"Volere la luna" (wanting the moon) is an Italian idiom that indicates an impossible desire.

Many students want to LEARN the Italian VERBS well and fortunately THIS IS POSSIBLE.

It is just a matter of practice.

So, sing with Loredana and practice the "passato remoto" (distant past)!

Do you want to learn the "passato remoto"?

Loredana Bertè is a famous Italian singer, known for her voice, her clothing, and her eccentric behavior.

It seems she once said: "Io la moda non la seguo: la faccio." (I do not follow fashion trends, I create trends).

In the following song, "E la luna bussò" (And the moon knocked) Loredana uses the "passato remoto" a lot.

The "remote past" (distant past) is used to express an action that occurred in the distant past, which no longer has any relationship with the present: "da bambino, una volta andai a Parigi..." (as a child, I once went to Paris...)
We can visualize it like this:

There are many ways to recount or narrate an event that happened in the past. Very often the choice of "how to narrate" depends on the style of the narrator or the emphasis they want to give to certain aspects of the story.

For example, in the spoken language Italians generally prefer to use the passato prossimo instead of the passato remoto. They prefer to say: "da bambino, una volta sono andato a Parigi.." (as a child, I once went to Paris...) instead of "da bambino, una volta andai a Parigi..." (as a child, I once went to Paris...)

The use of the passato remoto depends on how much emphasis one wants to give to the remoteness or "historicity" of the action.

In some regions of Italy, however (especially in the south) the passato remoto is used more commonly or, at times, even preferred to the recent past.

IMPORTANT:

For consistency, if you begin to narrate using the passato remoto you have to continue with the passato remoto:

• Da bambino, una volta andai a Parigi; poi non ebbi più occasione di fare un viaggio. (As a child, I once went to Paris; then I had no more opportunity to go on a trip.)

If you start narrating using the passato prossimo you have to continue with the passato prossimo:

• Da bambino, una volta sono andato a Parigi; poi non ho avuto più occasione di fare un viaggio. (As a child, I once went to Paris; then I didn't have the chance to go on a trip anymore.)

The imperfect can go with the passato remoto or the passato prossimo:

• Da bambino viaggiavo sempre con i miei genitori. Una volta andai a Parigi e visitai il Louvre. (As a child, I would always travel with my parents. Once I went to Paris and visited the Louvre)
• Da bambino viaggiavo sempre con i miei genitori. Una volta sono andato a Parigi e ho visitato il Louvre. (As a child, I would always travel with my parents. Once I went to Paris and visited the Louvre.)