We started working on the past subjunctive this week - it almost seems like an afterthought after slogging through the present subjunctive over the last few weeks. I’m definitely finding it easier to get my head around - at least at first glance!
I’ve pulled together my study notes on the past subjunctive tense (il congiuntivo passato).
As always, let me know of any errors and I’ll gladly make corrections!

A quick overview of the post:
- Overview, Common uses, Conjugation - general rules, Conjugations using avere as the auxiliary, Conjugations using essere as the auxiliary, Reflexive verbs
Enjoy!

I’ve long dreamed of living and working in Italy, with The Beloved being of good Calabrese stock and as the relatives are not getting any younger, I am conscious of time marching on.

I also think it’d be a fantastic legacy for mia moglie e La Regina to take up their rights to Italian citizenship ‘jure sanguini’ (’by blood’). It would allow them to live and work anywhere in Italy or the broader European Union - what an amazing, life changing opportunity; something that I find myself wanting to grasp as tightly as I can for them both. So I’ve officially set myself a quest - to do the research, find the documents and finally get things happening once and for all!

My starting point, as so often, is the exquisite writings of Michelle at Bleeding Espresso, who has again set the soul food standard from which to set forth.

There are lots of complicated qualification rules, but in simple terms, I think that both my guys qualify for Italian citizenship through my wife’s Italian bloodline; basically, one has to trace an unbroken line (no renouncement or loss of Italian citizenship) back to the last ancestor who was registered as a citizen in Italy.

My short thoughts on whether my wife actually qualifies for ‘jure sanguinis’…
1. Her father was an Italian citizen at the time of her birth and she has never renounced her rights to Italian citizenship
2. Her mother was an Italian citizen at the time of her birth, she (wifey) was born AFTER January 1, 1948 and has never renounced her rights to Italian citizenship

Taking that a step further for La Regina…her mother (wifey) was an Italian citizen (’jure sanguinis’) at the time of her birth, she was obviously born AFTER January 1, 1948 and has (equally obviously) never renounced her rights to Italian citizenship

There are some terrific websites that give guidance and step by step advice on the necessary paperwork, records and (I suspect) twists and turns that I’m about to confront. All part of the journey!

As an aside, my focus is obviously on the necessary steps from an Australian perspective. I’ll try to keep my writing as general as possible, but please forgive me if I take on an overly Australian slant.
If you are interested in pursuing this for yourself or someone close to you, I encourage you to check the requirements as they pertain to your own country.
Australian Government - Department of Immigration and Citizenship
Italian Consulate - Canberra, Australia

I’ve jotted down my notes on the present subjunctive tense (il congiuntivo presente) - one that is in decline in English, but which continues to flourish in contemporary Italian.
My teacher held off introducing us to the subjunctive tenses until our 4th year, because she says that they can be difficult for foreign students to learn. She also thinks that the extent to which an Italian speaker applies the subjunctives is related to the extent of their education!
Cute analogy, but one mia moglie di Calabria is bound to dispute!

Again, please let me know of any glaring errors - I’m happy to make corrections!

A quick overview of the post:
- Overview, Common uses, Regular conjugations, Regular conjugations (-iare verbs), Regular conjugations (-care, -gare verbs), Irregular conjugations, Impersonal expressions, Subordinate expressions

Here are some links that give some more background information. Enjoy!
About.com: Italian language
Wikipedia(as with all the Wikipedia references, this one is very basic. I’ve really only included it in the hope that it gives you something of interest - caveat emptor!)
italian language guide (a pretty thin reference, but it discusses some more obscure use of the present subjunctive)

I have been struggling over the last week with getting up on time in the morning, and hauling myself to work at a reasonable hour. So, in the spirit of being sempre in ritardo, I stumbled across this fabulous story in italiannotebook.com, about the perils of italian bus travel, told with wonderful humor and irreverence.

I recently saw a travel documentary following a bus driver who ran a daily shuttle up and down the Amalfi Coast. Dio Mio! This man had no fear and ran the single lane, cliff hugging track like a race car. God help all and sundry approaching from the other direction!

It’s worth scrolling through the user responses after the article though, just to satisfy yourself that not ALL buses are like this!
BTW - we have the same sort of adventures with our public transport here in Melbourne, Australia. Must be a global phenomenon : )

Finally…after weeks of procrastination, I’ve started dumping all my class notes into a journal.
These notes are raw. They are transcribed from my class scribbles and unless absolutely necessary, have been left unedited. So please bear that in mind!
Over the next couple of months, I’m going to backfill with my notes from last year; I also hope to load up my notes for this year, as each week goes by.

I really hope that they are of interest to other students; I’m also quite proud of them in their own right because they act like ’signposts’. I really think that over time, there’ll be some sense of progression - at least I hope so…I’m really dreading standing still. But you know what? (*leaning forward and whispering in a conspiratorial tone…*) I think I’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Please skim through them - read, pass comments, I’d love for you to follow me down the bumpy road!

I’ve pulled together my notes on the imperfect verb tense (l’imperfetto) - one of the easiest tenses to learn, yet hardest to use!
I hope that these notes are of interest to other students in some way but as always, I’ve no pretences at expertise here, so I’m happy to fix any glaring errors that you might notice. Feel free to let me know.

A quick rundown of this post…
Common uses, Regular conjugations, Regular conjugations (-iare verbs), Regular conjugations (reflexives), Regular conjugations (esserci), Irregular conjugations, Adverb constructions, Imperfect continuous

Other links that might be of interest
About.com: Italian language
Wikipedia (this is actually a pretty rudimentary reference. I’ve included it to give readers an alternative online source, but don’t think it is terribly thorough)
ielanguages.com

So the new school year starts in…a couple of weeks!

Help!  There’s no way that I’m ready.  I feel like I’ve barely thought about my studies since last year…you know that each year you convince yourself that NEXT time will be different and you’ll prepare better!  But you never do.

At the moment, I am frantic with worry and consumed with self-doubt, inadequacy and general self pity.  Can I step up to the next level?  Will I ever remember my vocab?  Why am I so crap at conversation? 

I was really disappointed with my efforts last year and convinced myself that I should take a break, clear the head and approach in 2010 with a renewed sense of purpose.  BUT…the Beloved convinced me that once I mentally step back from things, it will be nigh on impossible to maintain the intensity (such as it is) or focus.  The other guys in class will kick on and my most useful learning tool - the group environment, will be lost.  That’s a pretty compelling argument and gives me cause to reflect, get my head straight and just get on with it. 

So, there’s only one thing to do.  Suck it up and do my best. Simple. If I’m feeling downright inadequate, then I’ll bet the other guys in class are as well. I’m certainly not Robinson Crusoe.
So I’ve started rereading last year’s notes, running through the exercises and generally revisiting the key things we covered in Level 3A and 3B.

Memo to self: Get last year’s notes organised into summary sheets.

Onwards and upwards. Bring it on.

Benvenuti a 2009!

I’ve been reading about Cortina d’Ampezzo and daydreaming about taking a long, lazy holiday there..oh bliss! BUT…reality sets in, the phone rings, the usual distractions return and so in a desperate bid to bookmark my brain, I want to get my thoughts down before they disappear!

Bear with me - most of the websites are pretty parochial but if you look around, there’s enough background information to build a decent picture. If you want a break from tourist testimonials and have a taste for the local news, corriere.it covers the local area and is worth a browse. Type ‘Cortina d’Ampezzo’ in the search box.

Cortina d’Ampezzo is a world famous town and municipality in the north-east of Italy, in the Province of Belluno, Veneto (near the Austrian border) and is surrounded on all sides by the southern (Dolomitic) Alps. It is also known as La Regina delle Dolomiti because of its unique location, culture and 1,000 year heritage.
 

The town’s main (although not only…) claim to fame is as one of Italy’s most exclusive and well-known winter resorts. World adulation kicked in after the town hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics. The 1944 Winter Olympics were also scheduled to be held in Cortina, but were canceled because of World War II. The 1927 Nordic, 1941 Nordic and 1941 Alpine World Skiing Championships were held in Cortina as well, although the 1941 Nordic championships were withdrawn by the FIS in 1946. The region lost the bid for the 1988 Winter Olympics to Calgary, Canada.

Mario Ferruccio Belli provides a brilliant history of the area - well worth a browse. But if you want a quick summary only, Wikipedia gives a neat outline, of which one thing jumped out at me straight away:

When Italy entered the World War in 1915, most of the male inhabitants were fighting for Austria on the Russian front. By this time the town was inhabited completely by people of German origin. 669 male inhabitants, most of them under 16 or over 50, tried to fight the Italian troops. Outnumbered by the Italians, they had to retreat. In 1917 the town was freed again by the Tyrolian Standschützen.

After the war the (townspeople) were forced to declare themselves as Italians. In the middle of the town a big monument was build to remember the Italian soldiers who fell here, but all of them came from towns far away from Ampezzo. Until 1998 it was forbidden for the people of Ampezzo to erect a monument for their soldiers, because they had been fighting for Austria.

A couple of quirky things to note if you are planning your next skiing holiday…

• Cortina has 101 ski runs, covering 140 km (87 mi), with the longest run 11 km (7 mi)
• The town has appeared in some classic films:
  1. Ash Wednesday starring Elizabeth Taylor and Henry Fonda
  2. The Pink Panther starring David Niven and Peter Sellers
  3. For Your Eyes Only starring Roger Moore
  4. Von Ryan’s Express starring Frank Sinatra
  5. Cliffhanger starring Sylvester Stallone

Today marks the 7th anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, so I thought it timely to reflect on the Italian Government’s position on this contentious matter. 

Italian policy currently reflects the broad European view of “non assistance with Guantanamo Bay detainees”, although important questions were raised in June 2008 regarding the Italian secret service’s role in 2002-3 in the forced abduction of 100 detainees under the US Government’s policy of forced rendition.  But I’m digressing…

Of particular interest in an Italian context, is the Dec/2008 question posed by Senator Marco Perduca of the libertarian (centre-left) Radical Party to the Minister of Foreign Arrairs, about the future of seventeen ethnic Chinese Uyghurs who have been cleared by the US for repatriation but who face almost certain torture and execution on their return to China.

Senators Perduca and Donatella Poretti both called for Italy to break away from the standard European position - non-assistance with Guantanamo Bay detainees - and follow the Portugese decision to offer asylum to ex-inmates.  Perduca said that Italy should “come forward on its own” and provide hospitality for detainees who “run serious risks if repatrtiated”.

In response, the Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on 16/Dec 2008 that Italy had not been asked by the US to accept any detainees.

I was touched by the amazing floods in Venice last week. My wife (descended from Decollatura, Catanzaro, Calabria) said that the images of Venice in flood were like nothing she has ever seen in her lifetime.
The simple numbers are stunning - even for a city that floods regularly; driven by strong winds from the Adriatic, the acqua alta in the lagoon surrounding the city rose 156cm (61in) above normal levels - the deepest flood in 22 years, and the fourth highest flood level since 1872.

My instinctive reaction was to jump to the conclusion that Venice is sinking. After all, these are potent images and are constantly brought up each time the acqua alta makes its mark.
But then on reflection, I started to think that there is a difference between ‘flooding’ and ’sinking’, with last week’s flood being taken as proof that Venice is in fact sinking. I’m not sure that the two scenarios are so closely inter-connected.

Veniceforvisitors.com says that:

Although the city did sink about 10 cm in the 20th Century because of industrial groundwater extraction, the sinking largely stopped when artesian wells on the mainland were capped in the 1960s.
Today, subsidence is estimated at 0.5 to 1 mm per year, mostly due to geological factors and compression of the land beneath the city’s millions of wooden pilings.
A larger problem is the rising sea level, which will become an even bigger threat as global warming melts the arctic ice caps. Already, the frequency of acqua alta has increased from fewer than 10 times a year to more than 60 times a year in the last century.

Acqua alta typically occurs when a set of natural circumstances align:

1. A very high tide (usually during a full or new moon)
2. Low atmospheric pressure
3. A scirocco wind blowing up the narrow, shallow Adriatic Sea, which forces water into the Venetian Lagoon

A couple of other interesting points:

• The phenomenon is most likely to take place between late September and April, and especially in the months of October, November, and December
• By official definition, acqua alta occurs when the tide is 90 mm (3.54 inches) above normal high tide
• The actual depth of water in the streets is far less than the “level of tide” might suggest. (the 2004 flood is a case in point - 135 cm of flooding translated into 40 cm of water in the Piazza San Marco)

That made me think about efforts to preserve this most precious of cities.
It seems to me that any effort to provide a permanent solution would be remarkably expensive, particularly given the city’s relatively small population of 271,000. And it’s fair to say that in the best Italian tradition, it doesn’t take much effort to uncover an ages-old debate that is passionate, opinionated and guaranteed to raise tempers!

The MOSE Project is designed to protect Venice but has a long and chequered history.
Wikipedia summarises MOSE as

…an integrated defence system consisting of rows of mobile gates able to isolate the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea when the tide reaches above an established level (110 cm) and up to a maximum of 3 m. Together with other complementary measures such as coastal reinforcement, the raising of quaysides and paving and improvement of the lagoon environment, these barriers will protect the city of Venice from extreme events such as the floods and from morphological degradation. Work on the project has been underway since 2003 at the three lagoon inlets of Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia, the gaps connecting the lagoon with the sea and through which the tide ebbs and flows.

The project is expected to cost €4,272 million, against a budget of €3,000 million. To March 2008, approximately 40% of the work has been completed at a cost of €2,440 million. On 31 January 2008, the fifth tranche of €400 million was released and construction of the caissons, the most important and final part of the project, could begin. 

MOSES is due for completion between 2012 and 2014. But there is still no single body responsible for the defence of the city, and no plan for its long-term preservation, let alone funding.

There has long been resistance to MOSE from environmental and conservationist groups, largely on the the basis of the excessive cost, monolithic nature of the MOSE solution (and its ineffectiveness against rising sea levels) and wide ranging changes being made to the sea bed. In the best Italian tradition, political arguments between pro and anti forces have raged down the years, with Greens, Communists and Socialists siding in the ’80s to oppose the project on the basis that it is ecologically unsound and favors big business.

During the years, nine appeals have also been presented. Eight have been rejected on various grounds with the 9th currently being examined.

Crucially, the barrier scheme’s opponents include Venice’s mayor, Massimo Cacciari, who is struggling to run the city on a budget reduced to fund Moses.

Sounds like the arguments are going to continue for a while yet.