Friend, kindred spirit and fellow Italian language lover, Dianne Hales...has done it again! She has written a wonderful new book called “Mona Lisa: A Life Discovered”. In this podcast I review Dianne’s new book and Dianne Hales herself makes a guest appearance and gives us more insight into her new project. Listen to the podcast and then read the book to learn more about “la vera donna” Lisa Gherardini, the real Florentine woman, who posed for one of the most charismatic and innovative minds of the Renaissance - Leonardo da Vinci.

In today’s podcast we are talking about "la leggenda del ponte del diavolo" (the legend of The Devil’s Bridge)…or how to trick the devil and make him madder than Hell! My special guest in this episode is Daniela Bonaccorsi, one of the head teachers at Lucca Italian School. Recently I recorded Daniela as she told the story about the famous “Devil’s bridge” that crosses the River Serchio just north of the city of Lucca. This is a wonderful opportunity to listen to Daniela’s Tuscan accent and hear her version of this famous story.

In this podcast I will be talking about AFS Cultural Exchange Program. Here in America we are at the end of the American school term and summer vacation has begun. Normally this is a thing to celebrate...but for some it is a sad moment too as this year’s 2014/2015 AFS class returns to their home countries. In the podcast you will hear from two Italian girls who participated on the AFS program in the U.S Both girls will make a presentation and you will have the opportunity to hear their different voices and accents - one from the south of Italy and one from the north. You will also learn more about the AFS program and how you too can host an exchange student!

This Podcast features the leggenda di Lucida Mansi / The legend of Lucida Mansi. As the story goes...one day Lucida, a nobel woman who lived in Lucca Italy in the 1600’s, woke up to find a small wrinkle on her face and became quite desperate at the thought of aging and losing her beauty. At that moment the devil appeared who promised her that she could remain youthful and beautiful for 30 years in exchange for her soul. Listen to hear the rest of the story....and more about the wonderful walls of Lucca. Featured guest Italian speaker, Susanna of Lucca Italian School

This is the first episode of the podcast "Tutti matti per l'Italiano!". The podcast is hosted by Melissa Muldoon - la studentessa matta - in English & Italian as she presents clips of native Italian speakers. In this first episode called "Postcards from Lucca" you will enjoy "uno shakerato" while listening to Silvia make an introduction and later you will take a short walking tour of Lucca with Antonella. Finally you will meet Maura in Lucca's anfiteatro as he sings a song.

In this podcast Cher & Melissa talk about traveling in Italy. They provide tips for packing & things to bring, useful expressions, how to make a good impression and things you absolutely must eat when you are in Italy. We will also discuss how to maximize practicing your Italian language skills when you are traveling up and down the boot.

How Melissa Muldoon went matta for Italian & what she built from her craziness

We are discussing Natale and Christmas in Italy and holiday traditions. We talk about the Italian Christmas markets and how Christmas is celebrated in Garda. Featuring 2 Italian guest speakers.

In this podcast we are exploring the subjects of love, romanticism and lovers and how the Italians celebrate the holiday. Naturally we will talk about Italian vocabulary that has to do with Valentine’s day. We will share some some romantic films that we like and some songs. Featuring 2 Italian guest speakers.

We will be discuss the origins of Carnevale and how Italians prepare for and celebrate this famous holiday. We will also be taking about the Venetian mask and the tradition of disguising oneself, as well and the floats and fun events that are happening in Venice during this time. We will also share some recipe for a traditional Carnevale sweet – le chiacchere.