Stiamo volando sopra quale città adesso?

Which city are we flying over right now?

Pronunciation

so-PRA — stress on second syllable. cit-TÀ — stress on second syllable, accent on final 'a'.

When to use it

When looking out the window and curious about the geography below.

What it means

'Stiamo volando sopra' (we are flying over) uses 'stare' + gerund for ongoing action + 'sopra' (over/above). 'Quale città' (which city) is the question. The flight map on the seat-back screen usually shows the real-time position, making this a great question for learning geography.

Variations

Quelle luci sono Roma?

Are those lights Rome?

Night flying question when you can see city lights

Possiamo vedere le Alpi dal finestrino?

Can we see the Alps from the window?

Yes, on many north Italian routes

Stiamo sorvolando il Mar Mediterraneo?

Are we flying over the Mediterranean Sea?

On routes to African or Middle Eastern destinations

Mini Dialogue

— Stiamo volando sopra quale città adesso? — Guardi lo schermo — la mappa mostra che siamo sopra la Toscana. — Posso vedere Firenze? — Dovrebbe essere a sinistra, ma c'è un po' di nuvoloso.

— Which city are we flying over right now? — Look at the screen — the map shows we are over Tuscany. — Can I see Florence? — It should be on the left, but it's a bit cloudy.

Cultural Note

Italy's boot shape is easily recognisable from the air. The Po Valley (Pianura Padana) in northern Italy is particularly distinctive — a flat, industrial plain easily distinguished from the Alps to the north and the Apennines to the south. On clear days, Vesuvius and Etna are visible as perfect conical shapes from aircraft.

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