Learn Italian with ItalianPod101.com! In your home country, there are some phrases that are so common you use them or hear them every day. The same is true in Italy too, so why not give your Italian an instant boost by learning them in this video lesson? With Desirèe's help, you'll be sounding like a native Italian speaker in no time!

In this lesson, you'll learn 10 Phrases that Make You Look Like a Fool that are used every day in Italy. Visit us at ItalianPod101.com, where you will find many more fantastic Italian lessons and learning resources. Leave us a message while you are there!

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Chianti

Una delle aree più famose per la produzione di vino sono le Colline del Chianti (noti anche come Monti del Chianti), che giacciono nel centro della Toscana.

La regione della Toscana si trova nel cuore dell’Italia, al nord confina con la Liguria e l'Emilia Romagna, all'est con l'Umbria e le Marche ed al sud con il Lazio. L’area del Chianti comprende tutta la zona attorno a Firenze, i colli del Chianti Classico, la Val d'Elsa e Siena. Il Chianti è una delle aree italiane più famose per la produzione del vino rosso.

Il vino Chianti ha un sapore armonico ed asciutto e si abbina benissimo con maiale e bistecche. Il vino viene bevuto come vino giovane e fresco. La qualità d’uva che viene usata maggiormente per produrre questo vino è il Sangiovese. Un vino, per essere considerato Chianti, deve esser prodotto da vignetti nell’area del Chianti, deve passare esami chimici, una degustazione dal consorzio e deve essere venduto in bottiglie, non come vino sfuso. La bottiglia tradizionale del Chianti è un fiasco ricoperto in paglia ma oggi il vino Chianti è imbottigliato normalmente.

La prima fase della produzione del vino è la vendemmia, la raccolta dei grappoli d’uva maturi. Le uve sono raccolte in settembre ma il periodo esatto dipende dal tipo d’uva e dalla maturazione. Dopo, viene la pigiatura. Purtroppo l’immagine dei piedi scalzi che schiacciano le uve non è la realtà. Oggi il procedimento è realizzato con mezzi meccanici che tolgono i semi e le bucce. Il succo che viene estratto si chiama mosto. Segue la fermentazione. Il lievito trasforma il mosto, in meno di un mese, e diventa vino. Gli zuccheri si trasformano in alcool e anidride carbonica.

Dopo la fermentazione, il vino invecchia in botti di rovere assorbendo gli aromi dal contatto diretto con il legno. Il vino non passa molto tempo in botte e dopo almeno 6 mesi è pronto all’imbottigliamento.

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Chianti

One of the most famous regions for the production of wine are the Hills of Chianti (also known as Mountains of Chianti), that lie in the center of Tuscany.

The Tuscan region is located in the heart of Italy, to the north it borders Liguria and Emilia Romagna, the East Umbria and Marche and to the south Lazio. The Chianti area includes the entire zone around Florence, the Chianti hills, the Elsa Valley and Siena. Chianti area is one of the most famous Italian areas for the production of red wine.

The Chianti wine has a harmonious and dry flavor and accompanies very well pork or beef. The wine is drunk when it is young and fresh. The grapes that are used to produce the wine are mainly Sangiovese. A wine, to be considered Chianti, must be produced from a vineyard in the Chianti area, pass chemical exams, a taste test by the consortium and be sold in bottles, not as wine sold by measure. The traditional Chianti bottle is a flask covered in straw but today the Chianti wine‘s bottled normally.

The first production phase of the wine is the vintage, the harvesting of mature bunches of grapes. The grapes are harvested in September but the exact period depends on the grape type and maturity. Then, there is the wine pressing. Unfortunately the image of bare feet crushing the grapes isn’t reality. Today the process is done by mechanical means. Next, the seeds and skins are taken out. The juice that is extracted is called must. The fermentation follows. Yeast transforms the must, in less than a month, and it becomes wine. The sugars transform in alcohol and carbon dioxide.

After the fermentation, the wine ages in casks made of oak absorbing the aromas from the direct contact with the w [...]

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rovesciare il sale

trovare un quadrifoglio

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spilling salt

finding a four-leaf clover

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Learn Italian with ItalianPod101!

Don't forget to stop by ItalianPod101.com for more great Italian Language Learning Resources!

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Learn Italian with ItalianPod101!

Don't forget to stop by ItalianPod101.com for more great Italian Language Learning Resources!

Learn Italian with ItalianPod101!

Don't forget to stop by ItalianPod101.com for more great Italian Language Learning Resources!

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Learn Italian with ItalianPod101!

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Learn more about Italian culture with ItalianPod101.com! Ever wondered what the most important Italian holidays are, and how they are celebrated? Then this 25-lesson video series is for you! With this series, you'll learn the what, why, when and how of 25 well-known holidays in Italy.

In this video, you'll learn all about Assumption in Italy and how it's celebrated, from food to decorations, while building your Italian vocabulary. Join Eleonora for a dose of Italian culture! Visit us at ItalianPod101.com, where you will find many more fantastic Italian audio and video lessons and learning resources! Leave us a message while you're there!

learn the superstitions about breaking a mirror and a little red horn

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rompere uno specchio

cornetto rosso

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breaking a mirror

little red horn

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Learn Italian with ItalianPod101.com! Welcome to the Italian Reading Comprehension for Absolute Beginners series. In this series, you will start to build up your Italian reading skills through lessons focussed on everyday activities like taking the bus or train. You'll learn how to read tickets, notices in the station, timetables, and more. Improve your reading with this useful ItalianPod101.com series!

In this lesson, we'll show you how to read a train schedule. Visit us at ItalianPod101.com, where you will find Italian lesson notes and many more fantastic lessons and learning resources! Leave us a message while you are there!