READ ITALIAN WITH ME - FRANCESCA

PRACTICE ITALIAN — Shadowing & Listening from the Story: Garessio.

Want to improve your Italian listening, speaking, pronunciation, and rhythm?
In this episode of Practice Italian, we return to the story of Garessio - Il sapore dell'incontro, a medieval village in the Alta Val Tanaro, Piedmont, northern Italy.
This time, we don't simply listen to the story. We listen, repeat, remember, and shadow our way through the Italian language.
What is Italian shadowing?
Shadowing is a speaking practice technique where you listen to a speaker and speak along with their voice. You don't need to understand or remember every single word. The goal is to train your ear and your mouth to follow the rhythm, pronunciation, and melody of natural Italian. In the final blind shadowing exercises, you put the script aside and speak with the voice — no text, no translation, just Italian.
What will you practise in this episode?

You'll work with sentences from the Garessio story through several stages:

• Listen & Repeat — listen carefully and repeat each sentence
• Rhythm & Pronunciation — practise Italian sentence flow and natural rhythm
• Longer Sentences — build confidence with more complex Italian structures
• Useful Italian — practise structures you can use beyond the story
• Memory Challenge — listen, remember and reproduce Italian sentences
• Blind Shadowing — speak along with the voice without looking at the script
• Recall — use Italian to talk about Garessio and the story

You'll practise useful structures such as: abbastanza + aggettivo + da... È un luogo di passaggio. A volte basta + qualcosa + per + verbo.
You'll also encounter structures such as gerund + subjunctive and come se + imperfect subjunctive, always through sentences taken from the story.

What Italian will you practise?
The episode uses vocabulary and sentences connected with:Garessio, villages, mountains, rivers, food, bread, chestnuts, traditions, travel, encounters and Italian cultural heritage. The story provides the context; the shadowing exercises turn that context into active speaking practice.

How should you use this episode?
First, listen. Then repeat. Finally, shadow. During blind shadowing, don't look at the script. If you fall behind or miss a word, keep going. The objective is not perfect translation or perfect recall — it is learning to follow the rhythm and sound of Italian.

If you need extra support, the free Read Italian With Me Library includes the script, vocabulary, and exercises based on the story.

If you haven't listened to the complete Garessio story yet, start with Il gusto dei borghi — Garessio: il sapore dell'incontro, then come back to this Practice Italian episode.

Read Italian With Me: practice Italian through stories, places, and real Italian rhythm.
🎧 Listen. Repeat. Shadow. Speak Italian. 

#LearnItalian #ItalianShadowing #ItalianListening #PracticeItalian #SpeakItalian #ItalianPronunciation #ItalianPodcast #Garessio #Piedmont #Piemonte #ValTanaro #Italy #ItalianCulture

Get the Free Read Italian With Me Library

Download the free episode PDF from the Read Italian With Me library to access

1. the full Italian script,
2. English translation,
3. vocabulary list,
4. and exercises!

(00:00:00) Intro in English

(00:00:39) Garessio - il sapore dell'incontro

(00:02:50) Tra ponti, acqua e antiche storie

(00:16:56) Outro in English

IL GUSTO DEI BORGHI — Garessio: il sapore dell'incontro

What can a village tell you about Italy?
In this episode of Il gusto dei borghi, we travel to Garessio, a medieval village in the Alta Val Tanaro, Piedmont, northern Italy, where mountains, rivers, ancient streets, food and traditions meet. Garessio is a place shaped by encounters: between the Tanaro River and the mountains, between Piedmont and Liguria, between travellers, merchants, local traditions and different parts of the village.
In this Italian listening story, you'll discover Porta Rose, the historic centre of Garessio, the four traditional areas of the village, the Tanaro and the curious Malasangue stream, as well as local food traditions connected to bread, chestnuts and sweets.

What will you discover in this Italian story?

• Garessio and the Alta Val Tanaro
• The medieval village and Porta Rose
• The Tanaro River and the surrounding mountains
• The four historic areas of Garessio
• Traditional chestnuts and the gabbiana variety
• Garessina, the traditional bread of Garessio
• Garessini, a local sweet with hazelnuts and cocoa
• The San Bernardo spring
• Local traditions, food and cultural heritage
• The idea of incontro (encounter) as the central theme of the story

How can this episode help you learn Italian?
The story is read in natural Italian, allowing you to practise listening to descriptive Italian in context. You can listen for Italian vocabulary connected with: villages, mountains, rivers, architecture, food, traditions, travel, memory and cultural heritage.
If you are learning Italian through stories, this episode can help you become familiar with Italian pronunciation, sentence rhythm, and vocabulary while discovering a real place in Piedmont. You can also slow down the playback speed in your podcast or YouTube app if you prefer a slower listening experience.
Who is this Italian podcast for?
Read Italian With Me is designed for people who want to improve their Italian through stories about Italy, villages, food, culture, and everyday language. You don't need to understand every word. Listen to the story, follow the context, and let the Italian gradually become familiar.

The free Read Italian With Me Library includes the Italian script, vocabulary, and exercises based on the story. Find the link in the description.

About Garessio.
Garessio is a village in the Alta Val Tanaro in Piedmont, close to the Ligurian mountains. Its geographical position has historically connected different routes, communities and traditions.
In this episode, Garessio becomes a story about incontro: the meeting of places, people, traditions and flavours. And at the end, one word remains: Narrare. Because some villages don't simply preserve their history. They tell it every day to those who take the time to listen.

🎧 Listen to the story of Garessio and discover Italy one village at a time.

Read Italian With Me: Il gusto dei borghi: where every village has a story, and every story has a taste. 


#LearnItalian #ItalianPodcast #ItalianListening #ItalianStories #LearnItalianWithStories #Garessio #Piedmont #Piemonte #ValTanaro #Italy #ItalianCulture #ItalianFood #ItalianVillages

Get the Free Read Italian With Me Library

Download the free episode PDF from the Read Italian With Me library to access

1. the full Italian script,
2. English translation,
3. vocabulary list,
4. and exercises!

(00:00:00) Intro in English

(00:01:28) LISTEN & REPEAT: Chianale è uno di questi luoghi.

(00:02:08) Un piccolo borgo della Val Varaita, in Piemonte, quasi nascosto tra le montagne.

(00:03:31) Un luogo dove il tempo sembra non essersi fermato, ma avere semplicemente scelto un ritmo diverso.

(00:05:28) RHYTHM & PRONUNCIATION: La strada saliva lentamente verso l'alta valle.

(00:06:21) Le montagne sembravano farsi più vicine.

(00:06:59) LISTEN, REPEAT & REMEMBER: Non ci siamo arrivati gradualmente.

(00:07:34) È comparso davanti a noi quasi all'improvviso.

(00:08:14) Chianale non è un luogo da attraversare velocemente. È un luogo da percorrere lentamente.

(00:09:38) THE LANGUAGE OF THE MOUNTAIN: Le case sembravano parte del paesaggio.

(00:10:21) Ogni materiale aveva una funzione.

(00:10:59) Niente era scelto solo per essere bello.

(00:11:40) MEMORY CHALLENGE: Se cammini troppo velocemente, rischi di perdere la sua storia.

(00:12:39) Bisogna aspettare, osservare e lasciare che siano le piccole cose a raccontarsi.

(00:14:05) BLIND SHADOWING: Chianale non è un luogo da attraversare velocemente. È un luogo da percorrere lentamente

(00:14:51) Le case non erano costruite solo per essere belle. Erano costruite per resistere. Per proteggere.

(00:15:58) THE TASTE OF MEMORY: Era un piatto che non aveva bisogno di aggiungere altro. Perché aveva già dentro la sua storia.

(00:17:10) Molte ricette italiane non vivono nei libri. Vivono nelle mani delle persone. Nella memoria.

(00:17:50) FINAL BLIND SHADOWING: È diventato un collegamento con il passato. Un modo per capire il luogo in cui eravamo.

(00:18:28) È una porta antica che continua ad aprirsi. È una ricetta che continua a essere preparata. È una lingua che continua a e

(00:19:35) FINAL CHALLENGE: Tramandare.

(00:20:26) Outro in English

PRACTICE ITALIAN — Shadowing & Listening from the Story

Want to improve your Italian listening and speaking skills?
In this episode of Practice Italian, we return to Chianale - Il sapore della memoria, the story of a small mountain village in Val Varaita, Piedmont, northern Italy, and turn the story into an active Italian listening and shadowing practice.
This episode helps you train your Italian ear, rhythm, and pronunciation through a simple three-step method:
listen → repeat → shadow

You'll start with listen-and-repeat exercises, move on to Italian rhythm and pronunciation, test your memory with longer sentences, and finally practice blind shadowing: speaking along with the speaker without looking at the script.

What will you practice?

You'll work with natural Italian sentences about:

• Chianale and the Val Varaita
• mountain villages and landscapes
• traditional houses and architecture
• Italian food and recipes
• memory, traditions and cultural heritage
• everyday and descriptive Italian vocabulary

The episode also includes longer and more advanced sentence structures, so you can become familiar with the rhythm of real Italian without worrying about understanding every single word.🎧 How to use this Italian shadowing episode

First: listen carefully.
Second: repeat each sentence aloud.
Third: shadow the speaker and speak at the same time.

Don't worry if the blind shadowing feels difficult at first. The goal is to connect what you hear with what you say, gradually making Italian speech more natural and automatic.

What is Italian shadowing?
Italian shadowing is a speaking practice technique in which you listen to a speaker and speak along with them, focusing on pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation rather than translating every word.

How can I practice Italian listening and speaking with this episode?
Listen to the sentences, repeat them aloud, challenge your memory, and then shadow the speaker without looking at the script.
If you want extra support, the free Read Italian With Me Library includes the full Italian script, vocabulary, and exercises based on the story.
Learn Italian through Chianale, Val Varaita and the culture of northern Italy: one sentence at a time.
Haven't listened to the complete story yet? Start with Il gusto dei borghi — Chianale: Il sapore della memoria, then return to this episode and practice.

Read Italian With Me - Practice Italian through stories, places, and real Italian rhythm. 


#LearnItalian #ItalianShadowing #ItalianListening #PracticeItalian #SpeakItalian #ItalianPodcast #Chianale #ValVaraita #Piedmont #Italy

Get the Free Read Italian With Me Library

Download the free episode PDF from the Read Italian With Me library to access

1. the full Italian script,
2. English translation,
3. vocabulary list,
4. and exercises!

(00:00:00) Intro in English

(00:00:49) Chianale - il sapore della memoria

(00:06:40) Le case, la tavola e ciò che resta

(00:15:10) Outro in English

Il gusto dei borghi — Episode 2: Chianale — Il sapore della memoria.

Learn Italian through stories, places, food, and culture with Read Italian With Me.

In this episode of Il gusto dei borghi, we travel to Chianale, a small mountain village in the Val Varaita, Piedmont, northern Italy, surrounded by the Alps. Chianale is a place where stone houses, traditional architecture, the Occitan language and local food preserve the memory of generations.
In this Italian story, we follow the journey to the village, walk through its ancient streets and discover the details that tell its history: traditional stone houses, wooden larch balconies, lose stone roofs, old dates carved into portals, a sundial, covered passages and traces of Occitan culture.
The story also takes us to the table to discover ravioles della Val Varaita, a traditional mountain pasta made with potatoes and mountain cheese. But this episode is about more than a village or a recipe. It is about memory, tradition, and the things people choose to pass from one generation to another.🇮🇹 Practice Italian through a real story.
The story is read in natural Italian, making this episode suitable for learners who want to improve their Italian listening comprehension, vocabulary, and familiarity with natural Italian sentences.
You can listen at your own pace and adjust the playback speed if you need slower Italian.

If you want to study the episode more deeply, the free Read Italian With Me Library includes the Italian script, vocabulary, and exercises based on the story.

Discover Chianale and Val Varaita.
In this episode, you'll discover:

• Chianale, in the Val Varaita
• Piedmont and the Italian Alps
• Occitan language and culture
• traditional mountain architecture
• local history and village traditions
• ravioles and traditional food from Val Varaita
• Italian vocabulary connected with villages, mountains, food and traditions

What is Chianale known for?

Chianale is a historic mountain village in the Val Varaita where traditional architecture, Occitan cultural heritage and local food preserve the memory of mountain life.

What can you learn from this episode?
You can practice listening to natural Italian while discovering the history, culture, traditions, and food of a small village in northern Italy.

🎧 Listen to the story, discover the place, and learn Italian through its taste, its words, and its memories. 

Read Italian With Me — where every village has a story, and every story has a taste. 


#LearnItalian #ItalianListening #ItalianPodcast #ItalianStories #Chianale #ValVaraita #Piedmont #Italy #ItalianCulture #ItalianFood

Get the Free Read Italian With Me Library

Download the free episode PDF from the Read Italian With Me library to access

1. the full Italian script,
2. English translation,
3. vocabulary list,
4. and exercises!

(00:00:00) Intro in English

(00:02:07) PART 1 - LISTEN AND REPEAT: LA PACE

(00:02:58) UNA PAROLA SEMPLICE

(00:05:04) PART 2 — PRONUNCIATION & RHYTHM: IL SUONO DELLA NEVE

(00:07:38) PART 3 - LISTEN, REPEAT, REMEMBER: LA MONTAGNA

(00:09:12) IL SAPORE DELLA LENTEZZA

(00:10:30) PART 4 - THE TABLE OF THE MOUNTAINS: L'OSPITALITÀ

(00:11:14) LA FONTINA

(00:12:36) PART 5 - SPEAKING WITH THE STORY

(00:12:52) CHALLENGE 1

(00:13:20) CHALLENGE 2

(00:13:58) PART 6 - GUIDED SHADOWING

(00:15:41) PART 7 - THE FINAL SHADOWING

(00:17:06) OUTRO IN ENGLISH

PRACTICE ITALIAN: Shadowing & listening from the story.

Ready to practice Italian out loud?

In this episode of Read Italian With Me, we return to Ètroubles - Il sapore della pace, the story of a small mountain village in Valle d’Aosta, Italy, and turn it into an active Italian listening and speaking practice.

Listen, repeat, and shadow real Italian sentences while training your pronunciation, rhythm, listening comprehension, and speaking confidence.

You’ll practice Italian through the language of the story, from la pace and la lentezza to mountain life, hospitality, Fontina, and fonduta.

The episode gradually moves from listen & repeat to pronunciation and rhythm practice, memory challenges, and guided shadowing.

How to use this episode:

1. First, just listen.
2. Then repeat each sentence aloud.
3. Finally, shadow the speaker and speak at the same time.

No need to translate every word or speak perfectly. The goal is to listen, imitate the sound, follow the rhythm, and become more comfortable speaking Italian aloud.
Best for Italian learners who want to improve listening and speaking through stories, especially intermediate learners looking for natural Italian practice.
If you haven't listened to the full story yet, start with Il gusto dei borghi - Ètroubles: Il sapore della pace, then come back to this episode and practice.

Read Italian With Me: learn Italian through stories, places, and the real rhythm of Italian. 

#LearnItalian #ItalianListening #ItalianShadowing #PracticeItalian #SpeakItalian #ItalianForIntermediateLearners #Etroubles #ValleDAosta #Italy

Get the Free Read Italian With Me Library

Download the free episode PDF from the Read Italian With Me library to access

1. the full Italian script,
2. English translation,
3. vocabulary list,
4. and exercises!

Il gusto dei borghi: Episodio 1 - Ètroubles: il sapore della pace

Vuoi imparare l’italiano ascoltando una storia ambientata in un vero borgo italiano?
In questo primo episodio di Il gusto dei borghi, viaggiamo fino a Ètroubles, piccolo borgo di montagna della Valle d’Aosta, nel nord Italia, per scoprire un luogo dove la neve, le case in pietra, le tradizioni e la cucina raccontano una storia di lentezza e semplicità.
🎧 Ascolterai una storia in italiano naturale, pensata per chi vuole migliorare la propria comprensione dell’italiano, arricchire il vocabolario e conoscere meglio la cultura italiana attraverso luoghi, tradizioni e cibo.

Durante l’episodio incontreremo alcuni simboli della cucina valdostana:

🧀 la Fontina e la fonduta valdostana
🥣 la Seupa à la Vapelenentse
🥩 la Carbonade valdostana
🌲 la vita e le tradizioni delle montagne della Valle d’Aosta .

La storia ci porta anche lungo le antiche strade della Via Francigena e tra le vie di Ètroubles, conosciuto anche per il suo museo a cielo aperto. Il filo conduttore dell’episodio è una parola semplice: pace. Non soltanto il silenzio delle montagne, ma il piacere di rallentare, osservare, mangiare insieme e ritrovare il valore delle cose semplici.

Questo podcast è ideale per chi cerca:

• Italian listening practice
• Learn Italian through stories
• Italian for intermediate learners
• Italian vocabulary in context
• Italian culture and traditions
• Italian food and travel stories
• Ascolto di italiano autentico e comprensibile
• Storie italiane per studenti di italiano

📚 Vuoi continuare a studiare? Puoi trovare script in italiano, vocabolario ed esercizi gratuiti nella libreria di Read Italian With Me.

👉 Ascolta, leggi, ripeti e scopri l’Italia una storia alla volta.

Il gusto dei borghi: ogni borgo ha una storia, e ogni storia ha un gusto.

Get the Free Read Italian With Me Library

Download the free episode PDF from the Read Italian With Me library to access

1. the full Italian script,
2. English translation,
3. vocabulary list,
4. and exercises!

Ever tried to learn Italian from grammar books and word lists, only to freeze the moment you hear real Italian spoken?
This episode explains why, and how Read Italian With Me does things differently.

Read Italian With Me is a podcast that helps English speakers learn Italian through real stories, guided listening, and authentic Italian culture — not flashcards.

Every Tuesday ("Discover Italy"), you'll hear the story of a small, real Italian village, its food, traditions, and history, told entirely in Italian and explained as you go.

Every Thursday ("Practice Italian"), you'll shadow and repeat sentences from that same story to build pronunciation, rhythm, and speaking confidence.

In this welcome episode, host Francesca, an Italian native speaker, explains who the show is for, what to expect each week, and how to get the most out of listening even when you don't understand every word.

📅 New episodes: Tuesdays (Discover Italy) and Thursdays (Practice Italian)

🎧 Format: short Italian stories + guided listening and shadowing practice

📚 Level: A2–C1 (early intermediate to advanced)

🌍 Focus: authentic small-town Italy, beyond the usual tourist spots. Free scripts, vocabulary, and exercises for every episode are available in the Read Italian With Me Library: link in the show notes.

New here? Follow the show so you don't miss episode one, out this Tuesday.

Read Italian With Me: listen to Italian, discover Italy, one village at a time.

Get the Free Read Italian With Me Library

Download the free episode PDF from the Read Italian With Me library to access

1. the full Italian script,
2. English translation,
3. vocabulary list,
4. and exercises!