During their trip to southern Italy and Malta, Nick and Wendy saw several paintings by their favourite painter, Caravaggio. In this episode they talk about Caravaggio’s life and about why they like his paintings.

Nick and Wendy discuss their recent visit to Malta. In particular, they talk about visiting the site of Gozo’s famous Azure Window, which collapsed and disappeared a few weeks earlier.

Nick’s English friend Helen is a Russian-English interpreter. In this conversation she talks about learning Russian and her experiences in Russian-speaking countries.

Nick and Wendy are in the Sicilian capital Palermo. They talk about the famous Ballarò produce market, the unusual vegetables you can find there, and how it’s different from markets in their home countries.

As part of their recent trip to southern Italy, Nick and Wendy climbed the volcano on the island of Stromboli. In this conversation they talk about the climb and what they saw at the top of the volcano.

Nick’s friend Caitriana used to be a potter. In this conversation she talks about how you make pottery, how she got into the profession, and how artists are viewed in society.

In their second conversation about the Italian city of Naples, Nick and Wendy talk about walking ‘The Sacred Mile’ in the Sanità neighbourhood, a fascinating and undiscovered part of the city.

Nick and Wendy have spent Easter in Spain for the last two years. In this conversation, they talk about seeing the famous Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebrations in three different Spanish cities, including Seville.

Nick’s colleague Sandra grew up speaking English and French and now she teaches both languages. In this conversation she talks about her language experiences.

Nick and Wendy talk about traditional Italian pizza from the city of Naples and about how it’s different from American pizza. They also discuss the concept of 'cucina povera' (poor man’s cooking) in Italian cuisine. Delicious!