It's Italian: October 2012

Destination: Rome

Click HERE for a last minute weekend deal to Rome, and when you are there, visit some of my most treasured places. These recommendations are meant to make your last minute deal feel planned.

Torre's Picks:

Checchino Dal 1887

Phone:	574.63.18

This temple of traditional Roman cuisine, run by the Mariani family--Ninetta and her two sons--is a dining den where you can sample Italian delicacies, for lack of a better word. For the adventurous and not the vegetarian, specialties include tripe head, trotter, intestine, heart of beef, stewed oxtail and braised milk-fed lamb. Dine on old wooden tables under vaulted ceilings as you fill your glass and your belly.

Cul de Sac

Phone:	880.1094

For a wine bar older than the oldest vintage it offers, step round Cul De Sac, Romes first den de vini. Like a 1960s train carriage, the interior is outfitted with wooden benches and luggage racks. Cold meats and cheeses accompany your choice of over 1400 wines.

Galleria Nazionale D'Arte Antica (Palazzo Corsini)

Phone:	880.23.23

16th- and 17th-century frescoes and trompe loeils adorn this palace, which houses a portion of Italys extensive national art collection. For more color, explore the palace groundsthey have been converted into Orto Botanico, the citys premier botanic gardens.

Museo Nazionale Delle Paste AlimentariI

Phone:	699.11 19

Definitely kitschy, but informative nonetheless, this national pasta archive organizes various shapes of semolina and speaks the history of Italys national dish. With a portable CD player that narrates the exhibit, you will witness an array of pasta-making equipment, labels, art inspired by the starchy food, and prints and photos of people enjoying bowls of the stuff. You couldnt ask for a better appetite stimulator.

Nando Severini

Phone:	678.60.31

This 40 year-old eatery is owned and run by local legend Nando and his dog, who make their own-label prosecco and fagolino, and rose made from uva fagolastrawberry grapes. Have a seat on a crate, have a drink and a nibble. He closes in the early evening, so be sure to stop by before dark.

Pantheon

Phone:	280.02.30

Though Rome has as many renowned art and architectural treasures as L.A. has famous people, the Pantheon is perhaps the best-preserved representation of ancient Rome and remains one of the most famous architectural designs in history. Designed in its current form by the Emperor Hadrian in AD 120, the Pantheons walls are of the same height as its diameter, creating a sense of balance and harmony that was to reflect the unity of the Roman Empire. Do some neck stretches before entering, as your eyes will be drawn to the oculus, or eye of the sun a 30 ft. wide open hole at the center of the dome. At varying times of the day, sunlight would bathe each of several statues of the gods that used to adorn the circumference of the floors great circle. It is the only source of light for the dark, damp interior of the Pantheon.

Trastevere District

An historic (but what part of Rome is not?) quarter of the city that feels like a small country village with its narrow cobbled roads, medieval palaces and traffic-free streets. Fountains and 13th-century mosaics decorate Piazza di Santa Maria, the areas central square. Nearby, the elevation of Giancolo, known as the hill of Janiculum back when the Roman Republic was being threatened by French troops, offers the best views of the city and mountains beyond.

Tre Scalini

The hot spot on the Piazza Navona for tartuffo, that beloved and decadent Italian desert comprised of chocolate gelato and coated in a dark, hard shell of chocolate. Sit and let the creamy flavors slip down your throat as you watch the colorful people and action in the oval piazza. It tastes divine, but if you were staring at a wall, youd still be heaven.

Torre's Tips:

BEFORE YOU GO: Rome

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

-A valid U.S. passport is required for entry. No visa is necessary for U.S. citizens. -Non-US citizens, please contact the nearest consulate or embassy of the country to which you are traveling to determine your entry/visa requirements. LANGUAGE -Italian CURRENCY --The Euro. Exchange rates vary, but currently are about: 1 U.S. Dollar = .83 Euro LOCAL TRANSPORTATION -Rome's Fiumicino Airport, also known as Leonardo da Vinci, is about 18 miles (30 km) from the city. -There is an express rail service between the airport and Termini Station, which takes about 30 minutes and runs hourly from 7am-10pm daily. Tickets in either direction cost approximately $8 (15,000 lira). -A taxi between the airport and the city costs about $40 (80,000 lira), including a surcharge (11,500 lira from the airport, 14,000 lira from the city). Use only yellow or white officially licensed cabs lined up at ranks. -Major car rental companies have desks at the airport. ELECTRICITY -240V AC. Standard 110V AC U.S. electrical appliances won't work, but some dual-voltage models may be compatible using an adapter--check with the manufacturer. HEALTH & SAFETY -Just as you would when traveling to any large city, consult a major guidebook or check with your hotel about precautions to take, and use common sense. -You may have heard of Mad Cow disease (which affects humans) and Foot & Mouth disease (which only affects livestock). As a general rule, refrain from eating meat such as beef, veal, lamb or pork of European origin. (Fortunately, many restaurants are serving meat from other countries, such as Argentina.) Check out www.cdc.gov/travel/ for further information, or ask your doctor. EUROPEAN VALUE ADDED TAX -Many purchases are subject to a Value Added Tax (VAT) usually about 17%. Refunds are available in many cases for non-European Union (EU) citizens. Make sure the store fills out the necessary forms for each purchase, bring all purchases and the paperwork to the Customs VAT counter at the airport prior to departure, and have them stamped. Usually, you will mail the forms from the airport and receive a credit card reimbursement. -Each traveler returning to the U.S. is entitled $400 of goods tax-free. For any dollar amount above that, there is a percentage fee. TELEPHONE TIPS -Country code: 39 -City code: 06 -Dialing from the US: 011 + country code + city code + local number. -Calling home from abroad: Ask your long-distance company (e.g. AT&T, MCI, Sprint) for rates and access numbers from overseas. It is often cheaper to buy a local phone card to call home. CALLING CUSTOMER SERVICE: When calling Customer Service from Italy, dial 172-1011 prior to the toll-free number printed in your confirmation e-mail. NOTE: U.S. State Department passport, visa and travel advisory information can be found at www.state.gov/www/services.html.

Monday, October 15, 2012

The Italian National Anthem

I have never seen an understandable translation of the Italian National Anthem into English. Here is my attempt:

In Italian:

Inno di Mameli

Fratelli d'Italia,

L'Italia s'è desta;

Dell'elmo di Scipio

S'è cinta la testa.

Dov'è la Vittoria?

Le porga la chioma;

Ché schiava di Roma

Iddio la creò.

Stringiamci a coorte!

Siam pronti alla morte;

Italia chiamò.

Noi siamo da secoli

Calpesti, derisi,

Perché non siam popolo,

Perché siam divisi.

Raccolgaci un'unica

Bandiera, una speme;

Di fonderci insieme

Già l'ora suonò.

Stringiamci a coorte!

Siam pronti alla morte;

Italia chiamò.

Uniamoci, amiamoci;

L'unione e l'amore

Rivelano ai popoli

Le vie del Signore.

Giuriamo far libero

Il suolo natio:

Uniti, per Dio,

Chi vincer ci può?

Stringiamci a coorte!

Siam pronti alla morte;

Italia chiamò.

Dall'Alpe a Sicilia,

Dovunque è Legnano;

Ogn'uom di Ferruccio

Ha il core e la mano;

I bimbi d'Italia

Si chiaman Balilla;

Il suon d'ogni squilla

I Vespri suonò.

Stringiamci a coorte!

Siam pronti alla morte;

Italia chiamò.

Son giunchi che piegano

Le spade vendute;

Già l'Aquila d'Austria

Le penne ha perdute.

Il sangue d'Italia

E il sangue Polacco

Bevé col Cosacco,

Ma il cor le bruciò.

Stringiamci a coorte!

Siam pronti alle morte;

Italia chiamò

In English:

Mameli's hymn

Brothers of Italy,

Italy awakes;

And fastens the helmet
Of Scipio on her head.

And Victory, Where is she?

Let her shave her head,

For what a slave of Rome

Hath God made of her.

Let us join together,

Ready to face death;

Italy calls us!

For centuries we have been

Downtrodden and derided,

For we were not a people,

We were divided.

Let one flag,
And one hope;

Join us together.

The hour is already here.

Let us join together,

Ready to face death;

Italy calls us!

Let' us unite and love one another;

For this unity and love

Reveals to the people

The ways of the Lord.

Let us swear to liberate

the native soil:

Under God, United,

Who can defeat us?

Let us join together,

Ready to face death;

Italy calls us!

From the Alps to Sicily,

Everywhere is the battleground

And every man a defender

With their hearts and hands;

The children of Italy

are called "little soldier";

The sound of the trumpet

Is our daily call to prayer.

Let us join together,

Ready to face death;

Italy calls us!

We are the reeds that

Will bend the mercinary swords;

Already the eagle of Austria

has lost its feathers.

It drank the blood of Italy

and the blood of Poland

It drank with the Cossacks

But its heart was burned.

Let us join together,

Ready to face death;

Italy calls us!

Some notes:

Scipio refers to Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (Scipio the African AKA Scipio the Great) (236–183 BC) A general in the Second Punic War who defeated Hannibal.

I took some liberties with this verse:
Dall'Alpe a Sicilia,
Dovunque è Legnano;
Ogn'uom di Ferruccio
Ha il core e la mano;
I bimbi d'Italia
Si chiaman Balilla;
Il suon d'ogni squilla
I Vespri suonò.

Legnano is a specific historical battlefield, I translated it as Battleground.
uom di Ferruccio is "the men of Ferruccio", a specific captain, I just call them defenders.
Balilla was a nickname for Giambattista Perasso who was a child from Genova that fought in the 1746 people's revolution of Genova against the Austrians. Without the historical context i felt it would be more understandable as "little soldier"

To hear Inno di Mameli in Italian, visit: http://youtu.be/o7pmy-u1awI

Inno di Mameli, like it or not , it's Italian!

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Monday, October 15, 2012

The Italian National Anthem

It's Italian

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Destination: Rome

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Monday, October 15, 2012

The Italian National Anthem