So, as I am sure you all know, Ciao means “Hello/Hi” or "Goodbye". It is possibly the most known and most used Italian word. But do you know its origin? Likely not, and it is quite interesting.

So the origin of Ciao is from the Venetian dialect/language word “sciavo”, which means “slave”, which in turns comes from thev Latin “Slavus” — which by the way is also the word/adjective used even today, Slavo, to indicate Slavic people. So, during the peak of the Venetian Republic in the 1400s, when Venice ruled most of the commerce in the World, most slaves were, well, Slavic.

In short, the origin of the greeting is an extreme form of submission to the person you run into: it mean something like “at your service”. With centuries of usage, Sciavo became Sciao and the latter became Ciao. Needless to say that the racial and social connotation of the word Ciao have long been lost

Imagine plunging underwater and seeing paved roads flanked with buildings, magnificent villas, dozens of statues and mosaic floors dating back to the first century BC!

Baia's Underwater Archaeological Park is located in the Bay of Naples off the shores of Pozzuoli.
The ancient Roman city of Baia was once a renowned resort for the empire's rich and famous. The city was well known for its hot springs and its Bohemiam status.

Most of Baia now lies underwater due to a unique phenomenon known as Bradyseism, which causes the gradual rise and fall of the Earth's surface.

But you don't need to be an expert diver to escape into this ancient city! These ruins actually lie in relatively shallow water at an average depth of 6 m. So you can see some of these amazing structures from a glass bottomed boat!

How To Say: Words of Endearment in Italian

Italians are warm and friendly people who like to express their affection and often use terms of endearment when talking to their family and friends and to children; often, they will use affectionate nicknames, like caro/a or bello/a, even with someone they don’t know well.

Here are some of the most common:

Caro/cara - dear
Tesoro – darling (translates literally to ‘treasure’)
Amore – love
Stella/stellina – literally, ‘star’
Gioia – literally, ‘joy’
Angelo – angel, to express gratitude, i.e. grazie per l’aiuto, sei un angelo – thanks for your help, you’re an angel.

Note that most of the following are especially used with children and between boyfriend and girlfriend:

Piccolo/a - Piccolino/a – little one
Tato/a – no meaning
Cucciolo/a – literally, ‘puppy’
Passerotto/a – literally, 'sparrow chick', used especially with and to refer to children, i.e. come stanno i passerotti? How are the kids?
Patatino/a – little potato
Topolino/a - little mouse

It's rather impossible to discuss Italian fashion and not mention Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. Dolce and Gabbana met in Milan and started their careers in 1985. Partners both in life and in business, they say that Sicily has always been their primary source of inspiration "the sun, the colours, the scent of flowers in the air, the women, the cities, the food; everything inspires us and makes us dream..."
Showing slim-fit silhouettes in softly textured fabrics, with details such as waistcoats and flat caps that brought to mind Mr Dolce's native Sicily, the pair set a new tone in Italian menswear. Their fondness for black in their designs is inspired by the dress of the peasants and gangsters of Sicily. It was the original auteurs of Italian cinema that have immeasurably inspired the designers’ work. Dolce and Gabbana's favorite Italian films of all time is "Il Gattopardo". This movie is an Italian masterpiece and serves as a milestone in Dolce & Gabbana’s history. In an interview at the time they said "The photography, the lighting, the setting, the costumes are so perfect to us and totally reflect our aesthetic. Visconti was a real genius. We sort of thought of a modern version of this movie when shooting our advertising campaigns."

Italian bars normally serve soft drinks, coffee and snacks as well as alcoholic drinks. People tend to mill around the counter drinking a quick coffee standing up, and often there aren't many tables to sit at. In big cities and places where there are always a lot of people around, you won't get served unless you first pay at the cash desk, you'll get a receipt, uno scontrino, which you then take to the counter, give to the bartender and tell him your order.
You might prefer to sit down and be served by a waiter or waitress, in which case you pay when you've finished.