The truth about Nutella, cappuccino, etc. – a holiday grab-bag of Italian tidbits

Did you know that Nutella is a made-up name? Did you know that coffee is cheaper than you think, and it’s against the law to ask for a cappuccino after 12 noon in Italy?

In 1964 Michele the son of Pietro Ferrero updated a version of SuperCrema, a popular product sold by Ferrero since 1946 and renamed it Nutella. The ingredients were cocoa, hazelnut paste and sugar. He chose the name Nutella for the following reasons: Nut is the English word and the combination of ella was pleasing to the ear Ecco Nutella. Today Nutella is known worldwide as the most popular chocolate spread with bread, cookies, fruit ice cream, etc. Che mondo sarebbe senza Nutella!

“Nut” is the English word, and the combination of “ella” was pleasing to the ear.

During the end of World War II, due to the destruction and ruin of il bel paese, a new movie genre was born called Il Neorealismo. Due to the lack of funds available for actors, cinematography and staging the directors took to the streets. Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica and many others used the bombed-out buildings, streets of rubble and debris as their main sets.

These directors chose non-professionals to act in these real-life stories in stark black-and-white films. Many of these non-actors endured the same suffering as their characters. Consequently, scenes were ad libbed to present pathos and compassion to stir the emotions of the audience. “Ladri di Biciclette” “Roma Citta’ Aperta” and “Paisan” are true gems of not only Italian cinema but of world cinema. Do yourself a favor sit down and watch one of these films. I promise you it will be time well spent.

Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece Mona Lisa in Italy is known as La Gioconda. Gioconda comes from the last name of the model who sat for da Vinci. Signor Giocondo was the model’s husband. Ecco La Gioconda. When you study Italian you will discover that there is always gender/number agreement (male/female and singular/plural) with nouns in Italian. When a noun ends in the letter “O” the word is masculine /singular i.e. Giocondo. The converse applies when the nouns end in the letter ”A” the word is feminine/singular i.e. Gioconda .

The bar in Italy is unique. Il bar is a place to meet, converse and relax with friends both old and young. It’s a place to read La Gazzeta dello Sport to find the latest soccer scores, check the lotto numbers and discuss current politics. A propsito (by the way) when you enter a bar in Italy in you must know two important facts: If you drink un caffe’ al banco (counter) the cost is 1,50 Euro. If you drink un caffe’ al tavolo (table) the cost is 3 Euro.

Lastly, you never ever ask for a cappuccino after 12 noon. E’vietato (It’s forbidden). Just kidding.

Adesso lo sa.