Buondì. In Wednesday’s article I mentioned a rude gesture from Dante. However, being British not Italian, I admit to not being an expert on gestures, except for the one with the middle finger, of course. What’s more, I was in rather a rush that day, and failed to properly research the subject, which I have […]

Buondì. Today’s Dante extract (Canto XXV) has helpful instructions from our culture expert, Francesca, on how to do the obscene gesture that one of the damned souls makes towards heaven above. It’s one you see all the time here in Italy, yet only now do I realise what it signifies! In questo canto [Vanni Fucci […]

Buondì. Hope you had a pleasant weekend! One with lots of time to devote to learning Italian, of course. Though personally I seem to get more done during the week, which is contra-logical. I suppose the explanation is that, at weekends, I’m always busy shopping, preparing meals and washing the plates and pots after those […]

Buondì. E’ venerdì and there’s lots to do, so I’ll be brief. The extracts from Canto XXIII are ready, and can be found here. It’s stuff about hypocritical monks, no blood or gore at all, sadly. And of course, the previous twenty-two extracts from Dante’s Inferno can be found on our Literature page. Next, here’s […]

Buondì. Thanks to those of you who’ve already bought a copy of our newest easy reader ebook, L’imperatore e i giochi. But actually, sales have been rather slow, which is a shame because this is a good one! Perhaps it’s the fault of the free sample chapter (.pdf), which is rather dry. I don’t usually […]

Buondì. I couldn’t resist quoting from today’s Dante canto in the title of this article: “ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta” Which Longfellow translates as: “And he had made a trumpet of his rump” Farting devils are your reward for having reached Canto XXI of Dante’s Inferno! (If you’ve been putting off starting, head […]

Buondì. This is for the lady who wrote to me overnight pointing out that, what with one thing and another, she was much too busy to even read the articles I send out, let alone have a go at the Dante series. I won’t publish her email because she genuinely does seem frantically busy, and […]

Buondì. Can you lick your nose like a cow? The reason I ask is that Dante meets a condemned soul who can, and is quite repulsed! Though perhaps that’s because the guy was an usurer, it’s not clear. Here’s Dante’s description in the original: Qui distorse la bocca e di fuor trasse la lingua, come […]