Italian Facts
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 is spoken in Africa, primarily in Ethiopia, Somalia, Somaliland and Eritrea
Italian
Glossary
Venezia
Get audio
Venezia è conosciuta in tutto il mondo come la città dell’amore. Molti poeti italiani e stranieri ambientarono le loro opere letterarie in questa splendida laguna d’Italia. Sin dal 1711 la città è divisa in quartieri chiamati sestieri. Questi sono sette: San Marco, Castello, Cannaregio, Santa Croce, San Paolo, Dorsoduno e Giudecca.
Sestiere San Marco costituisce il cuore della città di Venezia e si estende intorno a Piazza San Marco, che ha visto per secoli la consacrazione e l’acclamazione del Doge Sestiere Castello, invece, era anticamente denominato Olivolo per la presenza di oliveti. Pietro Tribuno, doge di Venezia, pose sul Canal Grande una catena robusta e gigante di ferro per sbarrare il traffico delle imbarcazioni. Fece, inoltre, fortificare tutta la zona di Castello per paura delle incursioni dei Tartari.
Sestiere di Cannaregio sorge a nord del Canal Grande. In questo quartiere si trovano l’incantevole palazzo gotico Cà d’oro, il neoclassico Palazzo Manfrin, il medievale Ponte delle Guglie, il seicentesco Ponte dei tre archi e la settecentesca Chiesa degli Scalzi.
Sestiere di Santa Croce ospita numerose chiese fra cui quella di S. Simeone Profeta (X sec.) e quella di Sant’ Andrea della Dirada (1475). Sestiere di San Paolo rappresenta la sede economica e commerciale della città.
Sestiere di Dorsoduno deve il suo nome alla morfologia del terreno che si solleva dalla laguna come un dorso. Il nome del Sestiere Giudecca deriva, invece, dal fatto che anticamente era la zona abitata dagli Ebrei (Giudei).
Di straordinaria bellezza sono le isole di Burano, dove si fanno i merletti, tessuti di fili intrecciati a formare motivi decorativi e l’isola di Murano resa celebre in tutto il mondo per la lavorazione del vetro.
Infine da non perdere sono sicuramente il Carnevale di Venezia che risale al X sec. e che è giustamente considerata la manifestazione di carnevale più importante dell’anno e la Regata Storica che prevede una sfilata delle imbarcazioni, fra cui le splendide gondole che hanno fatto la storia della città.
Italian links
Italian Courses in Peterborough
Our native speaker qualified Italian language teachers can train you and your colleagues at your office or home at a time to suit you. Classes can be any day of the week (even weekends) in the morning, afternoon or evening. In certain circumstances, if your home or office is not suitable, you can take your classes at the trainer's office. Course books are provided.
Book now / EnquiryItalian 1 to 1 Business
Italian courses of this type are aimed towards those that need to learn Italian to aid them with their employment. For those just starting out, it is integral to learn basic greetings and business etiquette; and reading and writing can be adopted once the simple precepts are out of the way. Success has come from students who are involved in import/export, international negotiations and acquisitions, those seeking jobs in multinational companies, and those working with foreign colleagues, academia and bureaucracy. Just our most basic beginners course will have the student finishing the course with basic telephone/e-mail skills in Italian, as well as survival Italian should a short stay in the country be needed.
Book now / EnquiryItalian 1 to 1 General
These courses in Italian are wider-ranging in their nature, and are driven towards students who have a variety of differing needs. All beginner students will expect to study enough survival Italian to get them through a short visit to the country, those staying on with the course can progress differently, depending on their individual requests and requirements. Whether you are buying property in a foreign country, married to a foreign national, planning a round-the-world trip, interested in Italian history and culture, or if you simply want to attain a particular level of Italian, this is the choice for you.
Book now / EnquiryItalian Group Lessons
The Italian courses are also available for 2 or more people studying together (Two-to-One Italian Course or Small Group In-Company Italian Course). All participants must have the same level, the same business or general language needs and be able to study at the same time in the same location. The booking must be made for all participants at the same time. Listen & Learn do not recommend group classes of more than 6-8 people although In-Company Taster Italian Courses can be run with up to 12 people.
Book now / Enquiry
Peterborough
A cathedral city in the east of England, Peterborough has a population of around 170,000. Owing much of its modern development to its role as a railway hub during the Industrial Revolution as its location is both central and notoriously flat and low-lying. These days Peterborough is home to a large concentration of Italian immigrants, and thanks to new commonwealth immigration has had a major population boom over the last few years: it is believed that there are 55 different languages being spoken in the city. Peterborough is also home to a wide variety of foreign cuisine in its restaurants, as well as numerous yearly festivals (including an annual beerfest).
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."
Peterborough Map
