La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture Speaking, Lesson 5

Created by New Realm Media for La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture © September 2012

Activity 1

Una filastrocca per ripassare l’alfabeto (15 minuti) - Repeat after the teacher

B. P. di Gianni Rodari

Tutte le lettere dell'alfabeto

hanno un suono vivace e lieto

tranne l'Acca che, come si sa,

un suono proprio non ce l'ha.

Ci sono lettere importanti:

l'A che a tutte sta davanti,

del suo primato è molto orgogliosa

e porta sempre la Maglia rosa;

la Zeta, con cui si scrive «zero»,

è più temuta dell'Uomo Nero.

Ci sono lettere buone e care

come la G del verbo giocare.

Certe lettere vanno in coppia,

e la T spesso si raddoppia...

Ma la coppia più speciale,

famosa su scala internazionale,

è quella che vedete qui:

una B. con una P.

B.P... Che vuol dire? Pensateci un po':

forse Buon Pranzo... forse Buon Pro...

Oppure... Buona Passeggiata?

Trovate da soli la ... Bella Pensata

Activity 2

Canzone: Sapore di Sale di Gino Paoli

Information on the singer

Biography

Gino Paoli was born in Monfalcone, a little town near Trieste, but moved very early to Genoa.

After several different jobs, he was called by Ricordi with his friends Luigi Tenco and Bruno Lauzi. His first success was

the single La gatta, which has been used in world language Italian task disks in America for middle schools and high

schools.

Another early song was Il cielo in una stanza composed in 1959. According to Paoli, the lyrics had come to him while

lying on the bed of a brothel. Looking at the purple ceiling, he thought, "Love can grow at any moment at any place".

Mina's single release of the song topped the list of annual sales in Italy and reached Billboard Hot 100. Video

performances of the song were included in the movies "Io bacio... tu baci" and "Appuntamento a Ischia". Later it was

featured in the "Goodfellas" movie. Carla Bruni Sarkozy covered the song (mixing French with her native Italian) in her

debut album (Quelqu'un m'a dit).

Gino Paoli’s debut album – Gino Paoli was released in Italy on October 8, 1961 on Dischi Ricordi. Il cielo in una stanza

La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture Speaking, Lesson 5

Created by New Realm Media for La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture © September 2012

success was followed by Sapore di sale (1963), arranged by Ennio Morricone and believed to be his most famous song.

In the same year he attempted suicide by shooting himself in the heart (the bullet is still inside his chest).

In 1974 he returned with the LP I semafori rossi non sono Dio, followed by Il mio mestiere (1977). Both showed a more

mature inspiration than his 1960s works. In the 1980s Paoli produced a series of successful albums, and in 1985 he

toured Italy together with Ornella Vanoni.

In 1987 he was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies for the Italian Communist Party. He abandoned politics in

1992 to pursue his music ambitions. He had a long relationship with actress Stefania Sandrelli. Their daughter,

Amanda Sandrelli, is also an actress.

Listen to the song then read the text loud after the teacher.

SAPORE DI SALE TASTE OF SALT

Sapore di sale,

sapore di mare,

che hai sulla pelle,

che hai sulle labbra,

quando esci dall'acqua

e ti vieni a sdraiare

vicino a me

vicino a me.

Sapore di sale,

sapore di mare,

un gusto un po' amaro

di cose perdute,

di cose lasciate

lontano da noi

dove il mondo è diverso,

diverso da qui.

Qui tempo è dei giorni

che passano pigri

e lasciano in bocca

il gusto del sale.

Ti butti nell'acqua

e mi lasci a guardarti

e rimango da solo

nella sabbia e nel sole.

Poi torni vicino

e ti lasci cadere

così nella sabbia

e nelle mie braccia

e mentre ti bacio,

sapore di sale,

sapore di mare,

sapore di te.

Taste of salt,

taste of sea

that you have on your skin,

that you have on your lips

when you come out the water

and you come to lay

near to me,

near to me.

Taste of salt,

taste of sea

a taste a bit bitter

of lost things

of things left

far away from us

where the world is different,

different from here.

The time is in the days

That pass lazily

and leave in the mouth

the taste of the salt.

You jump in the water

and you leave me to watch you

and I stay alone

in the sand and the sun.

Then you come back near

and leave yourself fall down

like this in the sand

and in my arms

and while I kiss you,

taste of salt,

taste of sea,

taste of you

La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture Speaking, Lesson 5

Created by New Realm Media for La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture © September 2012

Activity 3

Comics:

I misteri di Vallenberg

Diabolik is a fictional character, an anti-hero featured in Italian comics. He was created by sisters Angela

and Luciana Giussani in 1962.

Diabolik was born from seeing commuters every day. Creator Angela and Luciana Giussani, who lived near

Milano Cadorna Railway Station, thought of making comics in a format designed for travelling and carrying

in one's pocket. To better understand the tastes of her potential readers, Angela made a survey of the

market, from which she concluded that many commuters read mystery novels; another version of the story

claims that the very idea came from her finding a Fantômas novel abandoned in a train. Thus was born the

"Diabolik format”: the stories appear in monthly black and white digest-sized booklets.

The character

Diabolik is a ruthless master thief. He typically steals from criminals (and has no issue with killing them if need be, but

rarely, if ever, kills the innocent or the police), and has a set of lifelike masks which he uses to fool his opponents,

assuming every identity at his will. He seems to have a deep knowledge in many scientific fields, including chemistry,

mechanics and computers. In his first appearances, Diabolik was a more straightforward villain who did not hesitate to

murder anyone in order to accomplish his deeds. He was later given a more “Robin Hood”-like persona and was

shown stealing essentially from criminals, in order to soften the series’ violence and amorality.

He was raised as an orphan on a secret island hideout of a criminal combine, where he learned all his criminal skills,

including developing his special masks, before killing the head of the combine. Diabolik’s true name had never been

revealed in the series, and he doesn’t know it himself. Diabolik took his name from a dangerous black panther that the

head of the combine killed on the secret island. From issue #3 of the series, Diabolik is aided by his “moll”, Eva Kant,

who has gained an increasing role as his partner and lover. Diabolik always drives a black 1961 Jaguar E-type.

Graphically inspired by the actor Robert Taylor, he usually wears a skintight black body suit that leaves only his eyes

and eyebrows (very distinctive ones) exposed when going “into action.” Diabolik does not use firearms: his main

weapons are the daggers he throws with uncanny ability, as well as a small dart gun with knockout darts. Eva drives a

white Jaguar, and unusually goes into action wearing a heavy sweater and pants, no mask and no revealing clothing.

The stories are set in a fictional town, Clerville, loosely inspired by Geneva, Switzerland.

Diabolik’s main opponent is Inspector Ginko, known only by his surname, a fierce police officer who is always

thwarted by astute tricks devised by Diabolik. The only other recurring character is the noblewoman Altea, Ginko’s

fiancée.

Today we will read an extract from the booklet I misteri di Vallenberg. Two weeks ago we have

introduced the characters of Eva Kant and Diabolik; today the extract we will read features the two other

recurrent characters of the stripe: Inspector Grinko and his fiancée Altea.

La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture Speaking, Lesson 5

Created by New Realm Media for La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture © September 2012

Let’s now read and explain five stripes (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26). Then work in pairs, you have 10 minutes to

read your part and study the pronunciation. The tutor will help you! Then, each group will read them.

You can use the space provided to write your lines and their pronunciation.

Grinko and Altea discuss after a terrorist attack, in which a man died. It seems that the real target of the

terrorists was the life of the noblewoman …

These are the possible roles

Grinko Altea