico dell'ombrello del garbato e soprattutto moderato Antonio Di Pietro) è già l'inizio del clinching per attutire (deviare) l'indignazione della piazza che dal basso potrebbe colpire verso l'alto.

Around Florence - Sant’Ambrogio

2011-11-14T02:29:00.004-06:00

By Paige Gherardi

Inside Mercato Sant'Ambrogio

Sant’Ambrogio is one of the most interesting neighborhoods in Florence. Located just before Piazza Beccaria and still in the historic center, this area continues to be one of the hotspots for shopping, dining, and aperitivo. It is also less touristy than other parts of the historic center, so you will find more locals at the cafés and restaurants.

This neighborhood wakes up early with the noises of trucks and people setting up their stands for the daily market. Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti is home to Mercato Sant’Ambrogio, an authentic Florentine market open from Monday – Saturday from 7 AM until 2 PM. The main building has several butcher shops, a fish shop, cheese shops, a couple bakery stands, a small trattoria with daily specials, and a typical Italian café. The stands outside are full of fruit and vegetable vendors and there are also several clothing, jewelry, and household item vendors. This can be a one-stop shop for almost anything you need on your grocery list. Aside from the market there are also many restaurants surrounding Piazza Ghiberti like Semolina and Acasamia. During the summer you will find an outdoor restaurant and bar that has live music and dancing nightly.

Other noteworthy streets in the Sant’Ambrogio neighborhood are Via Pietrapiana, Borgo La Croce, and Via de’ Macci.

Outside at Caffè Sant'Ambrogio

Via Pietrapiana stretches from Via Giuseppe Verdi to Piazza Sant’Ambrogio and is full of small shops, cafés, bars, and even an antique market. This street is always bustling with people during the evening, especially if you go by Caffè Sant’Ambrogio – known for one of Florence’s most popular aperitivos.

Borgo La Croce starts where Pietrapiana ends at the church in Piazza Sant’Ambrogio and extends to Piazza Beccaria. Here you will find restaurants Le Campane and Il Giova and lots of boutiques. Once in Piazza Beccaria, take note of the Astra movie theater and Kitsch – another great place for aperitivo.

Via de’ Macci starts at Piazza Sant’Ambrogio and heads toward Santa Croce. It is home to Cibreò, Il Pizzaiuolo, and the dinner theater Teatro del Sale. You will also find a Tuscan specialty shop that sells pastas, sauces, and wine. A unique thing about this shop is that they have large casks of wine that they put into bottles for you. Wine starts at about €3 euros per bottle and if you bring your own bottle it costs less. They have a great selection of Tuscan wines at low prices.

www.istitutoeuropeo.it

Tipos de café Italianos

2011-11-11T07:24:00.001-06:00

Tipos de Cafés en Italia

By Rocío de León Herrero

Como ya sabréis otro de los puntos fuertes de Italia (a parte de la pasta, carne, helados, arte, cultura etc...) el café también es muy conocido ya que en Italia hay una amplia variedad de cafés.

Para los amantes del café os voy a dar unos consejillos antes de venir a Italia y probar uno de estos magníficos cafés.

Cuando vayáis a un Café o bar, debéis especificar el café que deseáis tomar ya que si pides un café sin más, probablemente te servirán un expreso.

También debéis sabré que si tomáis el café en mesa, será un par de euros más caro que si lo pedís en la barra. En Italia siempre se paga "el cubierto" que yo lo llamaría "el tiempo" ya que estas pagando por estar el tiempo que quieras estar sentado tomando un café o comiendo… ya que si te lo tomas de pie no prolongas el tiempo.

Los cafés italianos son muy internacionales y quizás muy similares a los españoles.

Caffé (café expreso), es una pequeña taza de café muy fuerte, y es el más típico de Italia.
Caffé doppio (café doble) dos cafés expresos servidos en una taza.
Caffè ristretto, un café corto, esto es un café condensado (menos de 20 ml.)
Caffè macchiato (un macchiato), un café manchado es un café expreso con unas gotas de leche. Un macchiato caldo (con gotas de leche caliente) o un mancchiato freddo (con gotas de leche fría), por último, o un mancchiato con schiuma di latte (con espuma de leche).
Caffé Americano. Café más débil que se sirve en una taza grande o en un vaso, hay que advertir que es un café más fuerte que el americano, típico de los países anglosajones. Es un expreso al que se le añade agua caliente.
Caffé Lungo. Es un café largo, se emplea más agua con la misma cantidad de café molido, es un café menos fuerte.
Capuchino (capuccio en el sur de Italia). Otro de los cafés italianos más populares. No es sólo un café expreso con leche al vapor. Se vierte 1/3 de leche caliente, antes de completar 1/3 de espuma de leche. Opcionalmente se sirve con polvo de cacao o chocolate. Hay algunas variedades de capuchino bastantes extendidas en Italia. Por ejemplo, el capuchino con caffé doppio, (capuchino con café doble), osea, un doble de café preparado como un capuchino, es más fuerte que el capuchino normal. Otra opción es el Cappuccino scuro, un intermedio entre un capuchino y un caffè machiato que lleva menos leche que un capuchino normal.
Caffê hag (también llamado un deca), es un café descafeinado. que se puede hacer de todas las formas descritas anteriormente.
Caffè con schiuma (o Caffè schiumato), café al que se le prepara espuma en la parte superior.
Caffè corretto, un a¡café expreso con unas gotas de licor. Algunos tienen nombre propio, como el Caffè Borghetti, un café expreso con gotas de licor Borghetti...
Caffé freddo, frecuente en verano, se trata de un expresso servido en un vaso con hielo. Es lo que se llama un "café del tiempo" en algunas partes de España.
Caffè con panna, café con crema en la parte superior. Es lo que en muchos países se entiende que es un capuchino.
Caffè latte. Puede dar lugar a bastante confusión entre los españoles. No se trata del típico "café con leche", incluso no es realmente un café. Se trata de leche caliente abundante mezclada con un poco de café. Se sirve en vaso largo o grande.
Caffè Marrocchino, sirve en vaso pequeño, es un café expreso con polvos de chocolate por encima.

Take Italian at ISTITUTO EUROPEO

2011-11-10T07:53:00.002-06:00

www.istitutoeuropeo.it

Dinner in Florence: Pizzeria del Caffè Italiano

2011-11-09T08:36:00.002-06:00

Entrance to Caffè Italiano

By Paige Gherardi

For a couple months I had been walking by this pizza place that always has a line of Italians out the door. I passed by the Osteria del Caffè Italiano where I have had great meals before, but the Pizzeria del Caffè Italiano is separate from the main restaurant and is always full. Last Saturday we decided to try it. The pizzeria does not take reservations and patrons write their names on a list to get a table then wait outside until their name is called. Looking in from Via dell’Isola delle Stinche, a small room of tables and a station complete with a pizzaiolo and a wood fired oven invite guests to try their pizza napoletana that both looks and smells delicious. There is also another room behind what you can see from the door, but just to give an idea of how popular it is, there was a line of 10 people waiting with every table full at 7:30 PM on a Saturday night – and that’s early for most Florentines! After waiting about 20 minutes for a table, my fiancé and I were seated and served very quickly. There was no menu as the pizzeria has three selections each night. Our choices were a traditional margherita (tomato sauce, mozzarella, and a basil leaf), marinara (marinara sauce with herbs), or Napoli (tomato sauce, mozzarella, anchovies, capers, and oregano). We ordered a margherita and a Napoli. Our order was placed immediately since we were within earshot of the pizzaiolo who never takes a break. When I took my first bite of pizza I was glad we waited for a table. It was delicious! The pizza had the perfect balance of sauce and cheese with a crunchy and chewy crust. It was by far the best pizza I have ever eaten in Florence. Each pizza at Caffè Italiano costs €8, but drinks and dessert can make your bill add up. If you’re in the mood to try some great pizza and don’t mind waiting for it, head to Caffè Italiano.

Real pizza napoletana

Note: The Osteria del Caffè Italiano has excellent Tuscan cuisine. Try their “tagliere” appetizer of mixed cold cuts that are sliced when you order. I had the risotto with pecorino cheese and mint and loved it.

Location: Via dell'Isola delle Stinche, 11/13R

Get there early to avoid the pizza line!

www.istitutoeuropeo.it

Vino Florentino

2011-11-09T04:47:00.000-06:00

Marcello Mastroianni famoso per "LA DOLCE VITA"
davanti ad un fiasco di Chianti

By Rocío de León Herrero

Los vinos Florentinos y Toscanos son extremadamente famosos en todo el mundo, gracias a la producción vinícola que se encuentra alrededor de la ciudad de Florencia. La más famosa: el Chianti.

Dos de las principales familias nobles de Florencia, Antinori y Frescobaldi, empezaron la produción de vinos hace 8 siglos, y entre ellos, siempre hubo una relación de extrema rivalidad.

En Florencia podrás visitar una "Cantina" para gozar de degustaciones de vinos como:Chianti Clasico, Brunello di Montalcino, o el famoso Ornellaia; o una "Enoteca" para hacer un tour de la producción de vino.

Para gozar del buen vino en Florencia, encontrarás un "vinaino" que son pequeños puestos donde puedes degustar el buen vino acompañado por algun aperitivo.

Los Florentinos suelen quedar para tomarse un vino ya que es costumbre aquí y suelen ir a los "Vinaino" y pasar las horas con amigos bebiendo vinos buenísimos a un precio muy económico.

Take Italian at ISTITUTO EUROPEO

2011-11-08T07:07:00.000-06:00

www.istitutoeuropeo.it

Cursos de italiano Istituto Europeo Florencia. Entrevista de Italiano a la estudiante Mexicana Aranea

2011-11-07T04:47:00.000-06:00

Aranea a la izquierda, Rocio a la derecha

ESTUDIOS DE ITALIANO – ARANEA KURI

Realizado por Rocio de Leon Herrero

¿Por qué decidiste venir a Italia para realizar tus estudios de italiano?

· Porque me encanta el idioma y no hay nada como venir al país de la lengua madre para aprenderlo entre otras cosas como lo mucho que me gusta la comida italiana, la cultura y la belleza del País.

¿Cómo conociste el Istituto Europeo?

· Estuve buscando escuelas en Internet que tuvieran la opción de estudiar Italiano a la vez que clases de canto y piano, y esta fue la que mas me atrajo porque era la que mejor plan de estudios tenia a la vez que un precio accesible y el personal respondió a todas mis dudas muy amablemente.

¿Por qué quieres estudiar italiano? ¿Estudiabas Italiano en México?

· Porque me gusta viajar y aprender nuevos idiomas, especialmente el Italiano.

· Empecé a estudiarlo en México pero mi grupo de italiano cerró y comencé a estudiarlo vía internet.

Cuéntame un poco sobre tu experiencia en el Istituto Europeo… ¿Como la clasificarías? Buena, mala… etc.

· Soy persona de pocas palabras pero lo que si puedo decir del Istituto Europeo es que es un centro de muy alto nivel, el cual te motiva y te involucra en el estudio de italiano por el ambiento que hay en el mismo.

· Por lo tanto mi experiencia aquí ha sobre pasado mis expectativas.

¿Qué te parecen los profesores y su técnica de enseñanza? ¿Cambiarias alguna técnica?

· Sinceramente lo que más me ha gustado de este centro, es la manera de enseñanza que tienen aquí ya que me he sentido muy cómoda y motivada. Los profesores tiene mucha paciencia y te alientan de forma muy positiva que es algo que no había encontrado en los diferentes cursos de italiano que he realizado.

¿Te cuesta entender a tus profesores?

· No me cuesta entenderles ya que hablan muy despacio y vocalizando y se asegura que lo hayamos entendido.

¿Qué te parece Florencia como ciudad? ¿Cómo te estás adaptando?

· Me parece una ciudad muy tranquila y romántica y se me hace excelente para venir a aprender música e italiano.

· Los primeros días fueron difíciles por el cambio clima, de horario y en general porque siempre cuesta adaptarse a una cultura diferente.

¿Qué te parecen las comodidades que el Istituto Europeo te ofrece?

· Tengo accesibilidad a todo lo que necesito como aulas para estudio e internet y una secretaria que siempre está dispuesta a ayudarte.

ISTITUTO EUROPEO Study Abroad: Florence Tram Making Progress

2011-11-03T11:19:00.000-05:00

By Paige Gherardi

The first line of the Florence tram linking the Santa Maria Novella Station to Scandicci has been a great success. And this Saturday construction on the second tram line will finally begin – a project that is starting 2 years later than expected. Connecting the Peretola airport with Piazza dell’Unità, there is high demand for the second tram line to be finished. The Florence community is hopeful that construction will be quick and smooth, unlike the 7 year project for the first line full of obstacles and delays. Mayor Matteo Renzi will also unveil plans for an underground tram on Saturday. Both underground lines are projected start at the Santa Maria Novella train station and pass through Piazza della Repubblica. From there the line would branch with one track extending through Piazza San Marco and Piazza della Libertà to finish in Campo di Marte. The second branch would continue to Piazza Santa Croce and pass through Viale Europa and South Florence to end at Bagno Ripoli. Right now the estimated costs for these underground tram lines is roughly 40 million euros per kilometer with an estimated finish date of 2020. It is a project long anticipated by Florentine citizens who are growing more wary on whether the tram system will ever be fully realized.

Discover the Renaissance City with ISTITUTO EUROPEO

2011-11-03T08:51:00.001-05:00

ISTITUTO EUROPEO Study Abroad: The Return of Ghiberti's Golden Door

2011-11-02T11:18:00.000-05:00

By Paige Gherardi

Ghiberti’s infamous Porta del Paradiso is finally nearing the end of a 21 year restoration. The door depicts 10 stories from the Old Testament in equal squares. This masterpiece is one of the first works that took in the aspect of perspective when working with gold and bronze and took Ghiberti 26 years to compete from 1425-1452. It remained in Piazza Duomo for hundreds of years exposed to harsh weather conditions and threats of destruction by war. In the 1700s the gold was completely covered by a dark varnish to lessen the luminosity of the door – something typical of the neoclassical style. In 1943 the Porta del Paradiso was removed from the Baptistery when World War II arrived in Florence. The door and several other treasured works were transported out of Florence and were returned in 1948. Then the flood of 1966 threatened to ruin the door when violent flood waters pushed it open and caused 6 of the 10 golden squares fixated to the door with bronze to fall. Seemingly a tragedy for the Porta del Paradiso, it proved to be a blessing for restoration methods in that the squares could be screwed on to the door. Now each scene could be worked on separately and the intricate door frame could also be better taken care of. In the 1980s researchers found that humidity between the gold and bronze of the door created an oxide that contributed to corrosion. For this reason it became more urgent to remove the door from the extreme weather conditions it could endure in Piazza Duomo.

The weathered golden door was removed from the Baptistery in 1990 and replaced by a bronze replica. Since then only two people have worked on cleaning and restoring tarnished parts of the door. Methods of preservation in the past had done more damage than good from the use of acids that were traditionally used to clean marble. While the 6 squares that had fallen off during the flood were an easier task for restoration, but it proved to be much more difficult to approach the task of restoring the other 4 squares and the other 46 elements of the frieze. Experts first tried to use a metal frame attached to the various parts of the door to remove the pieces. In this method they were able to remove the remaining 4 squares and 8 elements of the frieze. In 2000 it became possible to use a laser method to detach the remaining elements of the door. Now all that remains is to transport this magnificent piece of history to its new home in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo.

Source: http://corrierefiorentino.corriere.it/firenze/notizie/arte_e_cultura/2011/29-ottobre-2011/ritorno-paradiso-1901985397398.shtml

ISTITUTO EUROPEO Study Abroad: Halloween in Firenze

2011-10-31T09:00:00.000-05:00


Old Stove Signoria decorated for Halloween

By Paige Gherardi

While Halloween isn’t a traditonal Italian holiday, its popularity is growing in Florence. From costume parties to themed dinners, the historic center will host many different Halloween events tonight. Most pubs and discos are already adorned with pumpkins, spider webs, and even human limbs to kick off their Halloween parties. The Old Stove Signoria will have a live band and costume party. The Odeon is showing the Rocky Horror Picture Show with audience participation. YAB, Central Park and Otel are having Halloween parties. Just about every angle in Florence will have something themed around Halloween or All Saints Day. If you’re thinking about celebrating, it’s not too late to find a costume either. The Dreoni toy store on Via Cavour has lots of options, and most 99 cent stores are stocked with wigs, accessories, and masks. Check out the following websites for more information about tonight’s events:

http://www.firenzenotte.it/

http://www.toscanaetirreno.com/it/blog/halloween-toscana-lista-completa-con-tutte-le-feste-halloween-firenze-pisa-siena

http://english.firenze.net/turismo/cm_dettaglio.wbs?id_contenuto=268530&id_categorie=92

2011-10-31T07:36:00.001-05:00

www.istitutoeuropeo.it

ISTITUTO EUROPEO Study Abroad: Florence Tassa di Soggiorno

2011-10-25T04:39:00.002-05:00

By Paige Gherardi

On July 1st Florence imposed a tassa di soggiorno, or tourist tax, for all non-residents of the city staying in hotels, bed and breakfasts, residences, guest houses, hostels, and campsites. Tourists can expect to pay a maximum of 5 euros per night per person for a maximum of 10 nights depending on the type of accommodation. For hotels the daily tax is determined by the number of stars, meaning a 3-star hotel will have a 3 euro per night fee. The tourist tax for all other types of accommodation are based on a similar system. These taxes are typically an added cost that is paid at the time of check-in, but some establishments are swallowing the tax into their nightly rate. Exceptions to the new tax are children under 10 years old, people who provide assistance to patients in hospitals (limited to 1 person per patient), and people or family who provide assistance to underage patients in hospitals (limited to 2 people per patient). The money collected through the tassa di soggiorno will go toward maintaining works of art and historic buildings, improving public services, and keeping the city clean. One of the first services the tax will support is the free water fountain in Piazza della Signoria allowing people to fill their own bottles whenever they want. A similar tassa di soggiorno has been introduced in Rome and Venice, and it seems that other cities will soon follow.

For those looking to reserve accommodations in Florence in the future, make sure you are aware that these charges differ for each type of stay and that they are rates per person per night. Many travel sites have already included a note that their price does not include the Florence tourist tax, while most hotel websites specify what their tasso di soggiorno is on their homepage or reservations page. The list below has been adapted from the Comune di Firenze website and describes the nightly taxes.

Rates of the Tourist Tax

The tax is determined by the type of accommodations, with a maximum of 5 euro per person per night, for a maximum of 10 consecutive nights, in the following measures:

a) HOTELS

Tax classification (euro) per person, per night

1 star 1,00

2 stars 2,00

3 stars 3,00

4 stars 4,00

5 stars 5,00

b) CAMPING

Tax classification (euro) per person, per night

1,2,3 stars 1,00

4 stars 2,00

c) NON-HOTEL STRUCTURES WITH SIMILAR HOSPITALITY SERVICES

Tax classification (euro) per person, per night

Hostels 1,00

Vacation Homes 1,00

d) NON-HOTEL STRUCTURES WITH CHARACTERISTICS OF CIVIL RESIDENCY

Tax classification (euro) per person, per night

Professional Room Rentals 2,00

Non-professional Room Rentals 1,00

Vacation Homes 1,00

Historic Residences 4,00

e)RESIDENCES

Tax classification (euro) per person, per night

Residence 2 keys 2,00

Residence 3 keys 3,00

Residence 4 keys 4,00

f) AGRITURISMO

Tax classification (euro) per person, per night

1 ear of wheat 1,00

2 ears of wheat 2,00

3 ears of wheat 3,00

See the following link for more information from the Comune di Firenze on this tax (in Italian) http://centroservizi.lineacomune.it/portal/page/portal/MULTIPORTALE/FIRENZE/IMPOSTASOGGIORNO/1

2011-10-25T02:38:00.000-05:00

www.istitutoeuropeo.it

(photo from moviediva.com)

2011-10-19T04:13:00.000-05:00

www.istitutoeuropeo.it

Study Abroad ISTITUTO EUROPEO: Florence Voted #1 Food and Wine Destination in Europe

2011-10-18T09:28:00.000-05:00

By Paige Gherardi

La fettunta, pappa al pomodoro, ribollita, ragù al cinghiale, bistecca alla Fiorentina, Chianti, Vin Santo… Florentine cuisine is based on simple, fresh ingredients and the world has taken note. Tripadvisor’s annual Travelers’ Choice Awards voted Florence as the best European Food and Wine Destination of 2011, which are based on millions of traveler reviews. The Choice Awards resulted in the top 10 Food and Wine Destinations in each the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Central and South America, the South Pacific, and India. Italy surpassed all European countries in the vote, taking four other spots with Rome in third, Sorrento in fourth, Siena in sixth, and Bologna in seventh place. Other countries represented in the Top 10 were France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. While Italy is an extremely popular travel destination, it says a lot that Florence has won over other gastronomic centers of Europe like Paris. Keep it up, Florence!

ISTITUTO EUROPEO Study Abroad: Google Art Project Increases Visits to the Uffizi Gallery

2011-10-13T09:23:00.000-05:00

Botticelli's Venus

By Paige Gherardi

Thanks to the Google Art Project, which brings 17 world famous museums to life through similar technology used for Google Maps Street View, the Uffizi Gallery has seen a dramatic increase in both real and virtual visits. The Uffizi tracked its attendance numbers since the inauguration of these virtual tours, which had an immediate reaction of almost 10,000 visits. In the days and weeks following the Project launch the museum had over 3,000 virtual visitors per day. To give an idea of the quality Google Art Project brings to virtual visits, Botticelli's Venus was captured in a high resolution image of 17 billion pixels. This new partnership with Google is also helping the Uffizi Gallery direct traffic on the web to their official site, which steers patrons away from the many websites that sell advance tickets for almost double the cost of museum entrance. It was unclear what the results of the Google Art Project would be, but it has proven to stimulate interest in the Uffizi and give those who cannot visit it personally the opportunity to see its timeless collections.

To see the Uffizi Gallery and other museums go to www.googleartproject.com. It is also possible to see the inside of museums using Google Maps but it does not give you a floor plan or guide to famous works of art.

ISTITUTO EUROPEO Study Abroad, Call a Taxi Using Skype

2011-10-12T10:09:00.000-05:00

One of the most famous taxis in Florence

By Paige Gherardi

On October 13th it will be possible to call for a taxi without charge using Skype. Co.Ta.Fi (Cooperativa Tassisti Fiorentina) operates Taxi Firenze 4390 and for its 40th anniversary has come up with a way to revolutionize taxi services in Florence. Using the skype contact “taxi.firenze” or clicking on the Skype icon on the company’s website will make for an easier way to arrange a taxi pick-up without charge. Co.Ta.Fi is creating a new look and brand through introducing Skype, a new website, blue taxis, and a new logo. All other taxi services can be arranged on their direct line, which remains as 055 4390.

http://firenze.repubblica.it/cronaca/2011/10/11/news/il_taxi_lo_chiamo_con_skype_ecco_la_rivoluzione_di_cotafi-23053689/

CONSIGLIO PER L'ACQUISTO DI FILM IN DVD (I CONSIGLIATI): Manuale d'amore 3 di G. Veronesi

2011-10-11T03:35:00.005-05:00

Una bella e brava Solarino in "Manuale d'Amore 3"

di Fabrizio Ulivieri

Manuale d'amore 3

REGIA: Giovanni Veronesi

ATTORI:

Donatella Finocchiaro

Valeria Solarino

Emanuele Propizio

Carlo Monni

GENERE: Commedia

DURATA: 100 min

Primo episodio. Bella la scena iniziale con Scamarcio (nel film Roberto Tommaso, avvocato rampante) che fa una proposta di matrimonio a Valeria Solarino (nel film Sara)! Bello vedere Castiglion della Pescaia (la mia mèta preferita durante l’estate) al cinema!

Forte il toscanaccio Carlo Monni! che sembra sempre lo stesso dai tempi di Troisi e Benigni. Ottime le chiacchiere in un bar del centro di Castiglion della Pescaia in puro toscanaccio! di una combriccola di matti a metà strada fra i vitelloni e gli sfigati dei film di Pieraccioni.

Ed è così che inizia Manuale d’amore 3, con un avvocato rampante che viene mandato a Castiglion della Pescaia per sfrattare una famiglia di contadini (quella di Monni) e che invece di sfrattarla si innamorerà della pazza Micol (Laura Chiatti) e della combriccola del bar perché ancora gli evocano la vita che sta per morirgli dentro e che lui invece ancora vuole assaporare.

Trasmette serenità Veronesi in questo film, soprattutto in questo primo episodio (forse anche per l’effetto delle belle musiche di Morgan), serenità e piacere. Raramente càpita di stare al cinema così rilassati.

Frasi ad effetto, del tipo: io ho paura di tornare a casa…ma non è che uno che può stare tutta la sua vita in viaggio…(la paura che sposandosi la vita si chiuda). Banali ma ficcanti.

Secondo episodio con Verdone. E Verdone è sempre Verdone: antipatico, peso, irritante, imbranato e fedifrago eterno – insomma sempre lo stesso ruolo; e neanche cambia con Veronesi anche se con Veronesi è meglio di quando fa i film suoi perché almeno qui fa ridere davvero.

Terzo episodio ovvero il Miracolo: la Bellucci che ha imparato a parlare, cioè recitare! (insomma…si fa per dire). Effetto Veronesi o effetto De Niro con cui recita? A proposito di De Niro: un De Niro davvero spiritoso ma anche tenero, come non avevo visto mai.

Conclusione: un film godibile, divertente (entertaining) che non annoia affatto. Andate a vederlo, ve lo raccomando caldamente. Specialmente se siete depressi. Vi passerà la depressione, se non altro per 100 minuti.

Tre stelle e mezzo.

ISTITUTO EUROPEO STUDY ABROAD: Living in Florence with a Host Family

2011-10-03T07:13:00.001-05:00

My family

By Paige Gherardi

It has been almost five years since my first study abroad experience, but I will never forget the first day I arrived in Florence and met my host family. After a long plane ride and a disorienting experience trying to find our luggage and a taxi at the Peretola airport, I had to call my host family to let them know that my roommate and I were on our way. A sweet, older woman picked up the phone and suddenly I forgot what I was supposed to say. I had made an attempt to learn Italian by taking a beginner’s course the semester before I left, but everything I learned escaped me in that phone call and I could only manage to say our names. We arrived at the house, which was a large apartment on the third floor of a palazzo near Piazza San Marco, and we were greeted by two women who hugged and kissed us and grabbed our luggage to bring upstairs. Caught in a whirlwind of so many things happening at once and not being able to understand the language, we somehow managed to communicate through broken Italian and gestures. Our host mom, Gianna, and her mother who insisted on calling her Nonna, spoke in slow Italian to help us understand where we could put our things. They showed us around the large house and I understood that four other students were living there along with Gianna, her husband Paolo, their three daughters, and Gianna’s parents.

Before arriving I was confident that I would be able to communicate, but I was surprised by how little I could speak. On that first day I made my first big mistake in trying to Italianize an English word. While unpacking my toiletries I wanted to ask Gianna if there was cabinet space in the bathroom that I could use. I asked if there was a “cabinetto,” which she interpreted as “gabinetto,” and she couldn’t figure out why I wanted to put my stuff in the toilet…

A bit embarrassed and discouraged from my fatal errors during the first few days, I thought I would never come out of the experience learning the language. I was thankful to have roommates at all different levels of Italian to help out with the language barrier. After a week or so I realized that if I wanted to get a lot out of the experience I needed to force myself to speak. Fortunately, my host family didn’t speak English and I could practice with them each day. I sat next to Nonna and Nonno at dinner every night and they picked new things to teach me each week. I brought a pocket dictionary with me every time I went out at night (yes, big nerd) and I began to speak Italian in more and more situations.

The experiences I had with my host family are some of my most treasured memories of studying abroad in Florence, and I honestly would never have become fluent if it hadn’t been for them and my determination to learn. They took us on trips to Carnevale in Viareggio, wine tasting in Montalcino, to the chocolate festival in Perugia, and so many other places I would have never seen as a student living in my own apartment. Students become part of their family and I continue to consider them an important part of my life here in Florence.

Whether you live with a host family or not, I encourage students studying abroad to take advantage of the opportunity to learn Italian culture and lifestyle. Don’t be afraid to use your Italian – no matter how little you speak. Try using your Italian in supermarkets and stores in the center even if you think you’re butchering every word you say. You can’t imagine how good it feels on that first day that no one responds back to you in English and you understand them! Do some research on where locals hang out and meet new people. Find someone who can show you the true Florence and you will discover things you would never be able to on your own.

ISTITUTO EUROPEO: studying Abroad in Florence: L' Aperitivo!

2011-09-29T08:52:00.001-05:00

Studying Abroad in Florence: Aperitivo

Nightlife in Florence can start as early as 7:00 PM with a “passeggiata” in the center followed by an aperitivo. This Italian cocktail hour usually starts between 6 and 7 pm and continues until 9 or 10 PM. Appetizers and a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) are included in the price, and the spread can range from small portions of finger foods to a large buffet that could suffice for dinner. Most caffès and bars have an aperitivo, but here are a few suggestions of places to go:

Kitsch – 8 Euros will get you a drink and access to the buffet. Featuring everything from pasta to grilled vegetables to Tuscan cold cuts, this is the best value for those looking for a big food selection. There are two locations: Piazza Beccaria and Via San Gallo, 20.
Rifrullo – Located in the San Niccolò neighborhood, this was Florence’s first American Bar. It attracts a local crowd and is always busy for aperitivo. Patrons can sit by the bar and buffet, outside on the patio on warmer evenings, or head out back to a large, comfortable room with a fireplace for cooler nights. Via San Niccolò, 55R.
Caffè Sant’Ambrogio – Offering aperitivo at the price you would pay for a drink on their normal menu, Sant’Ambrogio is always full around 8 PM. In the warmer months you can sit outside in Piazza Sant’Ambrogio, but even in the colder months it is a local hot spot. Take time to explore this neighborhood, as it is also famous for its restaurants and outdoor market.
Sei Divino – This wine bar is a great place to hang out because they typically have different entertainment ranging from live bands to local DJ’s each night. Aside from the staff’s knowledge of wine and spirits, they also offer a small aperitivo that is different each night. For those looking for more food, it’s possible to order a “tagliere,” or cutting-board of local meats and cheeses. Borgo Ognissanti, 42
Slowly – Aperitivo at this trendy lounge is very low-key. It is possible to sit at the bar or organize larger tables for a party or big group of friends. Via Porta Rossa, 63R
Rooftop of Rinascente – A drink and a traditional salty snack with olives will cost a bit more at the top of this department store, but the view is spectacular. This is also a great place to grab a coffee and sit with friends during the afternoon if you don’t mind paying the cover!

These are only a few of the many great places to take part in aperitivo and I encourage you to find your own places to go. Some places will have a cover in addition to the aperitivo price, so be aware of what you are paying for before you order.

By Paige Gherardi

ISTITUTO EUROPEO: Gucci museum opening in Florence

2011-09-27T09:56:00.000-05:00

Last night hundreds of people made their way to Piazza Signoria to catch a glimpse of the many celebrities crossing the black carpet from Palazzo Vecchio to the new Gucci Museum for its inaugural viewing.

Celebrating 90 years, the Florentine company has stayed true to its roots in buying this grandiose three-floor palazzo to showcase Gucci fashion. To promote the event, a light show featuring the company’s signature “G” print has been projected onto the face of the palazzo each night for the past week. The VIP event began with cocktails in Palazzo and continued with a private showing of the museum for invited guests. A performance by Blondie was also a highlight in the evening’s entertainment. Princess Charlotte Casiraghi of Monaco, Carolina Crescentini, Violante Placido, Camilla Belle, Abbie Cornish, Emma Browning, Anna Wintour, the Ferragamo family, and Florence mayor Matteo Renzi were among the elite group of actors, actresses, artists, Vogue editors-in-chief, and fashion icons present at the opening. The museum is expected to open on Wednesday, September 28^th to the public. Entrance will cost 6€, with half of the proceeds donated to restoring treasures of Florence.

By Paige Gherardi

STUDY ABROAD: ART WORKSHOP AT THE NEW ISTITUTO EUROPEO ART DEPARTMENT

2011-09-16T09:43:00.000-05:00

ART WORKSHOP AT THE NEW ISTITUTO EUROPEO ART DEPARTMENT

The workshop will take time each day corresponding to the following schedule:

· 7:00-8.30 breakfast

· 9:00-13:00 lesson

· 13:00-14.00 lunch

· 14:00 – 18:00 lesson

· 19;-00 – 21:00 dinner

Arrival and transfer from the airport to the Hotel, check-in and organizing rooms

Visiting the studio, meeting the professors. The urban design in the city with Gad Apotecker, the perspective of the urban landscape, the palaces, The Arno and etc.

The fresco workshop with the professor Giuseppe Del Debbio, the expert of the ancient techniques of painting, in our Art Department.

The fresco workshop with the professor Giuseppe Del Debbio our Art Department .

Morning: visit to the Archeological Museum of Florence ”The origines of Italian Art” and to the Bargello ”The revival of the ancient”. Afternoon: lecture of Prof. Luca Viviani on different styles, not only classic, of ancient art (from geometric style to archaic , with a number of examples of connection between ancient and modern art). The design exercises of experimenting with different styles of representation.

The workshop on Bas-relief of historical gypsum with Prof. Fabrizio Lucchesi, Prof. Luca Viviani and Prof. Sergio Rubini“ the encounter with the stiacciato” in our Art Department.

Design in Tuscany:Open-air in the beautiful Tuscan country with Gad Apotecker.

The workshop on Bas-relief with Prof. Fabrizio Lucchesi, Prof. Luca Viviani and Prof. Sergio Rubini in our Art Department.

Trips in Tuscany included.

Teachers:

· Fabrizio Lucchesi – is a sculptor and a professor at the department of Ornamental Plastic Arts and Ceramics in the l’Accademia di Belle Arti of Florence, the author of the handbook of the technique of ceramics. The problems and defects in artistic ceramics (in Italian , English , Spanish).

· Luca Viviani – is a sculptor and an archeologist, that has been teaching the History of Ancient Arts in the Accademia di Belle Arti of Florence. He has published a book called The Calumny of Apelle, a modern discovery on ancient art, and a journey from ancient art to the modern.

· Giuseppe Del Debbio – Painter, Sculptor and professor, until 2006 of Ornamental Plastic Arts in the Accademia di Belle Arti of Florence.

· Sergio Rubini – Sculptor, professor in the Art institue of Bari.

· Gad Apotecker – is a sculptor and a painter and a professor of painting. He had studied and lived in Florence for many years . His works had been shown in a number of important museums

ISTITUTO EUROPEO Music Department the Story

2011-09-15T10:15:00.003-05:00

ISTITUTO EUROPEO Music Department the Story
(www.istitutoeuropeo.it )

It all started many years ago, in 1991, from a demand of some European students from Austria, Germany, France, etc. who used to come to Florence to study Italian - “la dolce lingua del sì.” Many of them were Musicians, and while staying here they constantly needed to practice their vocal skills and instruments.

It happened in this simple and a bit old fashioned way that the ISTITUTO EUROPEO Music Department began its story & from that moment has remained the main ISTITUTO EUROPEO feature.

ISTITUTO EUROPEO’s reputation is now well known for its flexibility and its capability to adapt to new market changes. We hold tremendous interest in understanding markets that never cease to fluctuate around the world and constantly undermine any attempt to classify and categorize trends and changes.

Throughout the years we have also welcomed many students from American universities for the Study Abroad Program. We produced an International Singing Competition staging famous Operas. We held concerts in historical churches and palaces of Florence.

In the end, we were able to set up a perfect mechanism to teach singing.

For this reason we believe that when you think of the ISTITUTO EUROPEO Music Department, you have to think of a perfect product. We have confidence in our program and can dare say that our method is one worth learning!

ISTITUTO EUROPEO Music Department a method of Excellence

Today our Music Department, led by Director Monica Benvenuti, has become a win-win situation. We created a product of success for your success. Every time you leave the classroom after your tailor-made lesson, you can feel and measure the results and benefits you receive from this one-on-one attention.

ISTITUTO EUROPEO Music Department’s brand has now become synonymous with quality. When you buy our lessons, you buy quality. The ISTITUTO EUROPEO Music Department provides students with a method of Excellence.

COSE DELL'ALTRO MONDO di Francesco Patierno

2011-09-06T05:12:00.003-05:00

di Fabrizio Ulivieri

Un grande Diego Abatantuo

Cose dell'altro mondo
REGIA: Francesco Patierno

ATTORI: Diego Abatantuono, Valerio Mastandrea, Valentina Lodovini, Renato Nuvoletti, Sandra Collodel

GENERE: Commedia

DURATA: 90 min

C’è lui in questo film, l’Abatantuono, che da terrún si è trasformato in leghista trevigiano a tirare le fila di un film sul valore degli immigrati avvertito con molto senso di buonismo: immigrato è bello e fa bene all’Italia.

Lui, il Diego, che nel film è l’industriale leghista trevigiano Mariso Golfetto gran massacratore di marocchini e immigrati in generale (“domenica c’è il sole. Vi porto al mare così vi abbronzate un po’!”), che vive in un nord dove il numero delle donne stuprate da neri ecc. è più alto che in Cecenia, e invidia perciò la Sicilia perché a Corleone di donne stuprate non ce n’è neanche una perché lì al negro gli rovinan la carrozzeria se ci si prova…. Un nord dove le moschee dilagano e pure le kebaberie…

Poi c’è il Mastrandea che fa la parte di un poliziotto ben disposto verso i diritti degli immigrati ma che è ossessionato dalle dimensioni del nuovo partner della sua ex che lo ha lasciato e sta ora con un negro (appunto) che l’ha messa incinta, ma che, ossessione a parte, lui testardamente ama ancora.

Il trevigiano pullula di immigrati. Dilagano. Mariso ne è ossessionato. Gli immigrati non sono poverini e il lavoro va dato prima agli italiani e chi commette crimini deve sottostare alla legge di Singapore, cioè punito corporalmente. Questi sono i temi delle sue trasmissioni in tv (“La 9”) di cui lui è padrone. Non si risparmia a “La 9”: le puttane nigeriane invadono le strade e la colpa è tutta della sinistra. Basta islamisti! Che prendano il cammello e ritornino al loro paese! E così, lui che ha il filo diretto con il Paròn (Dio) perché lui è l’autentico difensore della cristianità e ha adottato 5/6 negretti a distanza e non lo dice perché la beneficenza si fa così, invoca una sera in tv uno tsunami che si porti via tutti gli immigranti e per sempre.

Quella notte un temporale dalle dimensioni anomale ed infernali si abbatte sul trevigiano. La mattina il popolo trevigiano si sveglia e tutti gli immigranti son scomparsi…e ora son cazzi! Ora sì che l’Italia diventa davvero un paese di MERDA!...più nulla funziona e Mariso non può neppure andare a puttane nigeriane a cui prometteva di far avere il permesso di soggiorno…nessuno lavora, perché scomparsi gli immigrati nel Veneto laborioso di italiani che lavorino in fabbrica o facciano i badanti non se ne trova…non ci sono più vu cumprà, albanesi, romeni, marocchini…solo nordici incapaci di mandare avanti il loro stesso paese…Geox, Pinarello, De Longhi si fermano…si ferma il veneto e l’Italia di merda tutta…è il Caos!!

Buona la regia di Patierno. Grande Abatantuono. Ottimo Mastrandea, che recita come Nanni Moretti.

Storia scorrevole e piacevole con finale alla Fellini.

Buona l’idea. Peccato però che sia stata copiata da “Un giorno senza messicani” di Sergio Arau.

Insomma, tutto sommato, un discreto inizio di stagione che fa ben sperare per il cinema italiano? Lo verificheremo nel prosieguo della stagione.

Voto: tre stelle.

Study Abroad, ISTITUTO EUROPEO; ACA SUMMER 2011 Algerho Sardinia.

2011-07-26T06:15:00.000-05:00

If you’re looking for Paradise look no further than Alghero Sardinia this is a great spot for a romantic getaway, relaxation or to live the Jimmy Buffet Dream. My fiancé and I spent two days here, this was not nearly enough time you need at least 5 to 7 days. Although with in those two days were toured the whole town of Alghero and went to three amazing beaches. The people in Algerho are extremely friendly and act as if you’re a part of their family, a women in her 80’s struck up a conversation with us. She was very interested in who we were and very willing to tell us her whole life story. In addition, she explained to us a little about Sardinia what she liked about and didn’t like. My fiancé and I very thrilled to talk to her due to the fact that this is the best information one can get about a place they are visiting. You will not find this in America; people are too busy to stop and talk to you and give you advice on what to do during your stay. She explained that most Sardinian food is fish based, and that they serve the best grilled fish. She also told us that Sardinia has some of the best beaches, and that two days here is not long enough. The views in Sardinia are beyond breath taking, if you asked me to describe a utopia it would be Sardinia. One of the best beaches to go to in Algerho is Le bombarde, it is a meeting place for all locals and is very laid back area with some of the best water and sand. It takes about 15 minutes by bus to get there but is well worth it.

There are many restaurants in Algerho one of the best places we ate was at Mirador, at little restaurant outside overlooking the sea. This is a very popular restaurant, and most of the time you have to wait at least 15 minutes. However during your wait they give you white wine to enjoy while staring at the beautiful water. The second place to eat is at Movida, where it is tucked into a wall which resembles a wine cellar. The food is unbelievable and reasonable priced. Lastly, enjoy the seafood, it is some of the best I have had in all of Italy, everything is freshly made with great natural seasonings.

Study Abroad, ISTITUTO EUROPEO; ACA SUMMER 2011 Quick Tips and suggestions for anyone going to the Amalfi Coast!

2011-07-19T06:10:00.001-05:00

First off, bring hiking shoes I have seen too many people wear flip-flops for a 25 minute hike through the unlevel coast. Second, bring sunscreen and a hat; these are two of the most valuable things to have due to the vastly hot temperature and lack of shade. Not to mention, it feels cooler by the water even though it’s well over 100◦ F. Lastly, don’t forget to Drink plenty of water and bring socks to wear to walk on the sand; the sand becomes too hot to walk on and all public bathrooms cost around .50 cents, bring correct change.

Places to see:

Capri: Take the boat tour around the isle of Capri, they will show you all of the grottos. However, entrance to the Blue Grotto depends on the weather; the slightest condition can make entering the grotto dangerous. After the boat tour, go up to Capri town, it’s small but full of life and they have some of the best seafood. There are plenty of restaurants in Capri, one of the best suggested is Capri’s Restaurant, it is reasonably priced. After seeing the town, make your way down to one of the most beautiful beaches with crystal clear water. Lastly, you must try the Lemoncello, Capri is known for it.

Positano: Is my favorite place in all of Italy. It is has a great relaxing atmosphere and is one of the prettiest towns throughout the Amalfi Coast. Positano is known for their handmade leather sandals. The town has many shops and plenty of great views from those areas. Positano has public and private beaches, if you’re looking for a less crowded area with some comfort, you can go to L’ incanto (www.lincanto.com/ristorantepizzeria). The cost for an umbrella and one lounge chair is about 14 Euros for the day. L’incanto (www.lincanto.com/ristorantepizzeria) also has is a very good restaurant serving some of Positanos best pizza. If you’re looking just for a quick snack or panini, I suggest you go to Vini e panini. Everything there is freshly made right in front of you, you can get a large panino with anything on it for around 4 Euros, also they sell fresh fruit that they wash and cut for you. This was my personal favorite spot to eat due to the amount of food you receive for an in expensive amount.

Pompeii: Walking through Pompeii is like walking back in time; it’s very beautiful and has so much history. I suggest getting a tour guide due to the fact that everything looks the same therefore it makes it hard to distinguish what areas were used for and their context. There are many places to eat outside of Pompeii; we choose to eat at the Hotel across the way they offered a two course meal for 12 Euros. One can choose from pizza or pasta (try both, they’re very good!) with a salad or French fries and any soft drink followed by gelato. After, take the bus ride to the top of Mt. Vesuvius be sure to wear comfortable shoes, you will be walking up hill for 25 minutes on lose gravel not flat ground. Once to the top you have an amazing view of the coast and the Volcano.

ISTITUTO EUROPEO; Study abroad independent study, a student’s experience at Siena di Palio.

2011-07-04T03:51:00.000-05:00

Palio di Siena one of the most amazing events held in Italy. What makes this dangerous but exhilarating event so significant is the long standing tradition that is deeply rooted into the Senese culture. The people of Siena live for there Contrada, this is not something that is done for tourists this is for the people and their Contrada. I knew there would be many diehard fans, what I didn’t expect was a mosh pit of people trying to race to the edges of the Piazza del Campo to get the best view. To get from San Francesco to the Campo took 1 hour, due to the procession of Contrada’s and their followers

singing and chanting.

After entering the Campo I was overwhelmed to see the thousands of people packed into one small area. In total this race take around 75 seconds, the most EXCITING 75 seconds of your life. Words cannot describe how it is to be in the center of this race, although you find yourself and the crown in sync spinning around trying to watch each jockey. At the first turn one jockey slams into the wall one the second lap another falls off at the harsh turn. lastly, we have a winner the Oca (goose) the crown went wild and became so loud you couldn’t even hear yourself. This was like nothing I have experienced before in my life, you can see the passion and emotion on each person. Americans has nothing like this, the Super-Bowl does not even come close to this, when you see someone crying over a football game you tend to think to yourself, stop crying it is only a game. Whereas the Palio has centuries of tradition and passion that is passed down from father to father when people cry it has significant meaning. This type of passion and tradition is something I want to share with my children and their children. The Palio di Siena is something that everyone must experience once in their lives, it really shapes your understanding of the meaning of tradition and culture which we I believe we lack in America.

By: Nick Palozzi

STUDY ABROAD Independent study: Made in Italy and successful Italian business models

2011-06-30T03:41:00.000-05:00

ISTITUTO EUROPEO the place of Excellence

STUDY ABROAD Independent study: Made in Italy and successful Italian business models

Independent study (15 contact hours, 1 contact hour: 45’, of lesson and 30 completely independently by the student)

Rationale and Description

Italy provides models of excellence in business in various sectors and industries. Made, styled, designed in Italy has become, over times, synonymous of high quality products and processes.

This course will focus on the most important fields that have contributed to the success of the “made in Italy” brand and label, that is, the industrial design, food and fashion industries.

The course will focus also on the positive elements and possible threats of the “Italian creative entrepreneurial business model” as opposed to other international business models.

One of the key issue of the course is represented by the possibility offered to the student to compare the Italian Business model (through a series of conceptual frameworks and cases) with the prevalent business models present in the U.S. and have the possibility to integrate the two approach. Approaching business with a blend of different perspective and approaches is a key element of success in the current global economic scenario.

Philosophy and Approach

The approach in the classroom is based on active learning. The class will be a combination of lecture/discussion, in-class exercises, out-of-class exercises, case analyses, presentations and personal reflections. This will provide the student with multiple ways to learn about entrepreneurial concepts related to Italian business excellence.

Learning Objectives

The program’s main objective is to guide the student to understand and acquire direct knowledge of Italian business expertise in different areas from creative, entrepreneurial, marketing and strategic perspectives.

By the time students complete this program, the student will :

1. Understand the economic, historical, technological, societal and global implications of successful Italian entrepreneurship;

2. Experience directly Italian Excellence in different business sectors;

3. Understand which are the key success factors for competing successfully in a global marketplace in luxury businesses;

4. Understand the difference between made, styled and designed in Italy;

5. Appreciate the marketing fashion – design niche approach as opposed to the post industrial heavy advertising - mass market approach;

6. Understand how the food – wine - hospitality, fashion and industrial design industries work: key success factors and SWOT analysis.

7. Compare the rational business model and approach with the creative – entrepreneurial business approach;

8. Integrate the positive factors of different approaches and business model (with particular attention to Italy and U.S. prevalent business models).

List of possible program contents

· Historical, technological, societal and global implications of Italian entrepreneurship and Italian Business Excellence. Competitive strategies of SMEs (the Italian perspective);

· Italian Business Excellence: environmental analysis and key success factors. The rational design-chaotics approach and the emotional entrepreneurial approach to strategic business development;

· Italian Business excellence in industrial design: business model, key success factors and Italian key successful players; case analysis;

· The fashion Industry, the business model and the key success factors, successful key players. Defining fashion and luxury;

· Italian Business excellence: segmentation of the luxury industry: case analysis from the fashion industry;

· Italian Business excellence in fashion: case analysis;

· The fashion Industry (cont’d). Branding as positioning and storytelling. The product development process;

· Italian Business excellence in fashion: business leadership in luxury and fashion: case analysis;

· Italian Business excellence in the food- wine hospitality sector; business model and key success factors;

· Italian excellence in the food- wine hospitality sector: case analysis.

I BEI PENSIERI PASSANO DALLA LINGUA. STUDIA L'ITALIANO LA LINGUA DELL'AMORE!!

2010-11-09T09:07:00.000-06:00

se non penserò all'amore non sarò niente!

LUI NON HA STUDIATO ITALIANO ALL'ISTITUTO EUROPEO!!

2010-11-09T06:53:00.003-06:00

Recetas de salsas: Pesto

2010-07-16T05:16:00.002-05:00

El Pesto es una salsa fría italiana de corlor verde claro que se elabora en mortero o de forma mecánica. El pesto clásico se prepara con hojas de albahaca frescas trituradas, ajo, aceite de oliva, sal, pimienta, piñones y queso. Se utiliza para acompañar los platos de pasta. Cada vez es más frecuente comprarla envasada.

Ingredientes:
- 50 gr. de hojas de albahaca
- 4 cucharadas (60 ml.) de piñones
- 2-4 dientes de ajo
- 120 ml. (1/2 vaso) de aceite de oliva virgen extra
- 115 gr. de queso parmesano recien rallado
- 25 gr. de queso pecorino recien rallado (o queso de leche de oveja curado)

Elaboracion:
Tritura la albahaca, los ajos y los piñones hasta conseguir una pasta homogenea. Añade 60 ml. de aceite de oliva para darle a la pasta una consistencia cremosa. Incorpora el resto del aceite poco a poco, en forma de hilo fino, sin dejar de batir para conseguir una emulsion perfecta. Añade los quesos y remueve con una cuchara de madera. Pruebalo y añade la sal y pimienta si fuera necesario.

Consejos:
- Para hacer la salsa al pesto mas sabrosa, añade una o dos cucharadas de nata liquida y mezcla.

- Para una salsa mas ligera, añade una o dos cucharadas del agua en el que hemos hervido la pasta (que acompañara el pesto) y mezcla.

- Justo antes de servir añade piñones tostados y una o dos cucharadas de aceite de oliva virgen extra para darle un sabor mas afrutado.

Informacion: Cervecerias en Florencia

2010-07-16T04:33:00.002-05:00

Si te apetece darte una vuelta por Florencia y te entra la calor, una alternativa a los ya famosos helados es tomarse una refrescante cerveza. He aqui algunas buenas propuestas:

- Danny Rock (Via Pandolfini, 13r)
Horario: de lunes a domingo de 18:30 a 02:00

- J.J. Cathedral Irish Pub (Piazza San Giovanni, 4r)
Horario: de lunes a domingo de 10:00 a 02:00

- XO (Via Verdi, 57r)
Horario: de martes a sabado de 21:00 a 04:00

- Kikuya (Via de Benci, 43r)
Horario: de lunes a viernes de 18:00 a 03:00, sabados y domingos de 12:00 a 03:00

- Birreria Artigianale Il Bovaro (Via Pisana, 3r)
Horario: de domingo a jueves de 19:00 a 01:00, viernes y sabados de 19:00 a 02:00

- Braumeister (Via della Madonna della Tosse, 12r)
Horario: de domingo a jueves de 19:00 a 01:00, viernes y sabados de 19:00 a 02:00

- I 5 Tavoli (Via del Sole, 26r)
Horario: de lunes a domingo de 12:00 a 03:00

- Hemingway (Piazza Piatellina, 9r)
Horario: de lunes a jueves de 16:30 a 01:00, viernes y sabados de 16:30 a 02:00 y domingos de 15:30 a 01:00

- Lo Stregatto (Porta al Prato)
Horario: de lunes a domingo de 22:00 a 00:00

Personajes famosos de la Toscana: Galileo Galilei

2010-07-16T03:54:00.004-05:00

Galileo Galilei (Pisa, 15 de febrero de 1564 - Florencia, 8 de enero de 1642)
Fue un astronomo, filosofo, matematico y fisico que estuvo relacionado muy estrechamente con la revolucion cientifica. Sus logros incluyen la mejora del reciente invento del telescopio, gran variedad de observaciones astronomicas, la primera ley del movimiento, y un apoyo incondicional al copernicanismo.
Es considerado hoy en dia como el padre de la astronomia y la fisica moderna y padre la ciencia.
Fue el primero en decir que el Sol no giraba alrededor de la Tierra, sino que ocurria al reves, fue duramente criticado por ello, tambien creo una primera teoria sobre las mareas, aunque erroneas pero muy cercanas a la realidad.
Uno de sus descubrimientos mas importantes fueron descubrir los satelites de Jupiter, por los que empezo a investigar sobre el heliocentrismo, otros descubrimientos fueron los anillos de Saturno (aunque no supo darles una explicacion realista) o las manchas solares.
Por culpa de todos estos descubrimientos, se gano a muchos enemigos, sobretodo los seguidores de la teoria de Aristoteles, que decia que todo giraba alrededor de la Tierra. Ellos fueron los que le acusaron de herejia frente a la Inquisicion, esta le condeno ya que decia que sus teorias no tenian fundamento y se refugiaban en la Biblia. Le condenaron en 1633 a permanecer en la carcel indefinidamente, gracias a su amistad con el papa Urbano VIII, solo tendria arresto domiciliario de por vida.
Finalmente, muere a los 78 años junto a sus fieles discipulos, totalmente ciego por culpa de diversas enfermedades y de la edad.

Informacion: Emblemas de la ciudad de Florencia

2010-07-15T03:43:00.002-05:00

Si paseas por la ciudad de Florencia, veras por todos lados los simbolos de la ciudad, desde los leones, que se encuentran por plazas, o el simbolo de la flor de Lis, que decora la bandera, el escudo y miles de cosas mas.
Estos son los principales simbolos de la ciudad:

- Flor de Lis: Es el simbolo de Florencia desde el siglo IX. Su origen no esta muy claro hoy en dia, hay diferentes leyendas que intentan aclarar el porque es el simbolo actual de la ciudad.
Una de ellas relaciona el nombre de la ciudad (Florentia) con una fiesta que ocurria entre el 28 de abril y el 3 de mayo, en la epoca romana, en la que se rendia culto a la diosa Flora (Ludi Florales o Floralia) por la llegada de la primavera. La asociacion del nombre con las fiestas fue espontanea.
Otra leyenda lo relaciona con uno de los miticos fundadores de la ciudad, el pretor romano, Fiorino.
Existen otros simbolos alegoricos, como por ejemplo que el lirio es la representacion de la pureza de la Virgen. Tambien ya se utilizaba este simbolo como enseñanza en la Primera Cruzada.
Muchas veces se ha representado el lirio en el escudo que se encuentra en la pata derecha del leon (otro simbolo de la ciudad) llamado Marzocco, aun sigue siendo el simbolo de otros lugares, aunque en Florencia destaca por la falta de estambres, los organos adecuados para la reproduccion.
En 1809, el gobierno de Napoleon trato de imponer un nuevo simbolo para Florencia: una planta de flores de Lis sobre fondo verde, y una de plata, rematado con una punta roja, ademas de tres abejas de oro. No funciono durante mucho tiempo ya que no siguio el decreto florentino. En el siglo XX se intento cambiar el simbolo en un par de ocasiones pero sin mucho exito.
A lo largo de su historia, Florencia ha llegado a utilizar simbolos diferentes a la ya famosa flor de Lis:

- La bandera del municipio, aprobada a finales del siglo X, era un escudo partido simple, de color blanco y rojo. Se creo gracias a la combinacion entre los blasones de Florencia y Fiesole, eliminando el lirio. Desaparecio en la batalla de Montaperti en 1260.
- La bandera de la gente, una cruz de plata de color rojo, simbolo comun de muchas ciudades de la Liga Lombarda. Se creo en 1250, cuando se crearon 20 empresas de la milicia bajo el mando de los capitanes. Esta bandera, en 1292 paso a convertirse en la universal cruz roja.
- la bandera de la republica, utilizada por la Republica de Florencia, en 1527.

Experiencias: En Siena

2010-07-15T02:34:00.003-05:00

No podia irme de esta tierra tan bonita como es la toscana sin visitar una de sus ciudades mas importantes: Siena. Famosa mundialmente por si fiesta del Palio, que consiste en una carrera de caballos en la famosa plaza del Campo, sin ningun tipo de reglas.
Lo primero que hicimos al llegar a la estacion fue conseguir un mapa en la oficina de turismo en la misma estacion, para mi opinion, un robo que te cobren 0,50€ por un simple mapa.
Despues de situarnos en el mapa nos dispusimos a seguir la ruta que nos habiamos marcado, a pesar de que la estacion se encuentra a las afueras, y de que el camino es bastante complicado, ya que tienes que cruzar la carretera, lleguemos al centro. Lo primero que hicimos alli fue ir a ver la famosa plaza del Campo, y puedo decir, que solo entrar en las callejuelas por las que se accede a la plaza ya te maravillas de las vistas a esta. Es un lugar inmenso y impresionante, lleno de vida. A destacar la preciosa fuente que se encuentra delante del Palazzo Publico medieval y la torre del Mangia, de 102 metros, decorada con bonitas estatuas.
Seguimos nuestra ruta por calles muy empinadas hasta llegar al impresionante Duomo, con su torre rallada y sus angeles coronando el edificio, impresiona mucho.
Decidimos pagar una entrada, que incluye la entrada al Duomo, el Batisterio, el Museo di Santa Maria della Scala, el Museo de la Opera y la Pinacoteca, aunque esta ultima no entremos porque la entrada no entra dentro de la que compremos nosotros, sino que solo sirve para un descuento de la entrada a esta.
Por ser estudiantes la entrada nos costo 5€, y a pesar de que todos los sitios fueron impresionantes, a destacar el batisterio, quiza por su sencillez, nos falto tiempo para poder visitarlo todo con calma.
Finalmente, tuvimos que finalizar nuestra visita, visitando la fortaleza de Santa Barbara, una antigua muralla desde donde se pueden hacer unas fotos preciosas de la ciudad.
Recomiendo, por experiencia propia, que si se va a ver la muralla, al volver se vuelva al centro de la ciudad y de ahi hasta la estacion. Porque intentar ir directamente desde alli es una odisea y mas si es en verano, ya que son unas calles muy empinadas, sin nada de sombra, y si no sigues correctamente el mapa puedes perderte.
Mi opinion es que es una ciudad imprescindible para visitar, ya que tiene cosas unicas para ver.

STAGE ALL' ESTERO CON L' ISTITUTO EUROPEO

2010-07-14T09:31:00.007-05:00

TIROCINI IN AMERICA, CANADA O AUSTRALIA? PERCHE' NO? Contatta il nostro coordinatore a info@istitutoeuropeo

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE INTERN NEEDED FOR SEPTEMBER

2010-07-14T09:25:00.002-05:00

Company in Florence is seeking interns for Business Intelligence. Please send your resume to our Coordinator: info@istitutoeuropeo.it

Noticias en español: Italia: Historia, romanticismo y arquitectura en la palma de nuestra mano

2010-07-14T08:48:00.001-05:00

http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/764554/0/circuito/italia/roma/