• Ascolta la poesia – Click to hear your teacher read the poem out loud

  
  

  As you listen, follow the words below in Italian. Pay attention to the rhythm, the tone of voice, and the imagery.

  
  

IL PANE (ITALIAN TEXT)

S’io facessi il fornaio

vorrei cuocere un pane

così grande da sfamare

tutta, tutta la gente

che non ha da mangiare.

Un pane più grande del sole,

dorato, profumato

come le viole.

Un pane così

verrebbero a mangiarlo

dall’India e dal Chilì

i poveri, i bambini,

i vecchietti e gli uccellini.

Sarà una data da studiare a memoria:

un giorno senza fame!

Il più bel giorno di tutta la storia

Don’t worry if you’re unsure, just guess! The goal here is to have fun and recognise what Italian sounds like. We’ll see the English soon, but not yet!

Write your guesses in your journal or share them aloud with a partner

Examples:

“pane” sounds like “pan” = maybe ‘bread’?
“bambini” sounds like ‘baby’? Could be children?

• Parole che capisco

  Words I understand ________________

• Parole che penso di capire

  Words I think I understand ________________

• Parole che mi piacciono solo per il suono!

  Words I just like the sound of________________

If I were the baker,
I’d bake a bread
so big, it would feed
all the people
who have nothing to eat.

A bread bigger than the sun,
golden, scented
like violets.

A bread so grand,
people would come from India, from Chile,
the poor, the children,
the elderly and the birds.

It would be a day to remember forever:
a day without hunger!
The best day in history.

Now that you understand the poem in English, take a moment to reflect.

Choose one or two of these questions to answer:

• What line do you like the most? Why?

  
  

• What picture comes to your mind from the poem?

  
  

• If you could bake something to help the world, what would it be?

Bonus:
Draw or describe your own dream bread. What would it look like? What would it mean?

Inspired by Gianni Rodari’s poem "Il pane" (“The bread”), now it’s your turn to write your own short poem in English.

Write 3–5 lines (or more if you like!)

Write your poem in English, but try to include 2–3 Italian words you’ve learned, like pane (bread), sole (sun), or fame (hunger).

Use the same structure:

“If I were a ___, I would...”

Your poem can be:

• Funny

• Kind

• Serious

• Imaginative

• About helping the world, or just making someone smile!

• You can write it as a short paragraph, in a few lines like Rodari’s, or even add illustrations if you like.

Gianni Rodari (1920–1980) was a beloved Italian author of children's books and poetry. He’s famous for his creative use of language and his deep care for fairness, imagination, and education.

Rodari often used simple words to explore big ideas like peace, equality, and kindness. This poem, Il pane (“The Bread”), imagines a world where bread is enough for everyone: for people, birds, and even stars, as a symbol of hope and justice.

Think about:
What does bread mean to you?
Why do you think Rodari used this image to talk about justice?