Luxury silk scarves, foulards, ties; Lake Como is not only famous for its amazing landscapes and medieval villages, it is also well known for its silk.

Como produces 95% of Italian silk and big designers such as Armani, Valentino and Chanel rely on the expertise of its silk houses.

Como's silk tradition began in the fifteenth century when the Duke of Milan decided to plant Mulberry trees in the area obliging farmers to grow them even though they did not know how to. But he never imagined that this was the start of a timeless craft tradition. Two centuries later Como was already renown for its colourful silk products.

Silk is made by silkworms who feed exclusively on mulberry leaves and produce a very fine thread whilst they wrap themselves into it and form a cocoon. This thread is unwinded and strengthened then the silk is transformed into fabric, dyed and printed with unique designs.

Come to learn Italian in Stirling!

The spring is here, the holiday season is approaching, why not learn Italian?

It is such a beautiful language to learn whether or not you are planning on going to Italy in the near future.

Why oh why should we learn Italian?

1) Impress your local Italian waiter by ordering your food in Italian!

2) Get around on holiday more confidently!

3) Get a taste of one of the most beautiful cultures!

4) Increase your skills for work and pleasure, you have the opportunity!

5) Keep your brain fit! Did you know that learning a language slows the brain ageing process?

Contact me now!

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

As you wander the streets of Italy you are likely to see "torno subito" scribbled on a sign in a shop window, this means "I'll be right back". However, you may find that what this really means is "torno prima o poi", which is "I'll be back sooner or later"!