Blog Archives

Italy - five places that language unlocks..

19/4/2022

Italy is a popular tourist destination and a country that has many hidden gems. For the vast majority of visitors the main hubs are the only places they get to. It is often because firstly they do not know about these places, and secondly, because they cannot speak Italian and ask about them to know about them. Here are five places that the Italian language can unlock in Italy.

Montefalco in Italy’s Umbria region, is a sleepy Italian town famous for Sagrantino wine and magnificent scenery. Montefalco is a little off the beaten track, and its peace and tranquillity makes it worth a visit alone. The San Francesco Museum houses some of the best works of art in Italy. Speaking Italian will open up this amazing, less travelled place.

If you are flying on a budget airline to Venice, there is a good chance you will land in Treviso. Treviso is a picturesque walled city, 20 miles outside of Venice. Seemingly untouched over the centuries ,once you enter through the medieval gates, you will twist and turn your way around the city through a maze of narrow cobbled streets. Many of the streets were once water courses, and it is not difficult to picture the town in days gone by. Peaceful, intriguing and somewhere where speaking Italian will open up a whole new world. Treviso is a must.

Lake Como is very much a tourist Mecca, but it has a smaller, less familiar, but equally beautiful smaller sister. Lake Iseo is popular with hikers and Monte Iseo is the smallest lake island in Europe. With no cars and fewer than 2000 residents, Monte Iseo is a place that can only truly be experienced when one speaks Italian. The calm and the quiet make this a truly hidden place in Italy, where the real Italy can be experienced.

Gargano is an Italian national park with the perfect balance of sun soaked, sandy beaches and tranquil pine forests. This is one of the top places for Italians to take a vacation in their own country. In peak season, virtually the only language heard spoken is Italian. If you visit here, speaking Italian is very much essential, but speaking Italian will ensure that you vacation as Italians do. This region is barely known by tourists and is one of the best kept Italian secrets.

The best way to describe Portovenere is the sixth Cinque Terre village, officially, there are five but Portovenere has no railway station. Portovenere is peaceful, not full of tourists and a wonderfully friendly little town by the sea. A number of other, equally tranquil villages are found nearby and when you speak Italian the whole Liguria region opens up in a friendly, colourful bouquet of places to visit and stay.

Speaking a language will always open up a country and allow you to see it, and experience it, in a completely new way.

Speaking Italian will open your eyes to one of the most wonderful countries on earth.

Learn Italian at VLLC before you go and open your eyes to a whole new world!

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How Different Cultures Celebrate Easter.

12/4/2022

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The celebration of Easter takes on many forms around the world. While it is a Christian tradition marking the death and resurrection of Jesus, countries across the globe participate in it. The celebrations are as diverse as the cultures that celebrate. Here is how different countries celebrate Easter.
Germany
Elaborate decorations of daffodils, bunnies, eggs and branches fill homes in Germany around Easter time. Eggs are painted and sometimes exchanged. In many places across Germany, bonfires are held to mark Easter as well as welcome the Spring.
Spain
In Spain, Easter is marked with somber vigils held in the streets with symbols of crosses, candles and statues of Jesus and Mary. Participants are clothed in robes, veils and hoods and a sacred song is sung. These processions are not limited to Easter weekend but take place across the entire Holy Week leading up to Easter.

Bermuda
Unlike the sombre vigils of Spain, Bermuda’s celebrations reflect its relaxed culture. Like many other cultures, people eat hot cross buns across the weekend and on Easter Friday many go out and fly kites.
The Philippines
In The Philippines, Christians mark Easter by participating in processions. Men participate in one procession and walk behind an image of Jesus, while women partake in another following an image of Mary in a black veil. The processions meet at the church and girls dressed as angels remove Mary’s veil, and the joyful celebrations follow.

Ethiopia
Churches in Ethiopia celebrate Faskia, the 55 days leading up to Easter in which participants abstain from meat and animal products, similar to lent in some other cultures. Sombre vigils are held on the night before Easter, but on Sunday Christians celebrate with food, music and dancing.
France
In typical French style, one French tradition in the town of Bessières celebrates Easter with cooking. Volunteers come together to cook a giant omelette, made up of thousands of eggs. Easter is one of the most widely celebrated traditions in the world, and people across the globe celebrate in diverse ways, reflective of their unique cultures.

References
Stasak, J 2022, ‘How Easter is Celebrated in Countries Around the World’, Wycliffe, 25 February.

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Italy.... better when you speak Italian.

5/4/2022

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With any country, a visitor can get by with a phrase book, Google translate, some broken language and plenty of hand gestures, and for some, just speaking in their own language louder and slower hoping the person they speak to understands is the norm. But to get under the skin of a country, to see life as a native and to get a greater understanding of what is around you and what makes a country what it is, nothing beats speaking the language and being a part of the culture.

When in Rome, so they say, do as the Romans do and when visiting Italy on vacation or for business nothing could be closer to the truth. Italy is a wonderful country that comes alive by speaking the language and not just in Rome but any city, small town or rural village. Language lifts a layer off a country, a whole new country opens up and with Italian you really can do as the Romans do. There are countless tourist attractions to see and visit in Italy and it is easy for anyone to simply visit, look and then check off the bucket list. But what would it be like visiting these attractions knowing you can converse, understand the signs, feel the emotion?

There is a place in the middle of Venice called Isola di Burano that is famous for its colourfully painted houses. It is a popular tourist attraction and many people just book their tickets, have a look around, snap a selfie and consider it as seen. But if you spoke Italian you would suddenly be able to go beyond the colourful houses and strike up a conversation with a local. Going a little beyond just good morning and very much passing the time of day, you will be a tourist who is able to experience the life and culture of one of Italian’s own. It’s the little things that bring Italy to life when you speak Italian. Theatre trips can be taken because you understand what is being said, a small local village play can be as marvellous as a performance at La Scala in Milan. Simply because you speak Italian, you understand and what would normally be reserved for the Italians, can be enjoyed by you.

All the many works of art that Italy is famous for can be visited with a whole new confidence when you speak Italian. Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting of The Last Supper can be talked about with Italians as you gaze at the masterpiece, you might even get better ticket prices just because you speak Italian. But you can absorb works of art and question if you must in the local language, conversation can be struck up with an Italian art student and suddenly a whole new perspective on a painting or sculpture is found and appreciated.
But it is not just the leisure tourist who wants to get close to the arts of Italy who is a winner by speaking the language. As a business visitor, your host, customer or supplier will feel confident in inviting you to real Italian events and places when you can converse, this will allow you to get closer to the people and the Italian way of life that may very well be the difference between you winning your company the business.
Each and every attraction has a whole new appeal when visited with a speaking knowledge of Italian, the leaning tower of Pisa, the Sistine chapel, the Colosseum in Rome or just a stroll through the vineyards of Tuscany become places with deeper meaning and greater understanding that create a better memory allowing you to really say “L’Italia e Bella” – Italy is Beautiful as the sun sets on your visit.

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Italy - five places that language unlocks..

How Different Cultures Celebrate Easter.

Italy.... better when you speak Italian.

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