Page 21 - Italian-American Herald - December 2024

ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
DECEMBER 2024 | ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM 21
LO SAPEVI CHE? (DID YOU KNOW?)
The truth about Nutella, cappuccino, etc. – a holiday grab-bag of Italian tidbits
By Lou Thomas
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 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!
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
These directors chose non-professionals
to act in these real-life stories in stark black-
to act in these real-life stories in stark black-
and-white fi lms. Many of these non-actors
and-white fi lms. Many of these non-actors
endured the same suffering as their
endured the same suffering as their
characters. Consequently,
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
Aperta
gems of not only Italian cinema but of world
cinema. Do yourself a favor sit down and
watch one of these fi lms. 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 fi nd 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. IAH
Adesso lo sa.
Lou Thomas was born and raised in
Philadelphia, in a family with origins in
Abruzzo. He is a Temple graduate who has
been teaching Italian for 20 years at all levels.
He attained a master’s degree in teaching
Italian from Rutgers University. The sounds
of Vivaldi and Jovanotti fi ll his classroom. His
favorite quote is Il vino e’ la poesia della terra.
“Nut” is the
English word, and
the combination of
“ella” was pleasing
to the ear.