The Italian Escape: A bilingual English-Italian language podcast

Sicily has so much to offer other than figs, cannoli, sunshine, coppolas and the mafia. 

We headed south a couple of weeks ago to re-discover what the eastern coast of Sicily has to offer other than the stereotypes people had of this island and their people. 

In this episode, we will be talking about Catania.

While being the second largest city in Sicily, it is known for being close to the highly active volcano Mount Etna, and for its airport (being the largest there is in the island). 

Maybe, all is well and good for foreigners, Catania (and maybe the whole of Sicily) may been getting a bad rap among the Italians because of their shortcomings for unreliable governance. 

Start listening to our episode NOW as we explore the different facets of Catania such as:

And many more!

Open your minds and ears as you simultaneously learn more about the Italian language and one of the country's regions - Sicily.

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at [email protected], or send us a voice message

Follow us at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/it_escape_pod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/it_escape_pod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/italian.escape.podcast

Music credits: storyblocks.com

Access Full Transcript Here: https://www.theitalianescapepodcast.com/transcripts/episode-12

Italian grammar may be easy for some students but is a nightmare for most.

In this episode we give our best comments and advice to help an international pool of students to whom we have asked: “what is your biggest Italian learning struggle?”

Some of the answers surprised us. For example, Italian grammar is hard for many students, but not for all. There is a reason for that, and we discuss it.

Other answers were expected. For example, some students, despite living in Italy, have a very hard time practicing Italian with Italians. Do you know why?

We talk about those (and many more) struggles, but don’t worry! You can overcome all of them.

Listen to this episode NOW to find out our best tips.

You are not walking on the Italian learning path alone!

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at [email protected], or send us a voice message

Follow us at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/it_escape_pod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/it_escape_pod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/italian.escape.podcast

Music credits: storyblocks.com

Access Full Transcript Here: https://www.theitalianescapepodcast.com/transcripts/episode-11

We watched videos by foreign tourists who visited Florence and we were shocked.

We can't understand why foreign tourists waste their time on Ice Cream, Aperitivo and Pizza.

The thing is, you don’t need to go to Florence to enjoy them. You can get them anywhere in Italy and at a much lower price!

Most importantly, you will waste your precious vacation days and return home without the real Florence experience.

Start listening to this episode NOW, to improve your Italian while you learn:

What to taste and how to eat like the Florentian people.

Where to find some of the unique sites which almost no foreigner gets to visit.

How to find out the history of the Italian Jews community and what they did when they first got their freedom.

EAnd many more tips which will make your Florence vacation unique!

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at [email protected], or send us a voice message

Follow us at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/it_escape_pod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/it_escape_pod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/italian.escape.podcast

Music credits: storyblocks.com

Access Full Transcript Here: https://www.theitalianescapepodcast.com/transcripts/episode-10

Living in Italy is wonderful. Its food, its people and its language are famous all over the world.

But let me (Gabriele) tell you that being a mixed couple in Italy is hard.

If you answered NO to any of such questions, I must tell you that having a successful mixed couple relationship is going to be hard.

We bumped into such problems, and they made my then-girlfriend feel like a burden.

But there was a way out of it so that, in the end, we managed to get married.

The solution? Learning the Italian language and Italian culture.

Just having a basic Italian knowledge that will let you buy your grocery is not enough to make your relationship last.

We recorded this episode to share our experience with you.

Listen to it now, practice your Italian for free AND learn how you can overcome some of the   challenges (and how some are still to be solved!)

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at [email protected], or send us a voice message

Follow us at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/it_escape_pod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/it_escape_pod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/italian.escape.podcast

Music credits: storyblocks.com

Access Full Transcript Here: https://www.theitalianescapepodcast.com/transcripts/episode-9

Have you ever tried the many types of tomatoes in Italy?

In this week’s episode we will be talking about the one of the most important ingredients in the Italian cuisine: the tomato.

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at [email protected], or send us a voice message

Follow us at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/it_escape_pod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/it_escape_pod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/italian.escape.podcast

Music credits: storyblocks.com

Access Full Transcript here: https://www.theitalianescapepodcast.com/transcripts/episode-8

Gabriele’s brother finally graduated from the school of medicine here in Genoa!

In this episode, we discuss about the traditions behind the university graduation here in Italy, and how different it is from other countries based on Angelique’s personal experience.

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at [email protected], or send us a voice message

Follow us at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/it_escape_pod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/it_escape_pod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/italian.escape.podcast

Music credits: storyblocks.com

Access Full Transcript here: https://www.theitalianescapepodcast.com/transcripts/episode-7

Have you ever celebrated Easter in Italy?

Italians may not be the most religious people on Earth, but they take their Easter holiday seriously. Kids take a week-long break from school, and people would spend their time eating traditional Easter dishes and doing a barbecue the day after while being surrounded by nature.

Listen to our episode as Gabriele tells us more about the stories behind the Italian Easter traditions and talks with Angelique how different Easter is in other countries, like Poland and the Philippines.

Notes: 

"Quei russi che andavano in vacanza in Calabria"

"La Costa Smeralda senza oligarchi"

News articles can be read if subscribed to l'Essenziale

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at [email protected]

Follow us at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/it_escape_pod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/it_escape_pod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/italian.escape.podcast

Music credits: storyblocks.com

Access Full Transcript Here: https://www.theitalianescapepodcast.com/transcripts/episode-6

A word of caution: this episode is perfect for people who want to step away from the mainstream tourist experience when visiting Milan.

Having worked in Milan for five years, Gabriele and Angelique took the opportunity in exploring the city. While it is true that Milan is famous for the Duomo, its apéritif places, and its high-end fashion streets, the city offers more than that.

In this episode, we share with you our favorite spots, food, and activities for you to visit, eat and do when you swing by Milan for the weekend this springtime.

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at [email protected]

Follow us at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/it_escape_pod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/it_escape_pod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/italian.escape.podcast

Music credits: storyblocks.com

Access Full Transcript Here: https://www.theitalianescapepodcast.com/transcripts/episode-5

When do you call yourself an expat?

In this episode, we sat down and reflected on what it means to be an expat in Italy (in this case, Angelique’s point of view). Some questions we also tackled were the following:

Notes:

· Internations

· The Cost of Moving to Italy & Living Well as an Expat by Kylie Flavell (@kylieflavell)

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at [email protected]

Follow us at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/it_escape_pod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/it_escape_pod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/italian.escape.podcast

Music credits: storyblocks.com

Access Full Transcript here: https://www.theitalianescapepodcast.com/transcripts/episode-4

Italian culture has been popularized in many ways.

We thought of starting a series of episodes called, “How real is…?”, in which we look at foreigners’ perception   of Italy through pop culture. In this case, we’ll be exploring how authentic   Italy was portrayed in the film, “Eat, Pray and Love”.

Filmed in   2010, “Eat, Pray and Love” was originally based on a memoir written by Elizabeth Gilbert back in 2006. It recounts her re-awakening or self-exploration journey after her divorce. She did this by first eating her heart out in Italy, seeking spirituality in India, and finding love in Bali.

Some scenes   we noted in the film were:

Listen to our episode as you’ll also get a chance to hear about a comparison Angelique made between Italian and Filipino/Asian mothers regards to their perception on marriage.

Correction: We mentioned in our that the main character was called, Eli but, she was called, Liz. Sorry about that.

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at [email protected]

Follow us at:

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/it_escape_pod

Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/it_escape_pod/

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/italian.escape.podcast

Music credits: storyblocks.com

Access Full Transcript here: https://www.theitalianescapepodcast.com/transcripts/episode-3