Sometimes there are unexpected connections between videos that have nothing to do with each other. Maybe there is an actor we’ve seen before or an example of a grammatical point we have covered elsewhere, but this time, it’s about a word we saw for the first time in an episode of Imma Tataranni. The noun was lamione, and it wasn't easy to find out what it was or to find an adequate one-word English translation.
 

Un po' più sopra ci dovrebbero stare certi lamioni, hai presente? -Sì.

A bit higher up, there should be some "lamioni." Are you familiar with them? -Yes.

Caption 12, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP5 Rione Serra Venerdì - Part 4

 Play Caption

But a few weeks later, we transcribed and translated a documentary about architecture and lo and behold, one segment discussed the trullo  and the lamia, both unique building types from Apulia. 

We figured out that the basic word is likely lamia and that lamione is a variant, possibly implying a large lamia, because of its -one ending, but it might also be simply a local variant of lamia.

La Puglia non è soltanto il trullo come struttura iconica, ma anche la masseria e le lamie.

Apulia is not just the trullo as an iconic structure, but also the farm and the lamias.

Captions 1-2, L'Italia che piace Architettura - Part 8

 Play Caption

 

So what’s a lamia?

a primitive, abandoned lamia

It’s the shape of the building that makes the lamia stand out (although it's significantly less striking than the trullo). Its walls slope slightly and while the roof is flat, the ceiling is often barrel vaulted. As with the trullo, the building materials are found locally. Even the stone has a name that isn’t always translated. It is sometimes translated as tuff, and is called tufo or tufa in Italian. Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. It can also come from a volcanic explosion. In looking for a definition of tufa or tufo, we came across a fascinating article (in English) about this kind of stone as it pertains to wine production, of all things. It all starts to make sense if we go back to ancient Rome, as mentioned in the article!

Here is a link to an article with a drawing of a lamia next to a trullo. The lamia would have been used as temporary quarters for agricultural workers, or to store grain and fodder.

To learn more, here is an interesting article in English, with a detailed drawing of a trullo inside and outside. 

If you ever decide to visit Apulia, you can even choose to stay in a trullo, as at least one of our subscribers has done! Matera is practically right next door, and there, you can visit the Sassi, also built using the raw materials found locally. What a fascinating area!

While we are talking about things pugliesi, we want to call your attention to a video you might have missed, where Anna, playing a schoolgirl, has to report on Apulia, where Anna is actually from.

And to connect back with the opening paragraph of this lesson, the actress Anna was discovered in an episode of Imma Tataranni, where she plays a pregnant schoolteacher. She was actually pregnant at the time of filming! It was fun for the staff and seasoned subscribers to discover her in the middle of the episode.

Banner5 PLACEHOLDER