3304 Rome Podcast - Free Audio City Guide (MP3)

Can any of the [i]cognoscenti[/i] here spot any mistakes, either factual, or in pronuciation (beyond the fact that the author seems to have fortified himself with a few grappas before undertaking the task)?

Oh - having inspected with enormous care the post by Neil, I couldn't detect any evidence of his being "grappata".............

You must mean the podcast!! I might just download it, (but nothing else I have ever tried to download from the Grauniad has been successful)!

[QUOTE=Marc]Can any of the [i]cognoscenti[/i] here spot any mistakes, either factual, or in pronuciation (beyond the fact that the author seems to have fortified himself with a few grappas before undertaking the task)?[/QUOTE]

Ok. First one is how to cross the road, don't use the crossings. Just step off the pavement into the flow of traffic, the cars will adjust their speed to miss you. I have found it helps to make out you are not looking at the driver, if they see you are scared, your just a tourist. Now the obvious the problem with this is that you might step in front of a visitor, so it does pay to keep an eye on the traffic. The other thing to bear-in-mind is to not try this anywhere else in Italy, I was nearly made into pizza when I tried it in Milan.
Whoever told me about this, and there has been a few, might have been having me on, but it does work......well so far;)

D'accordo Mark.

Since no-one else has taken up the challenge on this I'll chip-in my smart-arse comments....

The roof of the Pantheon is not made of masonry; it is cast in concrete , made from pumice, tufa and lime. The ceiling was originally gilded, as described, but was not covered in bronze. It was the bronze ceiling of the portico that was stripped to make the baldochino at St Peter's. (This may just have been a clumsy edit though)

[u]Mispronunciations[/u]

Bul-[b]gar[/b]-ri for Bulgari
Chi-[b]am[/b]-pi-no for Ciam-[b]pi[/b]-no
'Avertine' hill for Ave[b]n[/b]tine
[b]S[/b]irco' Massimo for [b]Ch[/b] irco Massimo
[b]S[/b]entro storico for [b]Ch[/b]-entro Storico
Tasta-[b]vair[/b]-ay for Tras-[b]tev[/b]-er-ay

Motorino (instead of motorini) for scooters

[u]Hyperbole[/u]
Would be impossible to discover all there is to know about Rome [i]'if you spent a thousand years'[/i]. Aw, c'mon... a thousand years is a long time.

Apparently its [i]impossible to even scratch the surface in a single visit[/i]. I don't agree.

Oh well, at least he pronounced the name of the metro stop 'Agnanina' perfectly- even I have trouble with that one!

Animal vegetable or masonry!! I think concrete could be termed masonry, without any serious inaccuracy??

Sounds as if there are plenty of other funnies in the podcast though - but remember it's from the publication famous for slips of the typing finger - surprised the audio format isn't 3pm :)

[QUOTE=Markcarter]Ok. First one is how to cross the road, don't use the crossings. Just step off the pavement into the flow of traffic, the cars will adjust their speed to miss you. I have found it helps to make out you are not looking at the driver, if they see you are scared, your just a tourist. Now the obvious the problem with this is that you might step in front of a visitor, so it does pay to keep an eye on the traffic. The other thing to bear-in-mind is to not try this anywhere else in Italy, I was nearly made into pizza when I tried it in Milan.
Whoever told me about this, and there has been a few, might have been having me on, but it does work......well so far;)[/QUOTE]

I tried this in Rome recently, looking at the drivers direct while starting to cross over - and won 90% of those battles! Had to stop sharply for some, though. :D

But those poor people who kept waiting ... and waiting ... at crossings! ;)

Marc,

Thanks for clarifying a word I wasn't 100% sure about... well, was 95% sure... but not 100... Trastevere! ;)

The pronunciation of Ciampino reminds me of something I notice again & again in programmes about Italy. Those who don't know the language pronounce both the 'i' and the following vowel (e.g. 'a') as a long sounding 'eeeeaahhh' instead of a quick-spoken 'cia' as in 'tcha' (sorry, not very good with spelling phonetics! :D ) This is something that bugs me when watching those programmes as visitors (or my fiance!) will then try to imitate the presenter's pronunciation. Has me in stitches often enough...

Cheers!

[QUOTE=Iona]I tried this in Rome recently, looking at the drivers direct while starting to cross over - and won 90% of those battles! Had to stop sharply for some, though. :D

But those poor people who kept waiting ... and waiting ... at crossings! ;)[/QUOTE]

It is an amazing feeling of accomplishment isn't it? Bit like bungee jumping without the rope and surviving :D

I feel a bit picky pointing this one out, as the coin story is the best know. The originally story on the Trevi was that if you drank the water you would return to Rome. I am guessing the Health department made them change this one.:rolleyes:

[QUOTE=Relaxed]Remember it's from the publication famous for slips of the typing finger - surprised the audio format isn't 3pm [/QUOTE]

You're right! I'd almost forgotten the legendary reputation for bad spelling that the Grauniad used to have until a few years ago, when the F7 (spellchecker) key came along and spoilt the fun.

I can never think of the word 'Agnanina' without connecting it with the only sound you are able to make when the dentist tries to converse with you while he's probing your mouth with spatulas, mirrors and pointy things...

DENTIST:[i]Are you planning to go anywhere on holiday this year?[/i]

ME: [i]Agnanina.[/i]

DENTIST; [i] Ah! the scuffy little town near Ciampino airport?[/i]

ME: [i]Go! Agn-na-nina![/i]

DENTIST: [i]Strange, I could have sworn I remember your wife telling me that she was going to Argentina.[/i]

......and I don't know whose typo this was, but it is surely Anagnina.........no wonder your dentist hs trouble understanding you........ :)

Maybe this is the ultimate conclusion to the Gran tour........it will be turned into Ronald's musings on Italy available to download......a cyber-Brian-Sewell!
:D

[QUOTE=Markcarter]It is an amazing feeling of accomplishment isn't it? Bit like bungee jumping without the rope and surviving :D

I feel a bit picky pointing this one out, as the coin story is the best know. The originally story on the Trevi was that if you drank the water you would return to Rome. I am guessing the Health department made them change this one.:rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

LOL Agree! I felt very elated, while of course still trying to keep my cool and [B]not [/B]hopping up & down once on the other side... :D

Ahhh Trevi must be the only fountain in Rome where you now shouldn't drink of .... but given the hundreds of little wells/fountains (?) where you can draw your water, you don't have to rely on the likes of Trevi any longer...

Jumping in isn't allowed either anymore... ahhh what would good old Anita say to that?? ;)