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Per chi decide di trattare Natale

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Milan's Cathedral. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP

Christmas in Italy is a magical experience, but there are a few unique traditions you won't find in other countries. If you're hoping to have a truly Italian Christmas, make sure to incorporate at least some of the following.

1. Get the dates right

Photo: Pexels

The Italian festive season starts on December 8th with the celebration of the Immaculate Conception, and continues until the Epithany on January 6th, when the Three Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem. The most important date of the celebrations is Christmas Eve.

2. Know your Novena

Picture: Waiting for the Word/Flickr

The nine-day period before Christmas, known as the Novena, is when we remember the journey of the shepherds to the baby Jesus' manger. In rural areas in particular, children go from house to house dressed as shepherds and performing Christmas songs or poems, often in exchange for money or sweets.

3. Keep an eye out for bagpipers

Photo: Massimilianogalardi/Wikimedia Commons

In southern Italy and Rome, bagpipe-playing shepherds, or zampognari as they are known, perform tunes in piazzas, normally dressed in traditional sheepskin and wool cloaks. The pipers usually travel in pairs down from their mountain homes - it's quite a spectacle.

4. Prepare the presepe

Photo: nedrichards/Flickr

The tradition of presepi, or Christmas cribs, is widespread in Italy. Most churches, as well as other public areas and many Italian homes, will have at least one nativity scene on display. Styles vary and may depict just the holy family or a whole village, but the baby Jesus is usually added only on Christmas Eve. Sometimes, contemporary characters (such as ex-PM Renzi or Italian footballers) are included too.

In Rome, an annual exhibition displays 100 different cribs from all over the world, including miniscule versions carved into nuts, and all kinds of materials - even pasta.

5. Festive Francis

Pope Francis during last year's Christmas mass. Photo: AFP

In Rome, crowds gather in St Peter's Square for the Pope's evening mass on Christmas Eve, and at noon on Christmas Day, he appears at the basilica's balcony to give his blessing. He'll also be the one to add the baby Jesus to the Vatican's life-size nativity on the 24th.

6. A feast of fish

Photo: Koze/Flickr

Christmas Eve was traditionally a day of fasting before Christmas for Catholics, with festivities starting only after the evening mass. This is still observed in some families, and the evening meal, known as the 'Feast of Seven Fishes', is usually based on seafood rather than meat. Clams and oysters are often used as they are seen as luxurious.

7. Religious roots

Castel Sant'Angelo. Photo: Andreas Tille/Wikimedia Commons

Italian Christmas celebrations are still very much based on their religious roots. At midnight on Christmas Eve, churches ring their bells and cannons are fired from Rome's Castel Sant'Angelo to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. If you're interested, there will be plenty of Christmassy services and carol concerts at your local church, and they are beautiful to watch even for the non-religious.

8. The big dinner

Photo: Gaspar Torriero/Flickr

On Christmas Day, the food that makes up the Cenone (literally meaning 'big dinner') varies from region to region, but meat is normally back on the menu, often accompanied by pasta. The meal is followed by panettone, a sweet bread loaf originating from Milan, and other desserts filled with nuts, which were historically a symbol of fertility for the coming year.

9. Letters to loved ones

Photo: Sarabbit/Flickr

Christmas in Italy is a family affair, and as well as writing to Father Christmas requesting the latest must-haves, it is traditional for children to write letters to their parents, telling them how much they love them. The letters are usually decorated and tied up beautifully, and are read out after Christmas lunch.

10. Wait for the witch

Photo: ho visto nina volare/Flickr

Although nowadays many children receive presents from Father Christmas on Christmas Eve, a uniquely Italian tradition is that of 'La Befana', the old woman who brings gifts on Epiphany Eve. Legend has it the Three Wise Men came to her house and invited her to join their search for Christ. She was too busy with housework so declined, but later changed her mind, and to this day is still searching for the child, leaving presents for any good children she comes across.

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How to celebrate Christmas like the Italians

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Milan's Cathedral. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP Christmas in Italy is a magical experience, but there are a few unique traditions you won't find in other countries. If you're hoping to have a truly Italian Christmas, make sure to incorporate at least some of the following. 1.

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Per chi decide di trattare Pasqua

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Talking about Festivals and Celebrations

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dal sito https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org/living/holidays-festivals-events

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Per chi ha tempo: è un video che insegna a descrivere la propria città e vi fa esercitare nell'ascolto

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Talking About Your Hometown - Spoken English Lesson

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Nella vostra descrizione considerate 3 punti: 1.where it is located
2.what it is famous for
3.what are the advantages / disadvantages
oppure
3.what you like / don't like about your town

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Where it is located

What it is known for

What are the main industries in your hometown

What languages are spoken there

What are the advantages and disadvantages of living there

What problems your hometown faces

London Answer:
My hometown is London, the capital city of the UK. It is located in South East England, on the River Thames. It is well known around the world for its amazing history, architecture, music and fashion. The advantages of living in London are the high employment prospects, the range of things to do, such as cultural and social activities, and the beautiful parks and river. Some of the main industries in London are tourism, retail, finance, creative industries, education, banking and so on. So the job opportunities are good, and it's quite easy to travel around London on the Tubes, buses and overground trains. However, one of the main downsides of London is the cost of living. Rent and travel costs are some of the highest in the world , so any advantage of higher wages is usually cancelled out by higher living costs. If you don't like crowds, you'd better stay away from the city centre - but I guess that is true of any city. I think what makes my hometown special is the fact that you can meet all kinds of people there as it is a melting pot of hundreds of different communities, cultures and languages. also faces environmental problems such as air pollution, caused by heavy traffic, and also flooding, as it is in a river valley and some areas of London are lower than the level of the river. It also faces social problems such as overcrowding and homelessness, and in some areas, social tensions. London is more cosmopolitan and much larger than any other city in the UK, and compared with Paris, the capital of France, London This sample answer took around 2 minutes, which is the maximum time you need to speak without stopping in Part 2 of the IELTS speaking exam. Now, try it yourself! has a higher population and is also greener in terms of the number of parks and open spaces. The main language is English, but this is spoken with a wide variety of accents and dialects.

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IELTS Speaking Test Part 2: Describe your Hometown

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Where it is located What it is known for What are the main industries in your hometown What languages are spoken there What are the advantages and disadvantages of living there What problems your hometown faces London Answer: My hometown is London, the capital city of the UK.

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Free Time Activities - Leisure English Vocabulary

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Free time = The time when you are not working, when you can choose what you do.

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questions for speaking part 1 and 3

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vocabulary expansion

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English grammar exercises and quizzes online. Free exercises on the simple present tense.

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English grammar exercises and quizzes online. Free exercises on the simple present tense.

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A Day in the life of...

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Introduce yourself talking  about these things:

Name

Where from

Marital status

Family

Job

hobbies

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programma  e struttura dell'esame

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Lettura : Daily activities at home e quiz (dopo le letture)

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Daily Routines and Activities - English Vocabulary - Vocabulario Inglés Rutinas Diarias

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Daily Routines and Weekly Activities English Vocabulary. Typical daily activities at home and at work - Vocabulario en inglés de Rutinas Diarias

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lista di argomenti per l'esame

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B1 Grammar topics

These are topics you need to study to pass an exam at B1 level, such as Cambridge English Preliminary:

Adverbs
Both, either, neither
Broader range of intensifiers; So, such, too, enough
Comparatives and superlatives
Question tags
Conditionals, 2nd and 3rd
Connecting words expressing
cause and effect, contrast etc.
Embedded questions
Future continuous
Modals - must/can't deduction
Modals - might, may, will, probably
Modals - should have/might have/etc
Modals: must/have to

Past continuous
Past perfect
Past simple
Past tense responses
Phrasal verbs, extended
Prepositions of place
Present perfect continuous
Present perfect/past simple
Reported speech (range of tenses)
Simple passive
Wh- questions in the past
Will and going to, for prediction

You can also see which grammar topics are associated with other CEF levels.

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Grammar explanations and practice tests at B1 level

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List of grammar topics you need to learn to pass an exam at B1 level

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home movie

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prompts for teachers