sept 2024 Adventures To Tuscany... : We hope your Holidays are Grand!

Menu Item of The Day:

Cinghiale ~ Wild Boar (Cinghiale is the iconic food speciality of Tuscany & you'll see it on most all Tuscan menus)
Acciughe ~ anchovies
Acqua (ah-kwa) ~ water
Burro ~ butter
Manzo ~ beef
Pollo ~ chicken
Pesca ~ Fish
Maiale ~ Pork
Capperi ~ capers
Basilico ~ basil
Colazione ~ breakfast
Pranzo ~ lunch
Cena ~ dinner
Cioccolato ~ chocolate
Cipolle ~ onions
Caffè Macchiato ~ espresso topped with a small dollop of steamed milk
Coltello ~ knife
Cornetto ~ an Italian croissant
Crema ~ cream made with egg yolk
Cucchiaio (coo-kee-eye-oh) ~ spoon
Finocchiona (fee-no-kee-oh-na) ~ fennel-infused cured pork salami (a Tuscan speciality)
Forchetta ~ fork
Fragola ~ strawberry
Funghi Porcini ~. Porcini Mushroom
ghiaccio (gee-ah-cho) ~ ice
Gianduja ~ chocolate hazelnut
Lampone ~ raspberry
Latte' ~ milk (note: if you ask for a Latte thinking you'll get a coffee drink, you won't... you'll get a glass of milk)
Maiale ~ Pork
Manzo ~ beef
Nocciola ~ hazelnut (hazelnuts are big in Italy)
Olio d'oliva ~ Olive oil
Origano ~ oregano
Ova ~ Eggs
Uva ~ Grapes
Pane ~ bread
Panino ~ sandwich
Panna ~ cream made without egg yolk
Panzenella ~ Specialty Tuscan salad w/bread & tomatoes
Pesca ~ Fish
Pizza ~ pizza
Pollo ~ chicken
Pomodoro fresco ~ fresh tomato
Pranzo – lunch
Prenotazione ~ reservation
Ribollita ~ twice-cooked vegetable soup, a Tuscan specialty
Salsa di pomodoro ~ tomato sauce
Stracciatella ~ chocolate chip
Succo ~ juice
Succo d'arancia ~ orange juice
Uva ~ Grapes
Zucchero ~ sugar
Sono allergico ~ I'm allergic to...
Bicchiere ~ glass
Vitello ~ Veal
Braciola di Maiale ~ Pork Chop
Melanzana ~ eggplant
Caffè shakerato ~ an espresso shaken over ice forming a frothy summer treat
Affumicato ~ smoked
Baccalà ~ cod (very popular in Italy)
Miele ~ honey

Word of The Day:

Buongiorno (bahn-jor-no) ~ Good Morning
Bagno (Bahn-yo) ~ bathroom
Ciao (chow) ~ used for both Hi & Bye ( this is the informal or casual for family/friends... for first time introductions, buongiorno is more appropriate)
Dové (doe-vay) ~ where
Dové il bagno? ~ where is the bathroom?
Grazie (grot-zee-ā) ~ Thank You (note: it's 3 syllables ~ not Grot-zee... Grot-zee-a)
Grazie Mille (gra-zee-eh meal-lay) ~ Thank you very much
Per Favore (pear fa-vor-eh) ~ Please
Prego (pray-go) ~ You're Welcome
Scusami (sku-zah--me) ~ excuse me
Mi Dispiace (me dis-pee-ah-chee) ~ I'm sorry
Buona Notte (boy-nah no-tay) - good night
Non parlo Italiano ~ I don't speak Italian
Parla Inglese? (par-lah in-glay-see) ~ do you speak English?
Non capisco (non ka-pee-skoo) ~ I don't understand
Quanto costa questo (khawn-toe kos-ta quest-oo) ~ How much is this?
Vino Rosso (vee-no row-so) ~ Red wine
Vino Bianco (vee-no bee-ahn-ko) ~ White Wine
Birra (beer - ah) ~ Beer
Si (see) ~ Yes
No (no) ~ No
Mi chiamo (mee key-ah-mo) ~ my name is
uno (ou-no) ~ one
due (do-eh) ~ two
tre (tray) ~ three
quattro (kwaht - troh) ~ four
cinque (cheen- kweh) ~ five
sei (say) ~ six
sette (seht-teh) ~ Seven
otto (aw-toe) ~ eight
nove ( naw- vay) ~ nine
dieci (dee-eh-chay) ~ ten
undici (oun-dee-chee) ~ eleven (one + ten)
dodici (doe-dee-chee) ~ twelve
è gratis? (eh grah-teez) ~ is it free?
sinistra (see-nee-strah) ~ left
destra (deh-strah) ~ right
Dove posso trovare (doe-vay po-so tro-var-eh) ~ where can i find...
Bancomat (bahnk-o-mat) ~ ATM
Il conto per favore (eel kon-toe pear fa-vor-eh) ~ the check please (you always have to ask for your check in Italy)
Un litro di vino rosso della casa per favore (ouhn lee-tro dee vee-no roh-so dell-a cas-eh pear fah-vor-eh) ~ a liter of the house red wine please
Caldo (call-doe) ~ hot
Freddo (fray-doe) ~ cold
Cin Cin (chin chin) ~ Cheers!
Ospedale (oz-pee-doll-lay) ~ hospital
aiutami (i-u-ta-me) ~ help me
medico (med-ee-koe) ~ doctor
Mi fa uno sconto? ( me fa ou-no scon-toe) ~ Can you give me a discount?
Arrivederci ~ Until we see each other again (some folks think they just say this in the movies; but not so... Italians say it all the time!)
Lunedi (loo-neh-dee) ~ Monday
Martedí (mar-tay-dee) ~ Tuesday
Mercoledì ~ Wednesday
Giovedì ~ Thursday
Venerdì ~ Friday
Sabato ~ Saturday
Domenica ~ Sunday
Treno ~ train
Tutto bene ~ all's well (very often used as a question; is everything ok? and of course if it is you say; Si, Tutto bene! everything's good)
Prendo ~ I would like...
Quando é aperto? ~ when is it open?
Stati Uniti ~ United States
Conosco i miei polli ~ translates as "I know my chickens" but what it means is; I know what I'm talking about
Ponte ~ bridge
mappa della città ~ city map (you can usually get a free map of the city from the Tourist Office or your hotel)
A presto ~ see you soon!
In bocca al lupo ~ this literally means; in the mouth of the wolf... but Italians use this to say Good Luck (in the same fashion as we say: break a leg)
Puoi spedire a? ~ Can you ship to…?
Supermercato ~ Supermarket
Alimentari ~ small corner grocery store (convenience store)
passaporto ~ passport
Pronto ~ Hello (used when answering the phone)
Aspetta! ~ Wait!

Our Goal & Our Mission

At Adventures to Tuscany, our goal is to totally exceed your expectations in every possible way. It starts with our experience... We've personally been touring Europe for over 38 years and we're in our 24th year of organizing our Tour Groups. We're a teeny-tiny company, and we only take four Tour Groups each year... But we're honored & proud that so many of our guests who have traveled with us, choose to do it again, and again... and sometimes again & again!... You guys know who you are, and many of us have become like family! We know our success depends on providing you with the very best value and the very best travel experience you've ever had. We work hard to do that and we hope you are already recognizing that! For those of you who are new to us, our hope is that you are impressed enough to tell your family & friends... and we hope you'll consider traveling with us again... If we can improve your experience in any way at all, please let us know. ~ Tommy & Terese

Sunday, December 24, 2023

We hope your Holidays are Grand!