La Vita Blu

ANSA

2012-02-01T00:03:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of ANSA?

Well, it is the main Italian news website.

Check it out here.

There are great articles posted daily,

that can be fun to read,

but it is also a great resource tool as well.

(We have a tab on the main La Vita Blu site that will lead you to this site).

Architecture

2012-01-30T22:27:00.000-08:00

I took an Italian Architecture class year and it was awesome (ARTCH 329). I highly recommend it, but if not just read this post & you'll learn a lot too :]

These are some of the greatest architectual works in Italy.

1. Colosseo

The Colosseum, is an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of Rome.

It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture.

The Colosseum was used to host gladiator shows as

well as a variety of other events, and could fit 50,000 people

(the Marriott Center fits 22,000). That is like double the amount of ppl at a devotional (a pres. Monson devotional, to claify).

2. Pantheon

The Pantheon is a building is in Rome that was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa

as a temple to all the gods and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in about 126 AD.

The building is circular with a portico of three ranks of huge granite Corinthian columns under a pediment.

Since the Renaissance the Pantheon has been used as a tomb.

Among those buried there are the painters Raphael and Carracci.

The interior of the dome was possibly intended to symbolize the arched vault of the heavens. The oculus at the dome's apex and the entry door are the only sources of light in the interior. Throughout the day, the light from the oculus moves around this space in a sort of reverse sundial effect.

The oculus also serves as a cooling and ventilation method. During storms, a drainage system below the floor handles the rain that falls through the oculus.

3. St. Peter's Basilica

The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter is a Late Renaissance church located in the Vatican City in Rome.

Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world! It's huge!

Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica.

There were many architects that helped design and construct Saint Peter's, including:

Michelangelo, Bramante, Sangallo, Peruzzi, Raphael, and Maderno.

4. Villa Rotunda

Villa Rotunda (right) and the White House (left).

You can see that the white house's design was inspired by the Rotunda.

Another influence from the Rotunda is

Thomas Jefferson's house Monticello, in Virginia.

5. Siena Duomo

I took all these pictures of the Duomo, while in Siena. It was beautiful.

The dome rises from a hexagonal base with supporting columns. The lantern atop the dome was added by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The exterior and interior are constructed of

white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes,

with addition of red marble on the façade.

Black and white are the symbolic colors of Siena,

linked to black and white horses of the legendary city's founders, Senius and Aschius.

6. Milano Duomo

This Duomo took almost 6 centuries to finish!

It is huge- the 4th largest Cathedral in the world.

The interesting thing about the Milano Duomo is that bc it was built over such a long time period, it has a lot of different styles and workmanship. Some people love it and some people hate it.

Oscar Wilde visited Milano in 1875 and said, "The Cathedral is an awful failure. Outside the design is monstrous and inartistic. The over-elaborated details stuck high up where no one can see them; everything is vile in it; it is, however, imposing and gigantic as a failure, through its great size and elaborate execution."

What do you think? A failure?

Tell me about your favorite Italian architecture.

Lorenzo Vacirca: A Short Animated Film

2012-01-26T23:51:00.000-08:00

I came across this short little film online and wanted to share it with you. It is a short animated film by Nico Bonomolo &

is about a man that is saving up for the car of his dreams (the Svamp Fiat 500). When he finally earns enough money, something happens...

Enjoy!

Superstitions in Italian Culture

2012-01-25T20:03:00.000-08:00

Common Italian Superstitions

Italy is know to be a superstitious bunch of gente.

I did some research online and found these.

Hope you enjoy!

1. "Cappello sul letto"- Don't put your hat at the foot of the bed in an Italian home, because when priests are visiting the dying, they would rest their hat at the feet of the bed. Therefore this is BAD luck (in Italy most things associated with death are bad luck).

2. "Viola a teatro"- The catholic church back in medieval times banned theatre for 40 days prior to Easter, so out of respect for the starving actors, you don't wear purple to the theatre in Italy.

3. The number 17 is BAD luck! Seventeen in Roman numerals is XVII, and in Latin, VIXI means: "I lived." This is written on a lot of tombstones, and is associated with death. The number seventeen also can look like a man at the gallows.

4. "13 a Tavola"- There was 13 people at the last supper so this is not a good number of guests to have a table.

5. The sign of the cross- never make it. This means do not cross arms when shaking hands in a group or toasting, and don't lay your fork and knife over your plate in the shape of a cross! Bad luck!!

6. Don't trim your nails on Thursday.

7. Finding a button on the ground means that a new friendship is on the horizon. aw.

8. Don't use the air conditioning. Yep, it's risky. If you are hot, you must stay hot or your body will react badly and incite sudden deadly disease. No joke.

9. "Il Corno"- If you want good luck, you can wear the amulet of the corno. The corno, is the twisted horn-shaped amulet that will protect you from the evil eye. But, be careful, because if you send bad thoughts to someone who is wearing a corno, they will bounce back at you.

&&&&& NOW.........

for your enjoyment

Rigoletto!

2012-01-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

The Italian Club is going to see the opera Rigoletto!

WHEN: Friday January 27th at 7:30pm

WHERE: Capitol Theater in Salt Lake

HOW to get tickets: They are $10.00 & you can buy them in the Italian Dept. Office (3134 JFSB). They're on sale until the 25th. You can pay with check or cash (in exact change).

FYI: The night of the opera one or more club officials will be outside Capitol Theater from around one hour before the opera until about fifteen minutes before the opera starts, handing out tickets to students. If students arrive fifteen minutes before hand they will find their tickets in will call under their own name.

Photography Exhibit- Siena

2012-01-11T11:56:00.000-08:00

There is a great Photography Exhibit in the HBLL with photographs of Siena, Italy.

Go check it out!

It can count for your cultural event. But hurry because it leaves the library February 10th.

It's on the second floor in the Family History Hallway.

Has anyone seen it yet? What did you think?

Il Club Italiano

2012-01-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

BYU Italian Club!

We have a lot of great activities planned for this semester, so stay tunned.

I want to introduce our 3 officers who are in charge of the events.

But calm down ladies cuz all these guys are taken.

FIRST.....

This is Miles & his wife Annie in Venice. They're going to have a little boy in April! Auguri!

Miles served in the Roma mission, and loved it. He is majoring in Italian, but studying to be a doctor, so after BYU it's on to Medical School.

Miles teaches 201 this year and is an amazing teacher.

(I took his class last semester and absolutely loved it)!

Miles is from Salt Lake but went to High School in St.George (where he met Annie). Then she waited for him while he was serving in Italy :]

Besides Italian things, Miles likes baseball and taking pictures! && he has a motorcycle- how cool is that?!

Spencer and his wife Ashley Anne have a lil girl named Clara Mae and she is a doll!

Spencer also served in Italy, but in the Milano mission (northern).

Believe it or not, Spencer is also going to be a doctor! He's studying Italian and then on to Medical School. Spencer is one of the smartest and most studious people I know. He teaches 101 & helps out a lot with the Italian Club.

Spencer is from Indiana and is a big Colts fan. He also likes being a daddy :] and spending time with his awesome siblings.

Last but certainly not least, Aaron!

This is aaron and his lovely wife Danielle at Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy. Aaron served in the same mission as Spencer and they were actually companions for a few transfers (now they're best friends).

Aaron isn't going to be a doctor but, he is majoring in Italian and then on to business school. Aaron is from Washington D.C.(the maryland side). He loves movies (watching, talking about and making them). Aaron is also a stand-up comedian for BYU's Humor U! He's really funny!

This year, he teaches 101/102 accelerated class & does a great job at it.

SO....

These guys work super hard to make great activities for the Club. They plan the events, set everything up and stay afterwards to clean up. If you ever have any questions about anything you can ask them! Thanks Miles, Spencer and Aaron for working so hard on making great activities!

ADD the Italian Club on FB!

DO IT!

Due dei nostri grandi professori!!

2012-01-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to a new semester!

Hope you had a great Christmas break & are super pumped to learn more Italian!

So I just wanted to introduce 2 great professors to you!

They run the show here at the Italian Department and we love them.

If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to drop by or send them an email! They're always willing to help, I promise.

Prof. Cinzia Donatelli was born in Pescara, Italy, and lived there until she went to the University of Bologna to study classical letters and graduated in 1979. When she was 20 years old she met the missionaries and converted from Catholicism to Mormonism. She says, "Converting to the LDS faith was for me a natural process, something I’d been waiting for a long time." She married her husband Randy the Salt Lake temple on June 11, 1977 & in 1980 she began teaching at BYU courses in Italian literature, culture, phonetics, grammar, and composition. She has 2 Children & has recently become a proud nonna!

Cinzia loves teaching and has been the head of the Italian Dept. for several years. Along with teaching, she enjoys reading, exercising, and cheering for the world cup.

I don't think anyone on earth could disagree with the fact that Cinzia is the sweetest woman you will ever meet! She is always cheerful and kind. Thanks Cinzia for all you do! We love you :]

Office: 3139 JFSB

Phone: 422-2209

Email: cinzia_noble@byu.edu

Prof. Boynton was born in Long Beach, California and raised in France and Germany. He served a full-time LDS mission to Italy from 1966 to 1969 following which he studied phychology and Italian at BYU. His Middlebury College MA degree included one year of study at the Università degli studi in Florence, Italy. From 1973 to 1980 he taught in the BYU department of French and Italian followed by a one-year appointment as administrative dean of the Middlebury College Italian School in Italy, based in Middlebury Vermont. From 1981 until 2004 he was assistant director, then director of the BYU Study Abroad programs and Associate Director of the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies. From 2004 until 2007 he served as president of the LDS church Italy Milan Mission. In July 2007 he returned to full-time teaching in the department of French and Italian where he serves as Italian section head and faculty advisor to the Italian club. Boynton and his wife, Vicki, are the parents of seven children and grandparents to 11 grandchildren.

Prof. Boynton is an amazing teacher! He is very passionate about Italian and his #1 goal is to help his students gain that same passion. He is always there to help if you ever need anything and we love him! Thanks Professor Boynton for being so awesome!

Office: 3134 JFSB

Phone: 422-3935

Email: rod_boynton@byu.edu

BUONA FORTUNA e BUON NATALE

2011-12-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

BYU PALIO 2011

2011-12-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

Here is some awesome video footage from the Palio.

&&&& Here are some pictures!

We had a lot of people show up. The Terrace was packed!

Right now the Italian National Anthem is playing.

ISTRICE

LUPA

Palio gang signs.

ONDA

TORRE

Leocorno

THE PARADE

Each Contrada with their flag marched around the WILK singing their song and cheering.

This big flag is called the "PALIO," and this is what the winner of the race gets.

Each contrada in Siena has a museo where the keep each palio they've ever won.

CHIOCCIOLA

(that is a hard word to spell, It's right, right)?

OCA

AQUILA

TORRE

ONDA

ISTRICE

DRAGO

PANTERA

LUPA

These great people do the behind-the-scenes work.

Paul Bodily, Prof. Boynton and Miles McKee.

Thanks for all the work you put into the Palio- it turned out so great!!

This is Clara Mae- the Palio's biggest fan.

There was a live band that came a played.

They were great!

BYU PALIO 2011 pt. 2

2011-12-05T17:42:00.000-08:00

SOO MUCH EXCITEMENT!!

smart girl.

"ON YOUR MARK.......

GET SET.........

GO!!"

AND THE WINNER WAS ISTRICE.

THEY BARLEY PASSED THE LINE BEFORE OCA.

THEY WERE SO EXCITED!!

THE WINNING TEAM GET PACIFIER BC

THEY SYMBOLIZE

RE-BIRTH

Congrats Istrice!

Palio

2011-12-02T21:42:00.000-08:00

AND THE WINNER IS......

ISTRICE!!!

Congratulations!

2nd Place: OCA (by a milli of a milli second)

3rd Place: idk (if you know comment and i'll change it) torre?

and an honorable mention goes to the ONDA condrada with their many battle wounds.

R.I.P Karen Embree

TONS of photos will be coming soon!

The Palio

2011-11-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

OGGI!

Come to the Palio @ 7pm

The Wilk Terrace

It is going to be so great!

I'm so excited!

Forza Istrice!!!!!!!!

PALIO

2011-11-27T19:49:00.000-08:00

Viva Verdi

2011-11-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

Il Palio

2011-11-15T22:00:00.000-08:00

It's coming soon!!!

The BYU 2011 Palio

Wednesday

NOV. 30th

GET READY

IT'S GOING TO BE AWESOME :]

To find out more about the Palio go HERE.

Forza Istrice!!!

Ferrari

2011-11-08T12:38:00.000-08:00

Ferrari is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello Italy.

Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929.

The most expensive Ferrari ever sold was

1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa.

It got 9.02 million euros in a recent auction.

Did you know that 17 year old Justin Beiber drives a black Ferrari F430 worth about $200,000?

Yes, it's true. I am angry.

Funny Italian Commercial

2011-10-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

Everyday Life in Italy

2011-10-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

Flooding in Liguria

2011-10-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

Sad news today in Liguria.

Flash floods have hit Italy hard this week,

especially the north west region, Liguria.

This is where the famous Cinque Terre is located.

The cities are devastated, I read one account that said that the town of Monterosso doesn't even exist anymore.

Around 9 people have been killed, and many missing.

Keep them in your prayers!!

Activity

2011-10-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

ITALY AS A GLOBAL BRAND

Thurs 27th (in 2 days)

@ 11:00 AM in 238 HRCB

Robert Viscusi

Professor from the City University of New York

This guy is an Italian-American,

and got a PHD in English here in the U.S.

(He went to Fordham, Cornell and NYU)

He is currently the president of the

Italian American Writers Association,

and is the executive officer of the Humanities Dept

at the City University of New York.

Come and listen to his lecture,

this Thursday in the Kennedy Center!
(It can count as your Cultural Event).

Italian Studies

2011-10-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

NEW Option for those interested in majoring in Italian!

ITALIAN STUDIES

You can now choose to get a
BA in Italian OR a BA in Italian Studies

What's the difference?
I'll tell you.

Italian Studies

30-45 credit hours for a BA

You complete the requirements for a primary major in another dept.

**For your electives in the Italian Studies BA, up to 12 hours from related departments can be counted upon approval. You don't have to take all the ITAL classes that are required in the BA in Italian. Instead you can take other classes that are related to your academic studies in Italian, and they will count to you major (if you're an art history major, you're probably already half way there).

Italian

45-65 credit hours for a BA

You complete a minor in another dept. (16-21 hours)

You are required to choose six of the following classes: BUS M 596R, ITAL 317, 420, 421. 422, 443, 444,460 and 495R

What can I do with an Italian Degree???
Did you know that...
according to a recent survey
conducted by the alumni association,
100% of our department's graduates are employed!

There are cinquecentoventuno options.

Learn more here: http://frenital.byu.edu/whatcanido/

&& now here are some pretty pictures of Italy,
for your enjoyment

Il Tri-Colore!

2011-10-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

The Italian Flag!

The Italians love their flag & in Italy you can see the flag everywhere.

The colors of the flag are known to represent Italy itself : the white for the snowy Alps and other mountain regions; the green for the plains and the hills; and the red for blood spilt in the Italian wars of Independence.

Other symbolism of the colors is

Green= Hope

White= Faith

Red= Charity

FUN FACTS:

It's one of the well known facts on Italy that the establishment take very seriously any perceived threat to their flag. A little too seriously, some may think.
In 2001 Umberto Bossi, leader of the Northern League party, was given a suspended prison sentence for referring to the Italian flag as "toilet paper" and suggesting at a rally that its best use was to be shoved down the toilet.

When President Silvio Berlusconi recently tried to introduce a subtle change of color shade he was accused of attempting a "chromatic coup d'état". The people were not amused.
Politicians and people alike were furious. So outraged, in fact, that the country had a national referendum to allow the public to choose the right shades.

The official shades now are:

Fern Green, Bright White & Flame Scarlet

Here are some great pictures that I found of all random things with the Italian flag colors.

This vest, though, has got to be the best.

What funny things have you seen with the Italian Flag on them??

EVENT THIS FRIDAY

2011-10-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

There will be a talk given by Scott Barrick this Friday October 14th at noon + pizza in B-192 JFSB. Scott graduated in Italian, and this event can be counted as Evento Culturale.

See you tomorrow!

This is Scott. This is Pizza.

Jovanotti

2011-10-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

JOVANOTTI

(Lorenzo Cherubini)

This Italian cantautore (singer-songwriter), is from Cortona Italy.

He is probably the most famous pop star in Italy

He has a mix of hip hop, rap and folk styles of music.

Some of his most famous songs are

L'ombelico del Mondo, La Notte dei desideri, Serenata Rap and A Te.

Jovanotti comes from the word giovanotto,

but the spelling is anglicised (the letter j isn't usually used in Italian).

He is good friends with Bono, from U2.

Together they are both strong activists for the aid of poverty in Africa.

Jovanotti even interviewed Bono for an issue of GQ.

My favorite song of his is A Te.

He wrote it for his daughter Teresa.

It's beautiful.

If your Italian is rusty, or he just sings too fast, here is a link to the English translation.

http://lyricstranslate.com/en/te-YOU.html

The Gara Gastronomica

2011-10-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

GARA GASTRONOMICA

The activity turned out so well!

Thanks to everyone who came and participated.

Delicious food! Good job everyone.

MMMMMMMMM

ISTRICE!

The judges are carefully sampling all the dishes and choosing the winners of each category.

The judges were: Prof. Haraguchi & family, Prof. Noble:], Prof. Cropper & family

ONDA & LUPA!

TORRE!

These people look very happy.

They just love the Italian Club so much.

That's why.

I wanted to end the post with this photo.

Look at that guys face. He is creeping me out. What a weirdo.

GARA GASTRONOMICA

2011-09-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars for the next Italian attività!
Wednesday October 5 @ 7:00

GARA GASTRONOMICA

Bring you favorite Italian dish for a potluck style dinner.
Prizes will be given for the best dishes.

Fun Facts about Italian Cuisine:

There are more that 600 pasta shapes world wide.
Mike Myers favorite food is Carbonara.
Cookies are a common breakfast food in Italy.
Italians like their food fresh, pre-cooked or microwaveable meals are almost non-existent in Italy.
In many Italian cities shops and offices still close between 1pm and 3pm to allow their owners and employees to go home, have lunch and get back to work.
Culinary traditions are often preserved in local areas and passed down through generations.

What is your favorite Italian dish???

I love simple dishes like this, where you just have pasta, veggies and olive oil.

Plus, cherry tomatoes are seriously the best veggie of all time.

They're so much better than normal tomatoes, am I right?

They have a totally different taste.

If I ever plant a garden, it will probably only have cherry tomatoes and nothing else.

Italian Cinema

2011-09-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

Italian Movies

Here's a list of a few.

[You can check most of these out for free at the Provo Library].

Fedrico Fellini

He is considered one of the most influential

filmmakers of the 20th century.

He won five Academy Awards before his death in 1993.

Two of his most famous films are La Dolce Vita & La Strada.

La Dolce Vita is about a Marcello, a journalist in Rome during the late 1950s who covers tabloid news of movie stars, religious visions and the self-indulgent aristocracy while searching for a more meaningful way of life.

November 1-5 the International Cinema

will be showing "La Dolce Vita."

La strada is about Gelsomina. Gelsomina is an adorable young girl that is sold by her very poor mother to Zampanò, an itinerant strongman. She follows him on the road ("la strada") and helps him during his shows. (Warning this one is a little sad; I totally cried)

Il Postino

This is a cute movie about Mario, the postman for a small island village. When Pablo Neruda, a famous Chilean poet is exiled to this small little village, Mario and him become friends. Mario is in love with a beautiful young lady, Beatrice Russo, who works in her aunt's village cafe. He is shy with her, but he enlists Neruda's help. He constantly asks Neruda if the metaphor he used was suitable for the poem. Mario is able to better communicate with her and express his love through poetry.

Cinema Paradiso

In 1989, this movie won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes &&

Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.

The film is told largely in flashbacks of a successful film director Salvatore to his childhood years, it also tells the story of the return to his native Sicilian village for the funeral of his old friend Alfredo, who was the projectionist at the local "Cinema Paradiso". Ultimately, Alfredo serves as a wise father figure to his young friend who only wishes the best to see him succeed, even if it means breaking his heart in the process.

Other great movies:

If you're interested in Italian Cinema,

there is an Italian Cinema course that you can take!

ITAL 317

Find out more here.

It's a great class that you get to watch movies in!

No prereq needed.

Practica Orale

2011-09-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

Avete bisogno di practica orale ??

Every week there is going to be a drop-in oral practice for all Italian Students.

Thursday from 4-5pm

B-142 JFSB

Come and practice your Italian with us!

Attività!

2011-09-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

Thursday 15th

7:00pm

@ the Terrace

We'll play Bocce and Scopa &&

have a lot of Italian fun!

This can count for your class culture event.

BOCCE

2011-09-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

Bocce Ball

This Italian sport supposedly goes back to an ancient game played by the Romans. It is played around Europe, Australia and North and South America. In Italy, most parks have a Bocce courts.

How do you play?

You can read all about the game rules here.

This guy looks pretty intense right?

Well that's because he is. He was honored "Player of the 20th Century."

Between 1957 -1980 he won 13 world championships, 12 European championships, and 46 Italian championships. Mama Mia!

His name is Umberto Granaglia.

Here he is with his tropy.

The club is playing BOCCE this Thursday!
More details to come.

Pasta Primavera Recipe

2011-09-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

Giada De Laurentiis is an Italian Chef for the Food Network.

She has some super great recipes online that you can look at.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/giada-delaurentiis/video/index.html

Here is one of my favorites:

Pasta Primavera

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:: 25 min
Inactive Prep Time:: --
Cook Time:: 20 min

Level:: Easy

Serves:: 6 servings

Ingredients

3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with theParmesan and serve immediately.

How was your summer?

2011-09-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

Did anyone go to Italy this Summer?

Tell us something about your trip.
Post some of your pictures.
Make us feel jealous and angry towards you.

What was your favorite Italian City?

Venezia

Lake Como

Portofino

Did anyone go see Manarola?
That's my favorite Italian city. It's in the Cinque Terre, in Liguria. So gorgeous!!

Welcome Back!

2011-09-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

CIAO RAGAZZI!

Welcome back to school.

Just wanted to let everyone know there is a concert at U of U tonight featuring an Italian singer.

You can count this as one of your culture events for class.

It should be fun!

Here is a video of one of his songs.

He's pretty good!

It's ALMOST HERE!!

2010-12-02T21:47:00.000-08:00

The fountains of Siena

2010-11-22T16:12:00.000-08:00

Everyone getting excited for the Palio?? This post is just to get you excited, give you a little glimpse of Siena, and teach you a bit more about the contrade.

In Siena, the Contrade are more than just geographic divisions within the city. You are born into your Contrada and it becomes a central part of your life. Each Contrada has specific symbol, colors, a museum, a church, and una fontana- a Fountain.

When I was in Siena, we saw many of these fountains as we were exploring the city... have a look!

Aquila

Onda

Leocorno

Tartuca

Pantera

Torre

These fountains are just another demonstration of how important the Contrada's are to the people of Siena.

We are only a few days away from the Palio, so start brushing up on your Palio facts and take time to learn about your contrada!

Go Here, Here, or Here for more information!

Terra Mia!

2010-11-10T22:03:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for some delicious and ultra-authentic Italian food... Terra Mia is the answer!! You simply must go! A few of us who spent time with Professor Boynton in Siena this past spring, met up tonight and enjoyed pizza and... GELATO!!

Jerome and Professor Boynton enjoying their gelato!

All in all, a fabulous night! So goal for everyone: Go to Terra Mia for Italian food, Italian Music, Italian Practice, and Italian Fun!

Check out their website here!

Le Buone Ricette: Antipasti

2010-10-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Bruschetta Al Pomodoro

Ingredients
Bread
Garlic
Olive Oil
Ripe tomatoes
Basil
Oregano
Salt and Pepper

Prep
Slice tomatoes into small squares, chop garlic finely, tear basil leaves-put everything into a bowl and add salt and pepper, oregano, and olive oil. Set aside, toast bread on both sides (optional: rub a garlic clove onto toasted bread for added bodacious garlic flavor) spread tomato mixture on bread and serve! Balsamic vinegar can also be lightly sprinkled on top!

Let's go to the Movies!

2010-09-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

Opera Anyone?

2010-09-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome opportunity! Tickets will sell out fast, so if you want to go make sure to get on it and buy your tickets early!

Gara Gastronomica!

2010-09-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

Il Palio: More than a horse race

BYU Italian Club presents

GARA GASTRONOMICA

Bring a delicious Italian dish to contribute to a potluck dinner!

Prizes will be awarded for the best dishes!

September 22, 2010

6 p.m.

JFSB Plazza

Come and meet your Contrada and learn about the

Palio di Siena!

Get Ready...

2010-09-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

THE PALIO DI BYU IS COMING!!

I just wanted to take a minute to get you all excited about the Palio di BYU that is coming this December (may I direct your attention to the right side of this page for a look at our fabulous countdown)!!

If you don't know much about the Palio di Siena, on which our event is based, read up on it here, and see the Contrade here.

This past spring I was in Siena. The beautiful Piazza del Campo is the location for this historic horse race. While the Piazza is typically a place for locals to go sit and enjoy the sun, (or for students to sit, people watch, and eat a slice of pizza and gelato-Yum!) you rarely find it too busy or packed. However, when it comes to anything involving the Palio this drastically changes. The nearly empty Piazza is suddenly PACKED with people. During my stay, the additional 3 teams were picked for the July race in what is called the l'estrazione. There are 17 different contrade. Because 10 contrade race, the other 7 automatically get to race in the next Palio. But this leaves 3 spots that are up for grabs, and that is what the big drawing is for- a chance to race again.

The Piazza on a Normal day...

The Piazza during the estrazione!

Mamma Mia!! It was packed!!

After trumpets announce the final three Contrade, all the Contrada flags are displayed!

It was so much fun to be there while it was happening!

So everyone- You must see the Palio di Siena before you die!! Or at least the Palio di BYU!

Keep Checking back for videos of the estrazione and the Palio!

Ciao for Now!

Meet Your Instructors 2

2010-08-23T18:28:00.001-07:00

The latest segment of "Meet Your Instructors" brings you another SI, Steve Guerrero!

1)name/nome: Steve Guerrero

2)hometown/città di nascita: California

3)course(s) you’ll be teaching next fall/quale/i corso/i insegni quest’autunno: Italian 101

4)major (if applicable): Italian Major

5)Something interesting about yourself/qualcosa di interessante di te: I play the piano, violin, viola, harp and the oboe

5)favorite italian city/città preferita d’italia: Lake Como and Siena

6)favorite Italian food/cibo italiano preferito: Le lasagne

7)Advice for incoming students/consiglio per i futuri studenti: Personalize the language and don't cheat yourself in your studies and practice, practice, practice.

Meet Your Instructors

2010-08-09T15:43:00.000-07:00

After somewhat of a summer hiatus, La Vita Blu is back and gearing up for another semester of fun. Sadly, our Azzurri did not repeat as World Cup champions, but there's always 2014 right? Anyway, with fall semester just a few weeks away, we thought it'd be nice to let you get to know some of the teachers in the wonderful Italian Department! The first installment of the "Meet Your Instructors" series brings you Andrea Cordani!

Questions:

1)name/nome:
Andrea Cordani

2)hometown/città di nascita:

Ponte dell'Olio (PC) - Italia

3)course(s) you’ll be teaching next fall/quale/i corso/i insegni quest’autunno:

Italian 201

4)major (if applicable):

MBA - Master of Business Administration. Ho anche un master in Ingegneria Gestionale (Industrial Engineering).

5)Something interesting about yourself/qualcosa di interessante di te:

I miei genitori sono entrambi chef: non sono molto fieri di come cucino!

5)favorite italian city/città preferita d’italia:Roma, ma non per viverci. Ravenna, 5 terre, Parma e Piacenza.

6)favorite Italian food/cibo italiano preferito:
Tortelli di mia mamma (unici). Pasta fatta in casa, spinaci, ricotta e sugo di funghi porcini, con formaggio grana.
Oppure carne di cavallo cruda.

7)Advice for incoming students/consiglio per i futuri studenti:

Siate curiosi e coraggiosi.

Maggio

2010-05-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am in the library, wishing summer weather would finally make its way over to Provo, UT for good. Sadly it's been overcast and rainy the last couple days. But hopefully a little Italian news will brighten your day?

-The Palio di Provenzano is coming up, on June 2nd!

-The Giro D'Italia bike race is currently underway, and Alexandre Vinokourov is the current leader. Today's stretch, the 11th stage, is the longest, going from Lucera to L'Aquila. You can follow all the news on this nice little website or you can check the meager updates on ESPN.com, but their coverage is pretty weak.

-This is a bit of a downer, but apparently Italy is in a potentially awful financial situation, which is being considered possibly worse than Greece's recent problems. I'm a little unclear about all the details, but a brief summary can be found here

-Lastly, The Italian Olympic Committee selected Rome over Venice in a vote between the last two finalists for Italy's 2020 summer Olympic bid. Rome last hosted the Olympic Games in 1960.

La Vita Blu will soon be posting bio's on different Professors and Student Instructors in the Italian department throughout the summer. Make sure to swing by to get to know your future professors!

Diving back in.

2010-05-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

Our very first BYU palio senese is come and gone, along with the winter 2010 semester, the stress of finals, and the cold provo weather. Well, let's hold off on that last one for a bit, seeing as it snowed last weekend. Anyway, fall semester doesn't start for another 3.5 months, but this is no time to go forgetting your Italian. Us here at La Vita Blu and the Italian department in general encourage you all to practice this summer and not waste all that you've learned!

Suggestions:
-Call up friends and talk in italian!
-rent some Italian movies to watch
-read Italian online news, such as ansa.it
-read a book in Italian
-learn to cook a new Italian dish by watching youtube videos in Italian such as this one for Arancine (Or arancini, however you want to call them!)

On another note, I recently bought

and

from supermarketitaly.com for my mom for mother's day...ilmercatoitaliano.net looked like another good site too. So if you have a craving for Italian goods and you're willing to pay for it, those are two great sites! Anyway, keep checking La Vita Blu during the summer, and we'll keep you in tune with all things Italian! Alla prossima!

I Risultati!!

2010-04-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

After an amazing turnout, great food including cannoli from Nicolitalia, and an incredible performance by Vocal Point, the winner of the first ever BYU Palio Senese is....

La Nobile Contrada Del Leocorno!

Here's a few other pictures of the Palio:

13 Aprile 2010....

2010-04-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

...Is the day we've all been waiting for! In a mere 4.5 hours (630pm), the first ever BYU Palio Senese will be underway!!! Be excited! Sorry the posting has been a little lacklaster lately, finals are here, and so naturally I'm also feeling under the weather. (And what's with this weather anyway?). Get ready to support your contrada and eat some cannoli!

Internships

2010-03-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

My parents always tell me stories about how it was fairly easy to get in to college "back in their day." I can never figure out if that's a compliment to me for getting in, or if they are just making fun of the number of hours I spend in the library every day. If anyone has had a similar college experience to my own, than you are also still working to get your GPA up from freshman year, when you figured everything would be a breeze like high school.

Well, the reality is that getting a good job these days takes a whole lot of work, and if you're not careful, it might be given to someone from overseas that has skipped out on recreational things to hit the books more.

A great way to get a leg up on the competition is with internships. Many careers almost require internship experience these days. But to me internships always sounded like this big vague concept, and I never knew how to go about getting one. The humanities department at BYU is doing it's best to give students the resources they need to get internships, and this is the latest information they felt impressed to pass along:

1) There is a great site called jobweb.com. It has advice about writing resumes, cover letters, and job and internship listings that might be of interest.

2) The humanitiesplus website is also dedicated to "bridging the humanities and the world of work." It includes great information about internship/career fairs and other opportunities to help you get ahead and to have fun!

Hope those help, and good looking finding your perfect internship!

-Ross

Palio Updates!

2010-03-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

As the Palio fast approaches, here's some informational posters to get us all excited....

Cannoli? Vocal Point? Vocal Point eating cannoli? Sign me up.

And we even have a poster explaining the rivalries.
Nothing like a little rivalry to spice life up.
Rivalries? Even more cannoli? Rivals throwing cannoli? (Don't do this). It'll be entertaining enough as it is...

Oh. And some fun facts about the Palio to top it all off:

Did you know....The jockey does not have to cross the finish line for a contrada to win. The winner is simply the first horse across the line. Riderless horses have won the Palio numerous times.

Did you know....Before each race, the 10 horses are brought to churches in their respective contrade and blessed by the priest before they race.

Did you know....In order to create a surface for the horses to race on, workers bring in tons of dirt and the Piazza del Campo is covered with hard packed earth, a process which takes a day or two to complete.

Italian 101

2010-03-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

If you haven't noticed already, there is a new link at the top of the page that takes you directly to the BYU Palio website. Just log in to your facebook account and get information about the event, history about the event in Italy, and details about which contrada you will be divided up into (for BYU Italian Students).

I saw this clip on Youtube and about died laughing. Italian 101 students, does class ever feel like this for you? Make sure and study hard so we're not all guilty of speaking like these guys....

Ciao!

Il Palio di BYU

2010-03-18T21:30:00.001-07:00

The Palio. The what?

A good answer: The Palio is a horse race held every July and August in the town of Siena, Italy.

A better answer: The Palio has been run since the 1600s, pitting one contrada (the name for one area of the city) against another, drawing large numbers of spectators to the heart of Siena as jockey's and horses complete three circuits around the Piazza del Campo.

The Piazza...

The best answer: Fierce loyalties, love of your contrada, and a few thousand people converging on the Piazza del Campo twice a year fuel an incredible tradition as 10 jockeys and horses battle it out for glory, glory and more glory.

In case you didn't notice, that's a lot of glory. Bragging rights for years to come. Parading down the streets in costume (with drums. Really, really loud drums).

To call the Palio a horse race is technically correct, but doesn't capture the spirit of the event. It's kind of like calling the Super Bowl just another football game. You would be right, but if that's all you get out of it, you missed the whole point.

First things first:

Siena is divided into 17 different contrade (contrada is singular. See map).

Each contrada is sort of a mini-community within the city. There is a contrada captain, and each contrada has its own flag, a church, a fountain (see picture), an emblem and their own hymn.

Jennifer Shaw contemplates Pantera's (Panther's) fountain

You don't pick and choose a contrada. You're born into it, and even if you move, you're a part of that contrada for life. Ties run deep, and people are typically very proud of their contrada.

Each year, 10 contrade are chosen to be in the Palio (10 in July, 10 in August, 20 total). In the weeks leading up the event, all of Siena is transformed, with every contrada flying their flags proudly along the streets. The various contrade find a seemingly endless supply of men willing to dress up in Renaissance garb and carry banners through the streets in support of their contrada.

Two fine examples of the endless supply of costumed men....

It's incredible the first time you have to step of the road to watch a large group of fervent supporters walk by dressed in their colors, carrying flags and singing. It's hard not to get caught up in all the excitement. However, I will admit that my historical appreciation reached new lows the day there was contrada parade was blocking the road to the gelato store...

A common sight around the city. This is Brucco's (Caterpillar's) flag.

Although a trip to Siena may be impractical, experiencing the Palio isn't beyond reach.

Indeed.

BYU has decided to host its own Palio, complete with contrade, food, and most importantly, glory.

The competing contrade will be:

Aquila / Pantera

Snail / Tartuca

Owl / Unicorn

Istrice / Lupa

Oca, Onda / Tower

(the slash indicates rivalry). Contrada will be assigned by class. Be excited. If you can't contain your excitement, get on Facebook. Just search "Aquila di BYU" or "Onda di BYU," etc. and your contrada page should show up.

Mark your calendars: April 13th is the big day!

Extras:

A map of Siena divided into the different contrade. Also, hyperlinks to each contrada's own website.

Video of Istrice winning the Palio in July of 2008. Look for me in the crowd.

Some fun facts, and history of the Palio. However, lots of it's in Italian. English histories forthcoming.

We will be posting a lot more about the Palio, so stay with us...

Job Opportunity

2010-03-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

So, as awesome as graduating is (who hasn't coveted those oh-so-enviable BYU alum t-shirts?) it can be a bit overwhelming when you try to figure out what do with your life afterwards...

So, in order to help all those Italian students who are wondering what to do with their major (and Humanities Majors in general), the department was recently informed that Goldman Sachs are looking to hire 35% of their fall season recruits (or about 25-30 students) from liberal arts majors. Good news for us, right?

So, if you're wondering about this job opportunity, where you're going to find or job, or if there is life after graduation, check out the Humanities blog, or the College of Humanities advisement center for opportunities.

Palio Senese at BYU?

2010-03-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

You got it. And if you have no idea what that means, there will be much more information coming your way soon. For now, enjoy this little clip made by BYU students in Siena in attempt to recreate the great horse race that has taken place in Siena for hundreds of years. Be excited...very excited....

Got Mascarpone?

2010-03-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

Going to a supermarket in Italy for the first time can be quite a unique experience for Americans accustomed to being greeted by endless aisles of sugar-bomb cereal and frozen-microwave meals. Equally surprising is coming back to the states after two years in Italy and finding that the only cheeses you have to choose from are cheddar and provolone. Such a dilemma definitely makes it harder to make your favorite Italian creations.

Luckily, with a little hard work searching, you can find quite a few Italian foods to help you survive until you make your next trip to Italy. I recently stopped by Sunflower Farmers Market in Orem and searched their store for everything that I recognized as being Italian. Here are the results:

1)Cheeses
While I like almost all aspects of Italian cuisine, I especially like the variety of cheese that they produce. Sunflower Market has a decent array of different cheeses including:

Mozzarella Fresca. This isn't the same stuff that is supposedly on your hot-n-ready pizza, oh no, it's much better than that. All good Italian mozzarella is encased in water to preserve freshness.Parmigiano Reggiano. Probably the second most famous Italian cheese. But please don't call it parmesan. Tasting this stuff will make you see why it's worth paying a little extra for.

Mascarpone. There's no making tiramisu without this particular cheese.

Grana Padano. A cheaper, very slightly different tasting version of Parmigiano. This cheese will still go perfectly with almost any pasta sauce, especially pesto!

Gorgonzola. I wouldn't recomment this to any one that has never tried it (it's moldy), but for people that fell in love with it in Italy, you can get a crumbly version at Sunflower.

Pecorino. Another famous Italian cheese. Great on pasta or to be eaten by itself!

2)Other Stuff
Ok, so I couldn't quite put together any other distinct categories, so I'll put in all my other finds into an "etc" group.

Cannoli! This rich dessert from sicily is a great alternative to normal American desserts such as brownies or cookies.
Orecchiette. This is my favorite kind of pasta, so I was very excited to find this pasta imported from Italy. (Note: You may have noticed that I haven't written about pasta so far. I was very dissapointed as I turned over numerous packages of "imported pasta" and saw that almost all of them were made in Mexico. I personally have no intention of paying extra for pasta that wasn't even made in Italy, may as well just go for Barilla, that's actually an Italian company!)
Polenta. This is a very unique Italian food, more typically eaten in the north. It is very good though with a red sauce made with italian sausage.

Frizzante. I personally like my water normal and not sparkling, but some people cant get enough of this, so here it is! San Pellegrino!

Risotto. I cant attest to the authenticity of these rice dishes, but they are gluten free, and apparently "eco-farmed." I'm not completely sure what that entails.

Well there ya have it. Maybe I missed a couple things, but I tried to put the highlights on there. While Sunflower Market has some unique products that you may not find at Macey's or Smith's, be warned that their prices are often higher than many college kids are willing to pay. But maybe mom and dad can chip in? Anyway, while Sunflower Market had some good things, I cant say I was knocked dead. Many of their products weren't imported from Italy, and when I told the manager I was looking for Italian products she brought me over to the ready-made, microwaveable pasta section. But you know what DID knock me dead? Finding blood oranges and chestnuts at Macey's. Just goes to show how small our world is getting these days. With a little effort, you can find comfort in enjoying a few delicious Italian foods even when you're thousands of miles away! (I tried to look it up on google maps, but it apparently cant give me directions and an estimated travel time from Provo, UT to Italy. Can you believe that? haha)

Let us know where you guys go to get the best Italian goods!

-Ross

Best Pizza in America?

2010-02-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

Sitting inside and commiserating the fact that it's cold and wet outside, I decided to take you back to President's day weekend, when I made the trip with some friends down to sunny San Diego California!

Looks miserable huh? With all those clear skies, palm trees, and warm California sun! We ate plenty of amazing Mexican food while we were there, but little did I know I would happen upon..."the best pizza in America?"
Saturday night, we were walking around old town San Diego, trying to find a good place to eat. Since we had already had our fill of tacos al pastor and horchata, we decided to try a little restaurant called "Pizza Bella."

It was a quaint little place with typical spanish-style architecture, but what I was most excited about was what I found on the menu...the Sigma-Chi Pizza, voted "Best Pizza in America" in 1994 by ABC TV! Sure I was only seven years old back then, but I'm sure delicious pizza existed then too right? So I excitedly ordered it, not wasting time to even look at the toppings and fully expecting to finally eat the best pizza in America!

Someone needs to fire everybody at ABC. Or at least their 1994 staff. All of them! The pizza wasn't awful, I finished the whole thing. And maybe I'm biased because I've eaten the real deal in Italia. But I honestly would have preferred a pie from Papa Murphy's. (which I'm quite partial too, actually) The Sigma Chi was loaded up with crunchy broccoli, cucumbers, and an assortment of other toppings on a pretty good tasting crust. I just couldn't get past that broccoli on my pizza though. This is the chicken pesto version of the Pizza Bella pizza, I ate mine before I thought to snap a shot of it. (woops)

Lesson learned: If you're dying for delicious food in San Diego, stick to the Mexican Cuisine. The Sigma-Chi is a far cry from being the best pizza in Calfornia, let alone the whole United States. All this writing about pizza has me hungry, maybe I'll pick up a "Hot-n-Ready" right now. Haha, not! Oh no, I am an Italian food snob huh?

Opera coming your way...

2010-02-23T14:20:00.001-08:00

I know what you're thinking...ugh. Opera. Or maybe you're excitedly picturing a surprisingly handsome masked man singing to you as he rows across some lake that happens to be in the basement of the Paris Opera (whatever). However, this opera experience promises to be far less creepy than having some masked seducer lurking in the walls.

If I had hazard a guess, I would say The Italian Girl in Algiers or L'Italiana in Algeri will be 1) culturally enriching 2) academically enriching, and also.... 3) entertaining. From what I've read,L'Italiana in Algeri, is complete with pirates (hooray!), creepy old men hitting on young women (gross!) and of course desperate young lovers (ahhh....). How could that not be worth seeing?

For those of you who want to take advantage of this great deal offered by the Italian Club, act quickly. Apparently they only have 60 tickets...

Now that I'm done feeling a used car salesman, here's a bit of information on Rossini for those of you who are as woefully ignorant as I am about all things operatic:

Gioachino Rossini was born February 29th, 1792 (I included the exact date in case you wanted to throw a birthday party for him with your friends this Sunday) and is one of Italy's beloved composers. Most famous for his opera, Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), Rossini wrote a number of of other works including La Cenerentola and the William Tell. Coming from a theatrical background, Rossini started his musical career early on and had produced his first opera at age 18, which was performed in Venice. He was prolific and popular composer in his lifetime, producing around 40 operas and many other musical works. Besides music, Rossini also had a passion for food and was avid cook throughout his life. For a more complete biography, click here.

For those of you who want a more complete synopsis of the opera, follow this link and best of luck. It's a slightly confusing, but a thorough account of all the mishaps and mayhem in Rossini's opera.

If you can't come with the club, or want more information about the Utah Opera, this link will lead you to other performances of L'Italiana as well as a plethora of other information about the Opera itself. Note: not going with the club will definitely cost more.

Sanremo: Serata Finale

2010-02-20T13:22:00.000-08:00

Well, tonight is the last night of the Sanremo music festival, and the winner of the nuova generazione category was decided yesterday. It came down to two finalists, Jessica Brando and Tony, and apparently the judges decided Jessica's performance wasn't good enough to beat Tony. After watching them both, I would have gone with Brando, but I guess that's why I'm not the judge! So you're winner is, Tony Maiello with his song "Il linguaggio della resa."

Una Serata di Carte Napoletane

2010-02-20T09:23:00.001-08:00

Who doesn't love a good round of cards? This Thursday come down to the Wilk for an evening of cards-Italian style.

If you're more comfortable with Go Fish than Briscola or Scopa, come early for instruction.

And refreshments? They've thought of everything.

A giovedì!

Sanremo 2010

2010-02-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

Oh, so you like music? Well good because more italian music is coming your way, but lets fast forward 52 years from la bellezza of Domenico Modugno's Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu to February 16-20 when the Sanremo Music Festival will celebrate its 60th anniversary.

Sanremo is a coastal town on the Italian Riviera 30 minutes from the border of France, and boasts one of the most consistently warm and sunny climates in all of Italy. Its climate is comparable to that of say, San Diego, where it is currently in the 60's (and only in the 30's here in Provo!) This beautiful city is the perfect location for the the biggest and most famous music festival in Italy, Il Festival Della Canzone Italiana.

The idea for the festival was born in 1948 in the city of Forte dei Marmi, another coastal town north of Pisa where a music festival entitled "Festival Canoro Nazionale" was held for the first time. After two years the festival was cancelled due to economic uncertainty. The spirit of the festival, however, was transported to Sanremo by Pier Bussetti and Giulio Razzi and was performed for the first time in 1951. Since then, many Italian and international artists have performed at the festival, including the aforementioned Domenico Modugno in 1958 and 1959. The festival has served as an ideal location for many budding artists to launch their careers. Famous artists such as Laura Pausini, Eroz Ramazzotti, and Andrea Bocelli found much success early in their careers at the music festival.

This year's festival features a lot of up-and-coming talent that will try to showcase their talent in hopes of future success. On the festival website, you can find lots of information about the festival as well as music videos from the artists in the "nuova generazione" category. I took the time to watch each of the clips and give my two cents, for what it's worth!

Nicolas Bonazzi-"Dirsi che e' normale"-Bonazzi kind of reinvents the wheel in this piece, he doesn't do anything that really makes him stand out from any other dude with a nice voice and a microphone. This song starts slow and moves painfully along after that. 4/10

Jessica Brando-"Dove non ci sono ore"- One of only two female artists in this particular category, Jessica doesn't do much wrong with this song. Although her music video might make you think she has a degenerative muscle disease that prevents her from showing any emotion in her face, the music itself is very listenable. 7/10

Broken Heart College-"Mesi" We don't need a reincarnation of the backstreet boys in two 15 year olds. Not here in America, not in Italy. (Are they performing in an LDS chapel?!) 1/10

Mattia De Luca-"Non parlare piu'"-Very nice cinematography, but this song moves slower than molasses on a cold day in January. It's fairly easy listening though, and is it just me or does Mattia have the same do as James Blunt in "Primavero in Anticipo" with Laura Pausini? 6/10

La Fame di Camilla-"luce e buio"-This is the first song that really jumped out at me, and from the very start. The lead singer might have been in an old frankenstein movie I've seen, but this song is incredibly catchy and has enough in common with the british/american rock scene to be a hit with many Italians. 8/10

Luca Marino-"Non mi dai pace"-Marino doesn't put much out there on the line with "Non me dai pace," but he quietly puts together a catchy 3 minute pop song. It wont turn many off, but it wont be in any one's top 10 list either. 6/10

Jacobo Ratini-"Su questa panchina"- I'll be honest when I didn't expect to hear anything that impressed me after La Fame di Camilla, but Jacobo hit me right in the head with one of his metaphorical marbles. I cant get enough of this song. It isn't per se the same kind of music I always listen too, but it a beautiful Italian song. A lot of other songs sound like Italians trying to do there best renditions of some American genre. Jacobo crafts his words beautifully in a way only possible with the Italian language. Did I mentino it's terribly catchy? I cant get this one out of my head, and to be honest, I'm just fine with that. 10/10

Romeus-"Come L'autunno"- I was ready to initially give this song a sub-5 score, for being plastichy and unoriginal, but it grew on me. When it finally takes off at 2:51 of the song with another "come l'autunno," I found myself really enjoying. But I'm convinced he's not playing the guitar at all in this video. minus points. 6/10

Tony-"Il linguaggion della resa"- I'm a guy, so I might not know, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that girls will probs find Tony pretty good looking. Well, if girls dont think so, he definitely does. I cant watch this clip for more than a few seconds because of the neverending closeups of Tony's face. Great voice though. It slips and slides down his words in a way that few can imitate. 8/10

Nina Zilli-"L'uomo che amava le donne" I was disappointed with this last track. Nina looks a bit like Regina Spektor, but doesn't have the voice that makes her la Regina of female pop music these days. Nina's got a big, brash, loud voice, but I cant get into this song. I'll admit I didn't try very hard either. 4/10

ChEcK oUt ThEsE cLiPs AnD tElL uS wHaT yOu ThInK! I can't believe I just did that.
-Roscoe

"Nel blu dipinto di blu" (Volare)

2010-02-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, I got: socks, books, and a "phrase-of-the-day" calendar in Italian. So far in January, we've been through lots of phrases about family members. It's been good, but I'm looking forward to later in the year when really exciting sentences like "L'acqua è brulicante di squali" (The water is teeming with sharks). I'm trying to imagine a situation in which I would need to use this sentence, but I'm sure when I'm in it, I'm going to be grateful...

This calendar also has the occasional historical mention--famous people, places, etc. You know the drill. The first fact was this:

In 1958, a singer named Domenico Modugno, for lack of a better phrase, knocked the world's socks off. He sang "Nel blu dipinto di blu" (also known as "Volare") and started a phenomenon. Referred to in an article in "La Repubblica" as "padre dei cantautori italiani," Modugno's song sold over 20 million discs (records?) and topped the American charts for over 13 weeks. He brought Italian pop music to the world stage with a bang.

To confirm my calendar's seemingly incredible claims, I turned to youtube for confirmation (second only to Wikipedia as a source of knowledge). Turns out Modugno's song was big, and he's not the only one to have sung this song: Paul McCartney, Dean Martin and Pavarotti have all done covers. I took this as a good sign that the claims of my phrase a day calendar were at least partially true.

So, in order to share the joy of early Italian pop music I posted some links below.

Enjoy!

Here's the original video:

Domenico Modugno

Here's Dean Martin's Version:

Dean Martin

Luciano Pavarotti (kind of strange video....why is he golfing?)

Pavarotti

Umm....David Bowie? Yes, please.

David Bowie

And my personal favorite:

The Gipsy Kings

Benvenuti!

2010-01-30T15:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the new layout of La Vita Blu! Anybody like it? Hope so because whenever I have a lot of homework that I dont feel like doing, this is now what I work on, and that turns out to be kind of a lot...

Since we are welcoming new things, I guess we might as well welcome me as well. My name is Ross White, and I'm joining Jane here at La Vita Blu to keep our millions (billions? trillions?) of passionate fans posted on all that is Italia here in good ol' Utah. I served my LDS mission in the Milan, Italy mission from 2006-2008, and i'm just itchin', dying to go back (so if anyone has a free ticket lying around...). Ok wow lets see...I'm a student at BYU studying exercise science and italian, I'm from Roseville, CA, and my favorite italian pizza is with melone e prosciutto crudo!

So weird but so good. Let us know what you want to hear from La Vita Blu, but regardless, you're going to get some stuff as good as pizza with prosciutto and melone. Restuarant reviews? You got it. Teacher Profiles? Yup. Where to find the cheapest mascarpone for your next tiramisu? Senza dubbio. Stay Posted!

Blog Contest II: The Winner

2010-01-29T18:01:00.000-08:00

So...the time has come. Another winner for the blog contest! The winner this time is Reags... What a great post about how to make the most of your Italian experience here at BYU.

Please contact byu.italianblog@gmail.com to receive your prize!

Spaghetti Western Night

2010-01-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

Missed out on "Notti di Cabiria?" You have another chance to watch a great Italian movie. Club Italia will be showing the classic Spaghetti Western* "Per un pugno di dollari" on Tuesday, January 26th as an Italian club activity. It will be at 7:00 pm in room 1104 of the JKB.

Please bring a desert to share (Italian deserts are preferable, but no one's going to say no to brownies. Probably.) There will be prizes awarded for the best desert, so get in touch with that inner Julia Childs and make something delicious.

Can't cook? Feel like you missed out at Halloween? Unable to contain your Texas pride? Now you can legitimately show off your Western spirit. Prizes will also be awarded for best Western dress, so come decked out and win even more fame and glory than offered by Blog contests (hard to imagine).

*If you're not sure what exactly a spaghetti western is, fear not. This link contains a long, but informative article. It was helpful, but I recommend you skim:)

http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue06/infocus/spaghetti.htm

Blog Contest II

2010-01-18T21:32:00.000-08:00

To start the semester off on the right foot (because it is still fairly early in) I thought it would be fun to have another contest and hear some more wonderful comments from all of you.

So, basic rules:

1. Please respond by next Monday, January 25th, at the latest. I will be doing my completely objective judging around 5:00 that day.

2. There will be fabulous prizes again. This time, Creamery Ice cream. You know you love it.

3. Okay, so I could only think of two things.

The Question is:

What would you suggest to help other students get the most out of their Italian experience here at BYU? What have you personally found helpful?

Good luck!

"Le Notti di Cabiria"

2010-01-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

As one of my last Italian requirements, I am currently enrolled as a proud and contributing member of the French and Italian Cinema class (well, I commented once). On the first day of class, each student was required to stand up and tell everyone their name and major. This much I can usually handle, although on occasion I have been known to forget my name under too much pressure. The second part of the introduction was a little bit trickier--we had to share our favorite movie, director and actor/actress. It soon became clear that while almost everyone can think of a movie or actor/actress they like, coming up with a favorite director is a little bit harder. I must admit I felt woefully ignorant as the only director I could think of off the top of my head was George Lucas (like I said, I'm not good under pressure). Because I was definitely not going to admit the only director I could think of was George Lucas, I joined the ranks of my uninformed classmates and said I'd have to pass on the "favorite director" category. It was around this time that our teacher suggested that for those who could not think of a favorite director, they could say "Fellini" because by the end of the course, he probably would be one of their favorites. Yes, apparently Fellini is that good of a director.

Luckily for us, this segways beautifully into the next part of the blog post....

So, for those among you who cannot name their favorite director, or simply want to experience some good Italian cinema, then you're in luck. Next week (January 18-22) International Cinema will be showing Fellini's "Nights of Cabiria" (or "Le Notti di Cabiria"). As either a cultural event or simply an interesting (and free!) evening out, I would suggest heading over to the SWKT.

The link to International Cinema's Website:

http://ic.byu.edu/soon.php

Interesting (and short) essay by Fellini about the character of Cabiria and the film itself:

http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/57

Roger Ebert's take on Cabiria:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19980816/REVIEWS08/401010343/1023

And the inevitable IMDB synopsis/list of actors/etc:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050783/

2010

2010-01-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

Benvenuti!

Welcome back to the blog and a new semester. I still can't believe it's 2010. I feel so futuristic every time I write the date.

I know I'm glad to be back in Utah (out of the -17 degree weather in Minnesota...) and I'm excited to be writing for the blog again. I hope we can all look forward to a semester of Action! Adventure! Romance! And the Writing Lab Hours! as brought to you by the Italian Studies blog.

So, stay tuned (or keep reading)!

*******

Also, if anyone is interested in getting some free Italian tutoring, please contact Jason Zippro at:

byu.italian.tutor@gmail.com

Tutoring for 100 and 200 level students may include:

conversation for 100 and 200 levels
homework help
test preparation
just about anything else....

300 level students can get help with MLA formatting as long as they notify him in advance.

Jason will be in:

Room 1141A HLRC of the JFSB on Tuesdays from 3-4 PM.

Buon Natale!

2009-12-14T19:13:00.001-08:00

Ci siamo arrivati alla fine! Incredibile! Non ci credo...

However, it's true. The semester really is winding down to a close La Vita Blu would like to wish all Italian students out there Buona Fortuna with finals....

Just remember: take a deep breath, it'll all be over soon.

Thanks for a great semester! Keep reading, and keep speaking!

In boca al lupo!

Jane

Blog Winners! I mean, we're all winners. Some just win more than others.

2009-12-07T17:30:00.001-08:00

After a week of nail biting tension, the results are in... fate has decreed in a random drawing that (drumroll please!) Rachel will be the recipient of a gift card to the BYU Bookstore. (I would suggest chocolate--at least, that's what I would buy, although you are more than welcome to invest in paper clips or something lame like that. I won't judge).

As for the other comments--grazie! I would urge everyone to go and read the reasons listed for being an Italian Major/Minor. Very inspiring. Here's excerpts of my favorite bits of each:

Sammi: A dream of mine is to one day live in Italy--kind of like Diane Lane in "Under the Tuscan Sun"--and knowing the language as well as possible would help me manage that :)

Bellissimo: I feel that knowing Italian, at least partially defines my identity since I'm able to express myself in a completely different way than most other people. For this reason, I have developed a bond with Italy, it's culture and it's language [...] Also, having a variety of interests makes you an interesting person. Imagine that!

Cam: 5) You will impress the opposite gender thereby catalyzing your process toward achieving the BYU aim: finding your eternal mate.
(If you already have an eternal mate, no harm in impressing him/her too, non è vero?)

Rachel: I feel like learning about another culture helps a person to understand more about the world around them. It gives them the chance to become more than they are by expanding their mind and way of thinking.

Thanks again to everyone who posted! What great reasons to join the ever-growing ranks of Italian speakers at BYU. There will be other fabulous prizes in the future, so keep reading the blog!