A Slip of the Tongue

Italian is an interesting language with its multitude of verb conjugations and words that I simply cannot wrap my tongue around (l’orologio, gli elettrodomestici). One of the most interesting pronunciations is that for words with a double consonant. Take sono (I am, they are) and sonno (sleep), for example. The difference in pronunciation is that the double “n” in sonno is held just a tiny fraction of a second longer that the single “n” in sono. This, typically, gives non-Italian speakers some difficulty. Of course, holding the “n” sound too long makes it sounds as though you have peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth. Quite by accident, I noticed in my dictionary that the Italian word pene (penis) is very like the word penne (pens; also a type of pasta) except for the double “n” in penne. Now I have a horrible sinking feeling that I trotted into Molesini’s store the other day, where the pasta is on a high shelf behind the end of the deli counter, and asked the male manning the counter to hand me a box of “penis”…..

The last two days have been glorious and sunny, but today is gray and overcast. Rain is sure to appear at some point during the day. Even when the valley is sunny, we often have a dark gray cloud hanging over the hill producing a never-ending supply of rain. My theory is that the moisture laden clouds get hung up on the church spires and cannot get over our hill. I spent quite a lot of time these past days walking in the park and soaking up the hot rays and I’ve developed an unfortunate tan ring around my neck and upper chest where the sun kisses me. Everything below that is a particularly anemic shade of white.

I was invited to join a group of Americans and English last night for a drink and some pleasant conversation. One man admitted he’d recently gotten on an out of service train heading the wrong direction in error and had to ask to be let off at some tiny station in the middle of nowhere. His friends were alerted to his dilemma by a series of desperate incoming text messages stating, “I got on the wrong train and I don’t know where I am and no one else is on the train …..” I could have nightmares about an experience like that!