Italian culture explained for learners: traditions, holidays and everyday customs, from Ferragosto to the way Italians greet each other.
Who Saint Francis of Assisi was and why his Canticle of the Creatures, written in Umbrian vernacular around 1224, is considered the first great text of Italian literature.
Who Was Saint Francis of Assisi (and Why He Matters for the Italian Language) Read More »
Raphael’s Fire in the Borgo in the Vatican: Leo IV’s miracle, Aeneas and Anchises, Vitruvius and a C1-C2 Italian workshop on the passive voice.
Raphael’s Fire in the Borgo: Aeneas, Vitruvius and the Rome of Leo X Read More »
Raphael’s Liberation of Saint Peter (Vatican, 1514): the many light sources, the political meaning and a B2-C1 Italian workshop on expressing simultaneity.
Raphael’s Liberation of Saint Peter: night and light in the Room of Heliodorus Read More »
Raphael’s School of Athens in the Vatican: Plato and Aristotle, the philosophers and hidden portraits, Bramante, Michelangelo and subjunctive practice.
Raphael’s School of Athens: Plato, Aristotle and the faces of the Renaissance Read More »
Raphael’s Baglioni Altarpiece (Galleria Borghese, 1507): the Perugia feud, Michelangelo, the 1608 theft and a C1 Italian workshop on narrative past tenses.
Raphael’s Baglioni Altarpiece: from the tragedy of Perugia to the Entombment of Christ Read More »
Raphael’s Madonna of the Meadow (Vienna, 1505-1506): pyramidal composition, gazes, symbols and a B2 Italian workshop on the simple and compound gerund.
Raphael’s Madonna of the Meadow: the geometry of affection Read More »
Raphael’s Doni Portraits at the Uffizi: the couple’s story, Leonardo’s influence, jewels and symbols, plus a B1-B2 Italian workshop on relative pronouns.
Raphael’s Marriage of the Virgin (Brera, 1504): comparison with Perugino, perspective, the 16-sided temple and Italian art vocabulary for B2-C1 learners.
Raphael’s Marriage of the Virgin: how the young painter surpassed Perugino Read More »
B2 Italian reading activity on Italo Calvino’s fairy tale “Il naso d’argento”: biography, story summary in Italian, the passato remoto and exercises with answers.
Italo Calvino’s “The Silver Nose”: A B2 Italian Reading Activity Read More »
Regional differences in Italian: vocabulary, accents and dialects today, with ISTAT data, a short dialogue and exercises to train your ear for real Italian.
Regional Differences in Italian: What the Exam Won’t Teach You Read More »