Many of us head to the Italian seaside in the summer, but the Italian countryside is just as beautiful. There are beautiful mountains, hills, valleys and lakes all to be seen. You could stay in a country villa with a private pool. Or what about an agriturismo? An agriturismo is a type of farm that produces wine or food and has rooms for guests to stay in. You may have the opportunity to visit small hill towns and maybe see a local festival. What’s not to like?!
Let’s look at some vocabulary that might come in handy on your next trip to the Italian countryside:
La campagna – countryside
La montagna – mountain
La collina – hill
La valle – valley
Il bosco – woods
La foresta –forest
Il campo – field, meadow
Il sentiero – the path
La fattoria – the farm
La natura - nature
Il raccolto – harvest
La vendemmia – grape harvest
There are many country festivals taking place all year long in the countryside. A country festival is called ‘una sagra’ or ‘una festa di paese’. There is la sagra del pesce (fish festival), la sagra del cinghiale (wild boar festival), la sagra della polenta (polenta festival), la sagra del gorgonzola (gorgonzola festival), la sagra del Pomodoro (tomato festival), la sagra della patata (potato festival) and la sagra della nocciola (hazelnut festival) to name just a few!
Other activities in the countryside include:
Andare a cavallo – horse riding
Nuotare in piscina – to swim in the pool
Fare una passeggiata – to go for a walk
Fare trekking – to hike
Raccogliere la frutta dagli alberi – to go fruit picking
Fare un picnic – To have a picnic
Andare in bicicletta – to go for a bike ride
Degustazione di vini – wine tasting
Degustazione di prodotti tipici – local food tasting
Fare una griglia / fare un barbecue – to have a bbq
Fare un’escursione / fare una gita – to go on a day trip
Fare arrampicata – to go climbing
Andare in barca – to go on a boat
Andare in canoa – to go canoeing
Fare canotaggio – to go rowing
Guardare le stelle – to look at the stars / stargazing
Dormire in amaca – to sleep in a hammock
In English we say going TO the countryside but in Italian we say going IN the countryside: andare in campagna.
And finally, one of the best things to do in the Italian countryside is relax. In Italian there are two verbs which mean to rest and to relax. They are both reflexive verbs:
Rilassarsi
Io mi rilasso – I rest / relax
Tu ti rilassi – You rest / relax
Lui / lei si rilassa – He / she rests / relaxes
Noi ci rilassiamo – We rest / relax
Voi vi rilassate – You (plural) rest / relax
Loro si rilassano – They rest / relax
Riposarsi
Io mi riposo – I rest / relax
Tu ti riposi – You rest / relax
Lui / lei si riposa – He / she rests / relaxes
Noi ci riposiamo – We rest / relax
Voi vi riposate – You (plural) rest / relax
Loro si riposono – They rest / relax
