Italian All-in-One For Dummies (76 page)

mettersi
(
meht
-tehr-see) (
to put on/to wear
):
Mi metto la giacca nera.
(mee
meht
-toh lah
jahk
-kah
neh
-rah.) (
I'm going to wear my black jacket.
)

lavarsi
(lah-
vahr
-see) (
to wash
):
Ti sei lavata i denti?
(tee sey lah-
vah
-tah ee
dehn
-tee?) (
Did you brush your teeth?
)

Chapter 4

Planning a Trip

In This Chapter

Making travel plans

Considering organized tours

Going beyond Italy's borders

Talking about coming and going

Looking forward to your trip: The simple future tense

E
verybody likes to get away from the daily grind and check out new environments and activities during their free time. Tourists and Italians alike flock
la spiaggia
(lah
spyahj
-jah) (
to the beach
), head
in
montagna
(een mohn-
tah
-nyah) (
to the mountains
), or get away
in campagna
(een kahm-
pay
-nyah) (
to the countryside
). Some Italians take long trips outside of Italy. Whatever you do,
buon viaggio!
(bwohn
vyahj
-joh!) (
have a nice trip!
) or
buone vacanze!
(
bwoh
-neh vah-
kahn
-tzeh!) (
have a nice vacation!
)

Deciding When and Where to Go

Deciding when to take a trip can be just as important as choosing your destination. Italy has many cities that really heat up in the summer. In fact, many Italians living in those cities escape to cooler places in the summer, such as the beaches of Sardegna or the cool Dolomites. On the other hand, summer months are also
l'alta stagione
(
lahl
-tah stah-
joh
-neh) (
high season
) for tourists.

Talkin' the Talk

Enzo is talking to Cristina about their vacation for the summer. He has it all figured out already, but Cristina is skeptical. (Track 21)

Enzo:
Quest'anno andiamo in montagna!

kwehs
-
tahn
-noh ahn-
dyah
-moh een mohn
-tah-
nyah!

This year we're going to the mountains!

Cristina:
Stai scherzando?

stahy skehr-
tsahn
-doh?

Are you kidding?

Enzo:
È rilassante: boschi, aria fresca . . .

eh
ree-lahs-
sahn
-teh:
bohs
-kee,
ah
-ree-ah
frehs
-kah . . .

It's relaxing: woods, fresh air . . .

Cristina:
È noioso. E non si può nuotare!

eh
noy-oh
-zoh. eh nohn see
pwoh
nwoh-
tah
-reh!

It's boring. And you can't swim!

Enzo:
Ci sono le piscine, i laghi e i fiumi!

chee
soh
-noh leh pee-
shee
-neh, ee
lah
-gee eh ee
fyooh
-mee!

There are swimming pools, lakes and rivers!

Cristina:
Ma dai, pensa al mare, al sole . . .

mah dahy,
pehn
-sah ahl
mah
-reh, ahl
soh
-leh . . .

Come on, think of the sea, the sun . . .

Enzo:
Facciamo passeggiate, visitiamo i rifugi, mangiamo quel buon cibo di montagna.

fach-
chah
-moh pahs-sehj-
jah
-teh, vee-see-
tyah
-moh ee ree-
fooh
-jee, mahn-
jah
-moh qwel bwohn
chee
-boh dee mohn-
tah
-nyah.

We can go hiking, visit some retreats, and eat that good mountain food.

Cristina:
Oh no. Io rimango a casa!

oh noh.
yoh
ree-
mahn
-goh ah
kah
-sah!

Oh no. I'll stay home!

 

The Alps and Dolomites offer marvelous terrain for hiking and skiing. A
rifugio
(ree-
fooh
-joh) is a rustic mountain retreat that people hike or ski to, for the most part. You can enjoy a warm, home-cooked meal there, and even spend the night in some
rifugi
(ree-
fooh
-jee) (
retreats
).

Going to agriturismo

Several years ago, a new vacation concept became popular in Italy:
l'agriturismo
(lah-gree-tooh-
reez
-moh) (
the farm holiday
). During these types of vacations, people travel to the country or the mountains where they stay in farmhouses. These accommodations range from Spartan to luxurious and romantic; most are good options for families. Guests can help out on the farm, ride horses, and swim at some
agriturismi.
This type of lodging also enables you to eat the traditional food of the region, and you're miles away from formal, impersonal hotels.

Another popular type of lodging is the bed and breakfast, which you can find throughout the countryside as well as in big cities like Rome and Milan. The concept of B&B in Italy is different than in the U.S. — it's open to families, not only to couples who don't want to be bothered by the sounds of children or other domestic commotions.

You can easily find an abundance of both on the web as you're doing your research for your trip.