Italy Word/Phrase Associations?
 

WHAT WORDS OR PHRASES POP INTO YOUR MIND WHEN THINKING OF ITALY?

I'll start: (In no particular order and no negatives please!)

Caffe
Cappuccino
Latte
Gelato
Pizza
Maroni roasting
STANDA stores
Churches galore
Vespas
hill towns
vino
vineyards
HOT!
Umbrella salesmen everywhere when raining
Young Africans selling trinkets on streets
Habited nuns

AND WHAT COMES TO YOUR MIND?

oh, fun.

venice courtyard
raspberry gelato
gondola
florence pizza
spanish steps
smart cars everywhere
entry turnstyles at vatican
murano glass
pink flowers
tiny showers
awesome trains
villa borghese
walking, walking and more walking

cornetti
panettone
gioia di vivere
Mamma mia
la cupola del Duomo
risotto di mare
fritto misto
Via de' Tornabuoni
Ponte Vecchio
caffè ristretto
grappa alla ruta
Ciao Bella!

Settimo cielo

Dolcezza di non fare niente

The sign 'aperto' and not 'chiuso,' especially after detouring to see something.

dalaiLlama - i was going to say Mamma mia too and Mia Mamma!

prosciutto e melone
la bella figura!
Cafe Gilli (Firenze)
The dreaded sign, "In Restauro" on a site you were dying to see.
(Like the Piazza Navona fountains 2 years ago)
funghi porcini
(anything) con tartufi

Since we are headed to italy in THREE DAYS! I am overwhelmed with words like passoporto, appartamento, baggalio, etc. and thinking of phrases like:

posso fare una prenotatzione?
dov'e la fermata del autobus?
come si arriva a __________

Chiuso (sp?) when traveling back roads by car and looking for gas stations "Chiuso" (sp? closed as many seem to be between noon and 3 pm or so@

Emigration
Nettuno
Gelato
Chocolate eggs
Cemetary
Confusion
Apprehension
Mille Lire

(sorry these are my impressions from 20 years ago when we moved from USSR to USA)

Now I'd say:
Gelato
Pasta
Pizza
Pisa
Porcini
Olive Oil
Annie Hawes

Dayenu, I used to love carrying around 500,000 lire!! (Even if it was only $500 for the deposit on the apartment) Once we even had 1,000,000 lire on us. Wowza!!

Villas
Basilicas
Espresso
Renaissance art
cobblestones
Sun!
sore feet
pasta ("basta pasta"!)
funghi
pesce
priests
formal gardens
dining al fresco
blood oranges
limone
"Ciao, Bella!"
kisses on each cheek
"Buongiorno!"
Fountains
Iceless beverages
gloves

BC

lire, for sure (euro is too new ... :p
ruins
cobblestone streets
stone buildings
ruins
weird shrimp eating experience
fantastic food
ruins

AMAZING!

when can we go back?

oh, yeah, I forgot ... vespas parked along the whole block, and smart cars all over :)

Macchiato
Porcini
Hill towns
Amarone
Fashion
Formaggio
Passagiata
Crostini
Sera
Bliss!

Caio Caio

ciao, [not caio] PalenQ!

Roma.

roman foot.

the colosseum.

st. Peter's.

vino rosso

gelati