previous lesson | this lesson
In our 51st edition of Street Sign Language Lesson, we are on the road, headed to Valle d'Aosta. We spent 3 days skiing in Pila (above Aosta). You may notice lots of menus because this trip was definitely about eating as well as skiing.
First some photos of skiing...
.jpg "Photo of Pila Ski Area in Late Feb 2025 - Pista 1 Chamolé")
.jpg "Photo of Pila Ski Area in Late Feb 2025 - Staring out over Cogne")
.jpg "Photo of Pila Ski Area in Late Feb 2025 - Platta de Grevon")
Left: Photo of Pila Ski Area in Late Feb 2025 - Pista 1 Chamolé.
Center: Photo of Pila Ski Area - Staring out over Cogne.
Right: Photo of Pila Ski Area - Platta de Grevon with Travelmarx skiing down.
.jpg "Photo of Pila Ski Area in Late Feb 2025 - View of Pila from top of Chamolé")
.jpg "Photo of Pila Ski Area in Late Feb 2025 - near the bottom of Couis 1")
Left: Photo of Pila Ski Area - Couis 1 Red Slope with Gasex Pipe for avalanche control.
Center: Photo of Pila Ski Area - View of Pila from top of Chamolé.
Right: Photo of Pila Ski Area - near the bottom of Couis 1.
Now the signs...
Degustazione alla valdostano – Lardo d’Arnad
“A taste of Aosta Valley – Lard of Arnad.“
We saw this menu at Ristorante Al Maniero in Issogne AO. We were on our way to Aosta/Pila and stopped for lunch at this Slow Food recommended restaurant. We always thought degustazione referred to a tasting menu, and it does when the word menù is used with it. By itself, degustazione means a tasting experience. Together with the adjective valdostano, meaning from the Valle D’Aosta, the phrase means a sampling or taste of Valle D’Aosta.
The famous Lardo d’Arnad is a cured pork product produced exclusively within the municipal boundaries of the municipality of Arnad, in lower Aosta Valley, Italy. The lard is produced by curing pieces of fatback in a brine aromatized with herbs and spices such as juniper berry, bay leaf, nutmeg, sage, and rosemary. Perfect for giving you the energy you need to ski.
CONIGLIO ALLA CACCIATORA
“Hunter-style rabbit”
This is an Italian dish where the rabbit meat is slow cooked with vegetables and herbs. Alla cacciatora suggests a rustic preparation.
What’s also interesting about these two menus from Hotel Tivet is that it shows how half-board typically works. In the morning at breakfast, you get a list of dinner options, and you choose what you want. (Not on the list was a killer salad-appetizer that could have been dinner in itself.)
We chose Hotel Tivet because it was close to a mid-station of the gondola from Aosta (along the river) to Pila (ski area) and it was easy access for skiing.
VALPELLINENTZE (zuppa gratinata di cavolo verza, pane, fontina, brodo)
“Valpellinentze (gratinated soup of cabbage, bread, fontina, and broth)”
Gratinated (au gratin more commonly), in English, means to cook with a covering of buttered crumbs or grated cheese until a crust or crisp surface forms. The soup is from the Valpelline, just north of Aosta. This hearty soup appears on many menus in the Valle d’Aosta area.
AVVISO DELLA CASA DI TOLLERANZA. AI SIG.RI CLIENTI È VIETATO MOLESTARE LE SIGNORINE PRIMA DI AVERE PAGATO LA MARCHETTA. LA DIREZIONE.
“Notice of the house (brothel). Dear clients (men), it is forbidden to harass the young ladies before paying for their services. Management.”
We saw this sign at Rifugio Hermitage, which was our preferred place to grab a coffee, snack, or lunch during our time in Pila skiing. A casa di tollerenza “house of tolerance" is a euphemism for a brothel. The use of the euphemism and the use of la marchetta suggests a formal yet cheeky phrasing suggests it's drawing on older societal norms and attitudes for comedic effect - we hope.
RISCHIO VALANGHE. DEBOLE, MODERATO, MARCATO, FORTE, MOLTO FORTE
“Avalanche risk. Low, moderate, considerable, high, extreme”
Valanga (plural valanghe) is an avalanche. Speaking of avalanches, we often see what looks like a downward facing pipe on steep slopes (see image for one in Pila). These are Gazex pipes, expansion chambers that explosively direct hot gases into the zone at risk in order to set off controlled avalanches.
I percorsi di fuori pista non sono né segnalati né protetti dai pericoli dell’alta montagna dove l’insidia è occulta e nessuno può prevederla in anticipo.
“Off-piste routes are neither marked nor protected from high mountain perils where hazards are hidden and cannot be foreseen in advance.”
We know, we should be paying attention to skiing, but this sign caught our eye, especially the part l’insidia è occulta?
Insidia is hidden danger. Yet occulta means hidden as well. To us, the sentence in Italian seems repetitive. Maybe the sentence could be written as “I percorsi di fuori pista non sono né segnalati né protetti dai pericoli occulti dell’alta montagna che nessuno può prevedere in anticipo.” Don’t you want to come skiing with us to study signs?
Veicolo in panne
“Disabled vehicle”
We rented an MG SUV for the trip. We are not fans. The interfaces were horrible and the vehicle handled poorly.
While playing around with the controls, we came across this screen and wondered why is there would be vehicle in the cream (panna). Jeez.
“Hunter-style rabbit”
This is an Italian dish where the rabbit meat is slow cooked with vegetables and herbs. Alla cacciatora suggests a rustic preparation.
What’s also interesting about these two menus from Hotel Tivet is that it shows how half-board typically works. In the morning at breakfast, you get a list of dinner options, and you choose what you want. (Not on the list was a killer salad-appetizer that could have been dinner in itself.)
We chose Hotel Tivet because it was close to a mid-station of the gondola from Aosta (along the river) to Pila (ski area) and it was easy access for skiing.
VALPELLINENTZE (zuppa gratinata di cavolo verza, pane, fontina, brodo)
“Valpellinentze (gratinated soup of cabbage, bread, fontina, and broth)”
Gratinated (au gratin more commonly), in English, means to cook with a covering of buttered crumbs or grated cheese until a crust or crisp surface forms. The soup is from the Valpelline, just north of Aosta. This hearty soup appears on many menus in the Valle d’Aosta area.
AVVISO DELLA CASA DI TOLLERANZA. AI SIG.RI CLIENTI È VIETATO MOLESTARE LE SIGNORINE PRIMA DI AVERE PAGATO LA MARCHETTA. LA DIREZIONE.
“Notice of the house (brothel). Dear clients (men), it is forbidden to harass the young ladies before paying for their services. Management.”
We saw this sign at Rifugio Hermitage, which was our preferred place to grab a coffee, snack, or lunch during our time in Pila skiing. A casa di tollerenza “house of tolerance" is a euphemism for a brothel. The use of the euphemism and the use of la marchetta suggests a formal yet cheeky phrasing suggests it's drawing on older societal norms and attitudes for comedic effect - we hope.
RISCHIO VALANGHE. DEBOLE, MODERATO, MARCATO, FORTE, MOLTO FORTE
“Avalanche risk. Low, moderate, considerable, high, extreme”
Valanga (plural valanghe) is an avalanche. Speaking of avalanches, we often see what looks like a downward facing pipe on steep slopes (see image for one in Pila). These are Gazex pipes, expansion chambers that explosively direct hot gases into the zone at risk in order to set off controlled avalanches.
I percorsi di fuori pista non sono né segnalati né protetti dai pericoli dell’alta montagna dove l’insidia è occulta e nessuno può prevederla in anticipo.
“Off-piste routes are neither marked nor protected from high mountain perils where hazards are hidden and cannot be foreseen in advance.”
We know, we should be paying attention to skiing, but this sign caught our eye, especially the part l’insidia è occulta?
Insidia is hidden danger. Yet occulta means hidden as well. To us, the sentence in Italian seems repetitive. Maybe the sentence could be written as “I percorsi di fuori pista non sono né segnalati né protetti dai pericoli occulti dell’alta montagna che nessuno può prevedere in anticipo.” Don’t you want to come skiing with us to study signs?
Veicolo in panne
“Disabled vehicle”
We rented an MG SUV for the trip. We are not fans. The interfaces were horrible and the vehicle handled poorly.
While playing around with the controls, we came across this screen and wondered why is there would be vehicle in the cream (panna). Jeez.
panna – cream
in panna/in panne – breakdown, more common “panne”
It seems that the phrase in panne comes from French and is a sailing term where you position a sail boat to move forward or backward with the sails in slack position.
in panna/in panne – breakdown, more common “panne”
It seems that the phrase in panne comes from French and is a sailing term where you position a sail boat to move forward or backward with the sails in slack position.
No comments:
Post a Comment
All comments go through a moderation process. Even though it may not look like the comment was accepted, it probably was. Check back in a day if you asked a question. Thanks!