Buongiorno
In Italy we say 🔊 buongiorno from the morning until about 5pm.
We share our culture to practice foreign languages
On the pages of All Italian we place this message:
We are Italians abroad and we also write this page to practice our English. Our apologies if we sometimes write creatively. 🙂
We are still learning English, but we know Italian very well. That is why we often write out the meaning and pronunciation of the Italian words we come across. This way you always make 🔊 bella figura when you order ice cream in Italian.
Italian customs and heritage
If you search for Italian culture online, the first results you find contain stereotypes of those who know Italy from the outside: la dolce vita, mamma mia, la bella figura, and the mafia of course. We won't talk about all this.
The quality of the food, the passion for taste and the togetherness are universally recognized features of the Italian lifestyle, the result of the climate, the culture and of a great tradition.
And that's what we're going to write about.
The Italian language
🔊 Io parlo Italiano - I speak italian
Italian is a Romance language that comes directly from Latin. It is mainly spoken in Italy, where it is used by about 59 million inhabitants.
We think that speaking a little Italian is a good way to learn about the culture of Italy.
Speaking a little Italian is also useful in the restaurant, to order a cup of coffee or an ice cream.
Our friends in the Netherlands are very interested in learning Italian. Italian is considered a harmonious language and is associated with an age-old culture. In addition to being useful when traveling and on vacation.
Italian literature
Italian literary production is limitless: from Latin authors to the present. In the online archives, classic authors such as Dante Alighieri are mixed with modern writers such as Carlo Collodi or Italo Svevo, or contemporary writers such as Umberto Eco.
That's why we've dedicated a section of the site to our favorite Italian books and authors.
-
-
-
-
-
-
We also share interviews with the writers, to get to know them better and hear their voices. It's also a great way to practice your Italian.
-
Niccolò Ammaniti
-
Paolo Cognetti
-
Paolo Giordano
-
Ilaria Tuti
-
Sandro Veronesi
-
Elena Ferrante
Many Italian writers have become famous after winning the Strega Prize, probably the most famous literary prize.
☕
The tradition of Italian coffee
The coffee trade in Italy started in the sixteenth century. The first coffee shop was opened in 1683, in Piazza San Marco in Venice.
Since then, coffee has been part of the Italian culture, which imports about 8 million bags a year.
At home, Italians like to make coffee with the Moka Pot.
-
-
-
-
-
-
The coffee most served in Italian bars and restaurants is undoubtedly the Espresso.
Drinking espresso at the bar in the morning doesn't just mean having breakfast: it means conviviality, an excuse to have a chat at the bar.
🍨
Making your own ice cream: easy, healthy and delicious
Real flavours, healthy ingredients and a long tradition make Italian ice cream a symbol for fans from all over the world.
A stop at an ice cream parlor is a must when visiting Italy.
Enjoying an ice cream cone while walking through the streets of Venice, Turin or Rome, is a pleasure that helps to discover the beauty of Italy and its flavors.
From the hazelnuts of Turin to the lemon of Sorrento, ice cream represents the typical character of the areas in which it is produced.
🍹
Aperitivo, the Italian aperitif: bitter drinks and traditional cocktails
The aperitif in Italy is a ritual deeply rooted in Italian culture. The drinks, flavors and style vary by region: cities like Turin, Florence, Venice, Padua and Milan have a centuries-old tradition of bitter cocktails.
The aperitif, born as an introductory ritual before dinner, has become a social event, sometimes replacing dinner and introducing an evening with friends.
-
Aperol Spritz, the most famous Italian aperitif
The aperitivo is the Italian way of enjoying life. It is the most spontaneous way to meet friends and make new acquaintances, thanks to a cozy atmosphere..
🥃
Italian drinks, liqueurs and digestives
The taste of liqueurs and herbal bitters (amaro) has been part of Italian culture for centuries.
In the Renaissance, the production of liqueurs was a very widespread activity in Italy. The cities of Milan, Venice, Modena and Florence exported large quantities of alcoholic beverages.
In Italian culture, it is customary to end a good dinner with a glass of amaro, which is believed to aid digestion.
In Italian restaurants, a shot of liqueur is usually offered along with the bill. It is part of the culture, conviviality and identity of Italy, where each region has its own specialties.
Make Italian pizza at home: the original pizza dough recipe
Pizza is an original dish from Italian cuisine and is appreciated all over the world.
In Italy 56 million pizzas are eaten every week, in the country's 21,000 pizzerias. We tell you how to make pizza at home according to the original pizza recipe from Naples.
Pizza is linked to the city of Naples, where pizza making is an art form passed down from father to son. As early as 1500, they ate a flat bread called pizza in Naples.
In 2017, UNESCO included "The traditional art of the Neapolitan pizza maker" in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Italian pasta, cooked al dente
There is a millennial bond between Italians and pasta. Dry pasta like spaghetti and penne comes from the south of Italy; fresh pasta such as lasagna, tagliatelle and gnocchi is quintessential northern Italy.
Pasta is made with flour, water, salt and sometimes eggs. It can be long, short, ridged (rigata) or smooth (liscia).
Each Italian region has its own type of pasta and a type of sauce to go with it. Iconic are dishes such as Penne all'Arrabbiata, Spaghetti alla Carbonara or Tagliatelle alla Bolognese.
Pasta is one of the most exported and well-known Italian products in the world, and an important part of Italian culture.
All Italian regions
On All Italian Italian we talk about recipes, culinary products, books and people: all this is inseparable from the places, the Italian regions. Each dish originates from a specific regional context.
As we fill the site with topics and recipes, we tell you insights about the place of origin.
Getting married in Italy: the most beautiful locations for an Italian wedding
Italy offers enchanting landscapes and elegant locations for a dream wedding (🔊 matrimonio da sogno).
The villas and gardens of Tuscany or the great lakes of Northern Italy are chosen to celebrate the wedding by Italians and couples from all over the world.
The most beautiful wedding venues in Tuscany are the castles of Florence, Siena, Prato and Pistoia; the hills of Chianti and the Val d'Orcia.
The romantic villages around Lake Garda are a classic choice for an elegant wedding in Italy: Riva del Garda, Sirmione, Lazise and Torri del Benaco.
By the lake as by the sea, in many Italian cities it has been possible to get married on the beach for a few years now.
The Italian flag
The Italian flag, called Tricolore by the Italians, was designed in 1794 thanks to Giovanni Battista De Rolandis and Luigi Zamboni.
The Italian Constitution, written in 1947, says: "The flag of the republic is the Italian tricolor: green, white and red, with vertical bands of equal size",
As you can imagine, the Italian word 🔊 tricolore means "tricolor".
The Italian flag inspired the Frecce Tricolori: the National Aerobatic Team (PAN is the Italian abbreviation) of the Italian Air Force.
The tricolore also inspired the most famous pizza: the pizza Margherita, dedicated to the Queen of Italy Margherita of Savoy in 1889.
🎞️
The best movies of Italian cinema
Land of important directors, Italy itself is a natural film set.
In cities with a rich history, in natural landscapes from the Alps to the islands of the Mediterranean, the beauty of the scenery is the ideal setting for all kinds of films.
For this reason, numerous Italian and foreign films are set in Italy.
Cinema is one of the most exported and appreciated Italian products abroad. Italian movies are also the reason why many people are interested in the study of the Italian language and culture.
Every year, several international film festivals take place in Italy. The most famous event is the Venice International Film Festival.
🍪
Biscotti: typical Italian cookies
Cookies have written the history of Italian confectionery production.
It was the ancient Romans who invented the bis coctus bread, baked twice, whose Italian name comes for biscuit, biscotto.
The Romans enriched biscuits with honey and dried fruit. The tradition of biscuits was then continued by the abbeys, who created many biscuit recipes that are still present in Italian culture today.
With the economic boom of the 1960s, industrially produced biscuits arrived in Italy and established themselves as the protagonists of breakfast in Italy in the 1970s and 1980s.
Biscuits are also popular because they are suitable for any time of the day, from breakfast to after dinner.
When we come back from a trip to Italy, we usually take a few packs of cookies with us: our colleagues abroad love them. When we eat biscotti, we feel a bit at home.