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Cruciverba di cultura
Clues and answers in English.
Orizzontali (Across)
2 Genoa’s basil sauce, named for the pounding it gets in a marble mortar (5)
4 Fried rice balls from Sicily. In Palermo they’re feminine: one arancina (8)
6 Pizza’s hometown. In 2017 UNESCO added the art of its pizza makers to its heritage list (6)
7 Rice stirred slowly with broth. In Milan it turns golden with saffron (7)
9 City nicknamed la Grassa, the fat one. Its ragù goes on tagliatelle, not spaghetti (7)
11 Pizza in the flag’s red, white and green, said to be named in 1889 for Italy’s queen (10)
12 Pasta cooked to the tooth: firm, with a little bite left in the middle (7)
13 Layered coffee dessert, literally pick me up. Veneto and Friuli both claim it (8)
Verticali (Down)
1 Fresh cheese named from mozzare, to cut off. Campania’s prized kind comes from buffalo milk (10)
2 English name for Parmigiano Reggiano, the king of cheeses. Every wheel ages at least a year (8)
3 Roman pasta of egg, cured pork, cheese and black pepper. In Italy, never any cream (9)
5 Paper-thin raw beef, created at Harry’s Bar in Venice in 1950 and named after a Renaissance painter (9)
8 Prized underground fungus. In Italy dogs sniff it out: pigs have been banned since 1985 (7)
10 Bread named after a slipper. Younger than it looks: a Veneto baker created it in 1982 (8)
11 Home of traditional balsamic vinegar, aged at least 12 years. Pavarotti was born here too (6)
Cruciverba per principianti
Clues in English, answers in Italian.
Orizzontali (Across)
4 Water. The waiter will ask: frizzante o naturale? (5)
6 Hunger. Ho ___ means I’m hungry, not that I’m famous (4)
7 Oil. Italians dress salad at the table with ___ e aceto (4)
8 Fork. Italians twirl spaghetti with it alone, no spoon (9)
12 Cheese. Never on seafood pasta: ask for it and watch the waiter’s face (9)
13 Drinking glass. Raise yours and say cin cin (9)
15 Market. At the fruit stall, don’t touch: let the seller pick for you (7)
Verticali (Down)
1 Tomato, literally golden apple. The first ones in Italy were probably yellow (8)
2 Lunch. On Sundays it can last well into the afternoon (6)
3 Butter. Not a donkey: that’s Spanish (5)
5 Dinner. Leonardo painted the Last one in Milan (4)
9 Breakfast. Most Italians keep it light: a coffee and a pastry, often standing at the bar (9)
10 Dessert, or sweet. Fellini filmed La ___ vita in 1960 (5)
11 Recipe. At the pharmacy, it means prescription (7)
14 Wine. The house one is ___ della casa (4)
Cruciverba avanzato
Clues in Italian, answers in Italian.
Orizzontali (Across)
1 La Lollobrigida, diva del cinema italiano (4)
5 Apre una preghiera alla Madonna (3)
9 Viene dalla guancia del maiale: d’obbligo nella carbonara (9)
11 Le tessono i ragni, le dipingono i pittori (4)
13 Si usa con le scadenze: ___ venerdì (5)
15 Nome di donna nascosto nell’Aida di Verdi (3)
16 Antilope africana delle grandi migrazioni (3)
17 Articolo davanti a lasagne (2)
18 Si parcheggia in doppia fila (4)
19 Risposta di chi accetta il bis (2)
20 C’___ una volta (3)
22 Il ___ Romano, cuore della città antica (4)
24 Si dice al bimbo con la pappa: ___ la bocca! (4)
25 Ci crescono zucchine e insalata (4)
28 Esclamazione di chi ha capito (2)
29 Né mio né suo (3)
30 Pronome: ___ piace la pizza (2)
Verticali (Down)
2 Il centro di riga (2)
3 Ciò che resta nel piatto dopo la scarpetta (5)
4 Le vocali di pasta (2)
5 Quello di caffè è grave (7)
6 Sei, per i Romani (2)
7 Le vocali di pera (2)
8 Formaggio di pecora: romano, sardo o toscano (8)
10 Si unisce al dilettevole (5)
12 Rampicante che si aggrappa ai muri (5)
14 Città sarda dove nacque Grazia Deledda (5)
16 Rapaci notturni, o chi spera nella tua sconfitta (4)
21 Fa il miele, o il tre ruote della Piaggio (3)
23 Quella di punta è la più trafficata (3)
26 ___, pensiero: coro di Verdi (2)
27 Prima nota della scala (2)
Soluzioni del Numero 2: Italian Art
How I write: I choose the topics, do the research and analysis, and bring the Italian perspective. AI helps me turn that into polished drafts faster and assists with data and charts. I review and edit everything, verify every source, and take responsibility for what I publish. This lets me bring you more (and better) articles. Grazie for reading!