Ricordo spesso il passato.

Here, ricordo is a verb, not a noun. It means I remember.

It comes from the infinitive ricordare = to remember.

So:

• ricordo = I remember
• un ricordo = a memory

The same form can be either a verb or a noun, but in this sentence it is clearly the verb because it is followed by spesso il passato.

Italian usually leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The ending -o in ricordo already tells you the subject is I.

So:

• Ricordo spesso il passato. = I often remember the past.
• Io ricordo spesso il passato. is also possible, but io adds emphasis, as in I remember the past.

Ricordo is in the present indicative.

It is the normal tense used for:

• things happening now
• general truths
• habits or repeated actions

In this sentence, it expresses a habit:

• Ricordo spesso il passato. = I often remember the past.

This works the same way as the English simple present in sentences like I often think about childhood.

Spesso means often and it is an adverb of frequency.

Its position here is very natural:

• Ricordo spesso il passato.

But Italian word order with adverbs is often flexible. You could also hear:

• Spesso ricordo il passato.

The difference is mostly one of emphasis:

• Ricordo spesso il passato focuses first on I remember
• Spesso ricordo il passato gives more emphasis to often

Both are grammatical.

Because il passato means the past as a noun.

In Italian, abstract ideas are often used with the definite article more than in English.

So:

• il passato = the past
• il presente = the present
• il futuro = the future

English also uses the here, so this part matches nicely.

Here, passato is a noun meaning the past.

The word passato can also be:

• an adjective meaning past or last in some contexts
• a past participle of passare

But in il passato, it is a noun: the past.

Because ricordare is a transitive verb. It can take a direct object without a preposition.

So:

• ricordare qualcosa = to remember something

That is why we say:

• Ricordo il passato

not:

• Ricordo del passato in this structure

However, there is a related form:

• ricordarsi di qualcosa = to remember something

So you may also see:

• Mi ricordo del passato or more naturally in some contexts Mi ricordo del mio passato

But with plain ricordare, no preposition is needed.

They are closely related, and in everyday Italian they can overlap, but their structure is different.

• ricordare qualcosa = to remember something
• ricordarsi di qualcosa = to remember something

Examples:

• Ricordo il suo nome.
• Mi ricordo del suo nome.

In your sentence, the non-reflexive form is used:

• Ricordo spesso il passato.

That is simple and correct.

Yes, it is grammatical and understandable.

That said, depending on context, Italians might also say:

• Penso spesso al passato. = I often think about the past
• Ripenso spesso al passato. = I often think back to the past

These can sometimes sound a bit more idiomatic if the idea is not just remembering, but thinking back.

Still, Ricordo spesso il passato is perfectly valid.

Yes, but by itself il passato usually means the past in a general sense.

If you want to be more personal or specific, Italian often adds a possessive or more context:

• il mio passato = my past
• il nostro passato = our past

So:

• Ricordo spesso il passato = general idea, I often remember the past
• Ricordo spesso il mio passato = more specifically, I often remember my past

Yes. Recall can work too.

Ricordare can correspond to:

• remember
• recall

Usually, remember is the most neutral and common translation, while recall sounds a bit more formal or deliberate in English.

So the most natural default translation is:

• I often remember the past.

But I often recall the past is also possible.