Free Italian Learning Materials
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Un bar italiano – Italian bar – Audio
Lagiornatainunbaritaliano,adayinanItalianbar.WearegoingtolearnwhatpeopledrinkandeatinanItalianbarthroughouttheday.Listenandrepeat. TheItalianbarisaculturalinstitution,aplacewherepeoplesocialize,havebusinessmeetingsora romanticdate,watcha”calcio”matchonTVorsimplyhaveaquickespressoforresettingtheirmind.Let’sseewhatpeopledrinkandeatduringtheday. 6am-noon MostItalianbarsopenbetween5and6am,whenpeoplewakeupandcommutetowork.TheItalianbreakfastisn’tasrichastheBritishorAmericanone.Athome,peopleusuallyhaveacaffelatte,a simplecoffeeandmilkinabowl,withbiscuitsorfettebiscottate, slicedtoastedbreadwithjamorhoney.InanyItalianbar,youseecustomersliningatthecounteror”albanco”,havingacappuccinoebrioche,asimplecappuccinowithapastry.Ifyouwantanorangejuice,youmaywanttotrythe spremutad’arancia,freshlysqueezedoranges.Somepeopletakeiteasyandsit“altavolo”,atthetable,readingthedailynewspaper,ilquotidiano.TheItalianbreakfastthoughisusuallyfast. Therearefewdifferenttypesofpastry,butthemostcommononeisthecroissant.InnorthernItalyweusetheFrenchword brioche andincentral-sounternItalywecallit cornetto,fromthewordcorna, horns.Itcanbefilledwithcream,cornettoallacrema,jam,cornettoallamarmellata,orchocolate,cornettoalcioccolato. Thecolazionegoesonuntil10,whenthelastfewpeoplehavebreakfast. ThenmanyItalianstakeabreakinthemiddleofthemorningforthesocalled,pausacaffè,coffeebreak.Ineverycityitiscommontoseepeopledressedinsuitesorgroupsofworkers havinganespresso,inItaliansimplycalledcaffè.After11,havingacappuccinoisconsideredunusual,becauseit’sreallyabreakfastdrink. Usethespacebarforpausingtheaudio BREAKFAST-COLAZIONE Noonto6pm OfcourseyoucanhavelunchinanyItalianbar.Therearetwomaincategoriesofbarsservinglunch. Tavolafredda literally”coldtable”,isabarservingonlycoldfoodlikepanini, thefamousItaliansandwiches,affettati Italiancuredmeatslikeprosciuttoandsalame; insalata theItaliansalads,includinginsalatadirisoandinsalatadipasta,coldpastaandricewithpickledvegetables,tunaandotheringredients.Tavolafreddaisagoodplaceinsummertime,forafreshandquickmeal. Tavolacalda”hottable”, isabarservingsomehotfood,inadditiontocolddishesnormallyavailableatlunch,mainlyprimipiatti likepasta,risotto,lasagne,parmgianadimelanzaneetc.Atavolacalda barisusuallybiggerthanatavolafredda, becausetheyhaveasmallkitchen,butit’sstillabar.So,thefoodyougetinatavolacaldaisgoodforaquicklunch,butnormallynotasgoodasatrattoriaoran osteria,typicalsmalllocalrestaurants.Thisisnotaruleofcourse.Youcanfindgoodbarsandbadtrattoria’s. Bothtavolacaldaandfreddausually proposea menùfisso,afixedpricemenuwithadishortwo,with coperto(breadandservice),bevande(drinks)andacoffee.Tuttoincluso!Allincluded. Afterlunch,itisalwaystimeforacaffè.That’simportantifyouwanttohaveaproductiveafternoon! Afterlunch,barmen,ibaristi, getreadyfortheafternoonandeveningdrinks,l’aperitivo. LUNCH-PRANZO Evening ThecityofMilanisnicknamed Milanodabere,acitytodrink,becauseitisveryfamousfortheeveningaperitivo.Theaperitivoisameetingwithfriendsandcolleaguesaftertheofficehours.Theaperitivoisnotjustdrinkingtime.Foodiseverywhereandit’sfree.AperitivoispopularinItaly,butinMilanoitissocommonandthecompetitionsofiercethatcustomerscaneatforfreealmosteverywhere.Ifyouorderadrink,youcanhelpyourselfwithfreestuzzichini,appetizers. Wearenottalkingaboutpeanuts(noccioline)andchips(patatine),butsmallpanini,pasta,rice,vegetablesanddips,meatballs,andotherfingerfood.Attheendoftheaperitivo,itisoftennotnecessarytogohomeandhavedinner.Peoplestayoutforacoupleofmoredrinksandenjoyfreetimewiththeirfriends.Evereyonewins! Italianbarsinsmallcitiesusuallyclosearounddinnertime.Aftertheaperitivo,peoplegohome.Barsservingtheaperitivoinbiggercities,usuallystayopenuntil2am. MilanoisthecityofCampari,TorinoofMartini,VeneziaishometoSpritzcocktailandProseccosparklingwine,nothingtoenvytoFrenchchampagne.Asamatteroffact,ProseccoisnowmoresoldthanChampagneinNorthAmericaandothercountries. …
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Tu chiamale se vuoi emozioni – Emotions in Italian – Audio
Impara le emozioni in italiano – Learn emotions in Italian Gli italiani sono famosi per essere appassionati (passionali) e impulsivi. Dall’epoca di Shakespeare, gli …
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Quanti anni hai? I numeri – Italian numbers – Audio
Numbers in Italian are called numeri. There are a few rules related to numbers. We are going to explain and practice with some examples. …
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Casa dolce casa! My Italian house
What You’ll Learn Today Jump to sections 👇 Introduction: Why Italian Homes Matter in Language Learning Understanding the Italian home goes far beyond memorizing …
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Things Italian people love – #6 Palio e contrada – VIDEO
Italian people love to belong to their contrada and can’t wait for the day of the Palio to challenge their neighbours. The Italian Palio …
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Le parti del corpo, body parts in Italian – quiz
What You’ll Learn Today Jump to sections 👇 Complete Guide to Italian Body Parts: Master Parti del Corpo Vocabulary and Pronunciation Learning Italian body …
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Pesto alla genovese, an easy and cheap Italian dressing
Pesto alla genovese is a very versatile dressing for your pasta, sandwiches and main dishes, fish and meat. Learn how to prepare it with …
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Il Castello di San Martino della Vaneza – the house is on fire!
This lovely little castle in the middle of the countryside near Padua, is a little time machine, where people can eat medieval food, learn …
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