Italian Facts
Italian is the official language of Catholicism
Italian is written using the Roman alphabet, but the letters J, K, W, X and Y are not part of the standard Italian alphabet, appearing only in loan words
Italian has always had a different, distinctive dialect for each Italian city, though a well-known Italian turn of phrase describes it as "the Tuscan tongue in a Roman mouth"
Italian
Glossary
Leonardo da Vinci e la Giocond
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Leonardo Da Vinci, figlio illegittimo del notaio ser Piero da Vinci, nacque ad Anchiano il 15 aprile 1452. Sua madre era una certa Caterina che non fu mai esattamente identificata e che non compare nelle notizie biografiche di Leonardo, tanto da dare una giustificazione morale a quel senso di solitudine che animerà sempre la vita del maestro.
Nel 1469 era già nel capoluogo toscano dove frequentò la bottega di Verrocchio, avendo come compagni Botticelli, Perugino, Lorenzo di Credi.
Verso il 1483 si recò a Milano per ragioni di carattere scientifico, infatti l'artista si affermò subito anche nel campo prettamente tecnico con disegni riguardanti l'urbanistica, l'architettura, la fabbricazione di strumenti di guerra, gli studi sul volo degli uccelli, le ricerche sui sottomarini e la sistemazione degli alvei dei fiumi della zona del milanese. Ma di maggiore rilevanza è la sua attività artistica per le numerose opere conservate, fra cui il suo quadro dipinto ad olio su legno di pioppo: La Gioconda. In Italia si preferisce chiamarlo "La Gioconda", come lo nominò per primo, nel 1625, Cassiano del Pozzo. All'estero si conosce meglio col nome di "Monna Lisa", come lo intitolò Giorgio Vasari, nel 1550.
Leonardo cominciò a dipingerlo nel 1503 a Firenze, vi lavorò fino al 1506, con interruzioni, secondo la sua abitudine, e non lo terminò mai, secondo la sua opinione.
Il famoso quadro, appartenente alle collezioni del Museo parigino del Louvre, rappresenta forse la signora Lisa Gherardini, moglie del commerciante fiorentino Francesco del Giocondo, o forse è una misteriosa signora fiorentina, il cui ritratto gli fu incaricato da Giuliano de' Medici, fratello di Lorenzo il Magnifico. Molto probabilmente non si saprà mai.
Col passar del tempo la Gioconda si convertì nel ritratto tipico per eccellenza e, per uno di quei misteriosi capricci del destino, nel quadro più famoso del mondo. Infatti esistono 62 copie antiche della Gioconda (incluso alcune che la rappresentano nuda), delle quali le più conosciute si trovano nei musei di Roma, Madrid, Londra, Innsbruck, Monaco, Baltimora, Tours, Bourg-en-Bresse, e in collezioni private soprattutto inglesi. Una copia si attribuisce a Bernardo Luini, un'altra al Salaino, altre si basano su cartoni di Joos van Cleeve, un'altra copia ancora è di uno spagnolo anonimo del 1500.
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Italian Courses in Bedford
You and your group can be trained by our native speaker qualified Italian teachers, and can meet at your place of work or home at a time convenient to you. Tutorials can take place any day of the week, including weekends, and can be scheduled for the morning, afternoon or evening. If your home or office is not suitable for you, you can attend the course at the teacher's offices. You will be provided with all relevant course materials.
Book now / EnquiryItalian 1 to 1 Business
These Italian courses are intended for people who really need to learn Italian to help make that difference in their work. For beginners, it will be useful to learn greetings and basic business etiquette, at higher levels reading and then writing become more important. Typical students include those involved in import/export, international negotiations and acquisitions, jobseekers in multinational companies where an additional language is required, and those working with international colleagues, academia and government. Even on our most basic course for Beginners, students should expect to end the course with basic Telephone Italian and e-mail Italian skills for communications as well as Survival Italian required for short visits to a country.
Book now / EnquiryItalian 1 to 1 General
These Italian courses are more general in nature and are targeted at students with a whole range of different needs. While all beginners level students can expect to cover Survival Italian - required for short visits to a country where English may not be spoken and/or the intention is to make good contacts with the local population, students then generally progress in different directions depending on their needs. Typical students include those buying property overseas, spouses of overseas nationals, people about to set off on that long-awaited world trip, Italian culture enthusiasts and those who are keen to pass a particular Italian examination.
Book now / EnquiryItalian Group Lessons
Those wishing to learn Italian in groups of 2 or more together (Two-to-One Italian Courses or Small Group In-Company Italian Courses) can sign up for our group classes. All students must be at nearly the same level of Italian proficiency, must have the same needs from the language, and must be able to study at the same time and place as the others. Bookings must be made for all students simultaneously. Listen & Learn do not propose group sizes or more than 6-8 people, but In-Company Taster Italian Courses can occur with up to 12 people.
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Bedford
As the county town of Bedfordshire, Bedford was a market town for the surrounding farmland during the early Middle Ages, and was also the home and prison of John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim's Progress. Nowadays the town is home to over 80,000 people, and has the largest concentration of Italian immigrants in the UK. The town centre is split in two by the river Great Ouse, and the banks are adorned with botanical gardens known as The Embankment, which plays host to the annual River Festival - the second largest regular outdoor event in the UK.
Italian Testimonials
"This is just a quick note to say thank you for arranging our Italian classes. We really enjoyed them and we liked Maria very much. We are interested in having some more lessons, perhaps once a week now. We'd like them to focus on conversation so that we can practise what we've learned so far."
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