Gone Fishin'!

I haven't really gone fishing!

I'm going to away from until the first week of July - heading to Italy for some R&R!

I will respond to any emails and queries when I return.

You can follow the progress of my trip on my travel blog, My Roman Holiday:

http://www.myromanholiday.com

Passaggio a nord-ovest

While many programs take a break in the summer in Italy, there are some that continue, and these programs are generally quite good and are useful in helping to improve your listening Italian skills. One of my favorite shows is Passaggio a Nord-Ovest -- you can watch the episodes through the PC through Rai's web site or, if you're lucky enough to be in Italy, it's on TV on Saturdays at 5:45 PM.

The host of the program is Alberto Angela, a well-known journalist and television personality who often hosts television programs on archaeology and culture (along with his father -- Alberto also holds a degree in Natural Science from La Sapienza). In this program, Alberto Angela crosses the globe visiting cultural sites as well as visiting some unique sites in Italy. There's also a very informative show on the giant squid, its history and research into this unique and amazing creature. The programs aren't always about history and archaeology but a true exploration of our planet into areas and sites that often don't receive a lot of attention.

I've watched about a dozen episodes - they last between 5 minutes to as long as 15 minutes. Alberto Angela is easy to understand, speaks well, and brings a passion and love for what he does -- not only can you listen and improve your Italian, but you can also learn something, too!

Summer of Podcasting (and Listening)

Ciao a tutti!

As the summer approaches (or winter, as is the case with our friends in the southern hemisphere), I want to remind everyone that it is important to practice your listening skills in Italian as much as it is studying grammar and vocabulary. Learning all the words that you can and knowing all the rules will only get you so far -- all that knowledge will get you nowhere if you can't understand the Italian being spoken to you.

I implore and encourage all of you to spend this summer listening (and speaking whenever you can). During the American summer, a number of Italian classes adjourn for the summer - especially if you're at university or taking classes in a school. While your structured learning may end, you can still be learning on your own, and you'll be surprised how much you can improve your Italian simply by listening! Listening can be enjoyable, and there are a lot of options out there for everyone's tastes. If you like sports, there's no end to the podcasts and programs that you can listen to and watch. If you like art and culture or movies there is also a lot on offer. No matter what your tastes, find something that you like and listen, listen, listen! By listening to programs or podcasts about subjects that you know, you'll have some context about what is being said and that can really help as you listen and learn.

I recently purchased an Ipod Touch, and it has to be one of the coolest gadgets that I've ever purchased. I'm not a gadget fiend, but I really like the possibilities that this device can have for learning and listening. If you have an Iphone or Ipod Touch, there are lots of possibilities in the way of apps and podcasts that you can download. Now there's no excuse for not listening - next time you head out for a coffee or are sitting on the plane, whip out your Ipod and listen to those podcasts or stream some audio from an Italian radio station.

If you know of a program/podcasts or other online media, leave a comment. Also, if you've listened to any of the content below or have a comment about your experiences learning and listening, please leave a comment -- I like to know how people listen and study Italian.

Have a great summer!

Useful Ipod Touch/Iphone Apps:

• Wunder Radio
• Radio DeeJay

Favorite Podcasts:
(I know that many Italian programs adjourn for the summer, but many of the sites have archives of past programs that you could listen to)

• LearnItalianpod.com
• Essere e Benessere
• Radio Anch'io
• SBS Radio in Italian

Favorite Rai.Tv programs:

• Ulisses
• Super Quark
• Tutti Pazzi Per Amore
• Raccontami (1 + 2)
  

Favorite Streams:

• Sky News
• Rai News 24
• Rai Radio 1, 2 or 3 from your PC (or using Wunder Radio Ipod/Iphone App)
  

Tutti pazzi per amore

Continuing the current thread of Italian television, I want to turn you onto a humorous TV show called Tutti pazzi per amore starring Stefania Rocca and Emilio Solfrizzo, who play the characters Laura and Paolo, respectively. Paolo is a widower raising a teenage daughter while Laura has two children, a sixteen year old son and a young daughter, whose husband has left them and gone to America. I like to think of this show as a quasi-Brady Bunch with two families coming together, although more modern and with an Italian bent.

Laura and Paolo eventually come together but must hide their romance since their two older children are schoolmates who dislike each other and other characters from the past and present come together to create interesting dramatic moments and comedic surprises!

The show is billed as a commedia sentimental-femiliare, a sentimental comedy with a family focus. Many of the situations are comical but there are serious moments. It's a well done show, and I think that its difficulty for comprehension is not so high that it is impossible to understand the characters. It's a great way to practice your Italian while learning some new Italian words and phrases, especially from the children in the show.

There are currently 13 episodes of the show which can be watched online at Rai.tv.

Rai.tv -- the new Rai Click

Rai Click is no longer and has been supplanted, thankfully, by Rai TV which functions, in my opinion, much better than Rai Click. If you're in Italy, you can watch TV directly through the site, otherwise, for us non-Italians overseas, we'll have to make do with the many programs and specials that can be watched as streaming video through the site. The video playback feature seems to work much better and is less buggy, and I've had no problem watching programs in the morning, afternoon or evening in the US (Eastern Standard Time). You may experience slowdowns during peak periods but nothing like was experienced with Rai Click.

Search for programs or podcasts by searching thematically or by the name of the show (Cerca tematica or Cerca programma, respectively). The buttons for doing this are located in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

The site pulls together podcasts, streaming video and more into one site so that all your favorite programs and podcasts can be listened to (and in some cases, downloaded) onto your own PC, Ipod or other mp3 device. It's better organized, and you'll find using this site a much better experience over Rai Click.

If you've watched a show on it, leave a comment and let us know how it worked.