We’re heading off to Italy in a couple days, and we’re in the throes of getting ready, with other regular events and chores mixed in. But, we wanted to get this blog started, so you know where to come back to …
You probably recognized “Welcome” and you probably knew or guessed that “Benvenuti” means welcome in Italian. And some of you already knew that “Wilkommen” means welcome in German. But if you’re just joining us, you might have wondered why I included German when we’re going to Italy.
The answer is mainly that we used to live in Bolzano, which is in the South Tyrol, which was a part of various Austrian domains for many centuries before being annexed to Italy after World War I. Because it was Austrian, most people in the area speak German as their first language, and almost everyone else speaks at least some German as well. That includes us, so it’s fun to practice using multiple languages, which we will definitely do while we are on this trip.
OK, back to the preparations!