There is a city in southern Tuscany, in the narrow province of Livorno, called Cecina. It's near the sea and has a beach area called Marina di Cecina. The name Cecina likely comes from il fiume Cecina (the Cecina river) that flows through it to the sea. The name of the river likely comes from an Etruscan family from nearby Volterra, "Ceicna" (in Latin, "Caecina") mentioned in the first century AD. The family constructed the first villages in the Val di Cecina (the Cecina River Valley).

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In fact, Cecina is one of the cities on la Costa degli Etruschi (the coast of the Etruscans), in Tuscany. An Etruscan civilization inhabited the area from the start of the 9th century BC and there are plenty of archeological sites to visit. 

We mention Cecina (with the stress on the first syllable) because it's a good place to have on your radar if you visit Italy, but also because it is spelled the same way as la cecina, which is something else entirely! The kind of cecina you eat has its stress on the second syllable, not the first. It's just something you have to learn by hanging out in Pisa. 

Tra sei mesi e una notte sarò a casa dei miei gonfio di cecina [toscano: pieno di torta di ceci] e vi sognerò tutti da lontano che mi salutate con la mano.

In six months and one night, I will be at home, at my parents, bulging from cecina [chickpea flatbread], and I will dream of all of you far away who wave to me with your hands.

Captions 20-22, Fino a qui tutto bene Film - Part 5

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This flatbread made from chickpeas is a specialty of Pisa and surrounding areas and is commonly eaten inside a piece of focaccia, also called schiacciata (in Tuscany).  It's typically served with ground black pepper on top. It's fast food you can usually get wherever you get pizza a taglio (pizza by the slice).

La pizza [sic] abbiamo una Margherita con mozzarella e pomodoro, una Capricciosa con uovo, prosciutto, tonno, funghi e mozzarella, e una focaccia con bresaola, rucola e parmigiano,

For pizza we have a Margherita with mozzarella and tomato sauce, a Capricciosa with egg, ham, tuna fish, mushrooms and mozzarella, and a white pizza with dried beef, arugula and Parmesan cheese,

Captions 7-9, Una gita al lago - Part 4

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If you travel up the coast from Pisa to Carrara and points north, in other words, towards Liguria, the name cecina changes to la farinata. It's made of farina di ceci (chickpea flour), hence the name.

E... anche il chinotto, che è un particolare tipo di agrume che cresce soltanto, o quasi, in queste zone e anche la farinata.-Farinata di ceci? -Farinata è il nome di una specie di sfoglia la cui lavorazione è conosciuta fino in fondo solamente qui.

And... the myrtle-leaved orange too, which is a special type of citrus that grows solely, or nearly so, in this area, as well as “farinata.” Chickpea flour “farinata”? “Farinata” is the name of a kind of flatbread, and its preparation is known thoroughly only here.

Captions 56-61, L'Italia a tavola Interrogazione sulla Liguria

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Originating in Turkey, the chickpea plant grows low to the ground and goes rather unnoticed, but it seems to be cultivated quite profusely in Tuscany, where it is a favorite legume. Of course, anyone who likes Middle Eastern food knows how popular chickpeas are in those cuisines.

Fanno parte dei legumi i ceci, i piselli, i fagioli e le lenticchie.

In the legume group are chickpeas, peas, beans, and lentils.

Captions 18-21, Marika spiega La frutta e la verdura - Part 2

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Whether you want to visit Cecina, or have a quick lunch of cecina, you now know a bit more than you did before! 

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During the summer, one nice thing to do on a hot afternoon is prendere un gelato (go for ice cream), especially if you’re with friends and you happen to pass una gelateria. You might want to be the one to treat everyone. If so, then the verb you need here is offrire (to offer).

Allora, sai che facciamo?

So, you know what we'll do?

Per festeggiare, ti offro un gelato.

To celebrate, I'll treat you to an ice cream.

Captions 35-36, Francesca - alla guida

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When somebody looks ready to pull out his wallet, that’s the time to say, offro io! (I’m buying!)

In a gelateria, there are various prices relating to how many scoops, or palline (little balls), of gelato you get on your cono (cone) or in your coppetta (little cup), and the good news is that each scoop can be a different gusto (flavor). 

As far as gusti go, rarely will you find vaniglia (vanilla), but you will find fior di latte or fior di panna (or even panna fredda in the Bologna area).

Why these names? Fiore (flower) can be used as an adjective, fior, to describe something as being special, of the best quality, in this case, latte (milk) or panna (cream). Think of something flourishing or blossoming. In fact, fior fiore is an expression used outside the realm of gelato to mean “the cream of the crop” (la crème de la crème). So we’re talking about the best quality milk, the best quality cream.

Theoretically, that’s what goes into this kind of gelato, which, whatever the gelataio chooses to call it (fior di latte, fior di panna, or panna fredda), refers to gelato with no added flavoring, just the taste of the milk, cream, and sugar. It’s white in color, and naturally, this “neutral” flavor goes well with all the other gusti.

Gelato alla crema, on the other hand, is made with the above ingredients, plus eggs, and because of this, is rich, yellow, and more custardy. It’s probably the closest you’ll get to “vanilla.” It’s the kind of gelato that ends up on top of fragole (strawberries) or macedonia (fruit salad).

Una macedonia con il gelato alla crema.

A fruit salad with vanilla ice cream.

OK, alla crema, perfetto.

OK, vanilla, perfect.

Captions 39-40, Una gita - al lago

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Apart from the ever popular cioccolato, other well-loved flavors are: 

nocciola (hazelnut)

stracciatella (shredded chocolate laced through fior di latte, from stracciare [to shred])

gianduia (chocolate and hazelnut)

amarena (fior di latte laced with amarene [sour cherries] in their syrup)


...and many more! Italians like to combine the flavors on the same cone or in the same little dish. They may even use a little spoon to eat the ice cream off the cone! 

If you’re invited to someone’s home for dinner in the summertime, it’s rarely a mistake to bring, as a gift, a vaschetta (little tub) of gelato. Pick a variety of gusti so there’s something for everyone. The gelataio will give you a polistirolo (styrofoam) container so it stays cold.

For more about gelato, see: Andromeda - in - Storia del gelato - Part 1 of 2 and Andromeda - in - Storia del gelato - Part 2 of 2.

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Summer can be a great time to reinforce a foreign language experience. If you’ve already seen the Yabla offerings of Italian TV episodes like Medico in Famiglia or Commissario Manara, try watching an entire puntata (episode) from start to finish without the captions. You might be surprised at how much you understand! 

For a greater challenge, watch some classic Italian movies with (or without) subtitles, such as:

Fellini films like La Strada or La Dolce Vita, which are mentioned in the interviews with Fellini on Yabla, and Lina Wertmüller’s Pasqualino Sette Bellezze from which Yabla featured the ironic and humoristic opening song from the soundtrack. See also the interview with Lina Wertmüller.