Instantly Italy

Italian language, culture and travel tips

[Hidden Italy] A Little Piece Of Heaven In The Italian Riviera: Jorn House Museum in Albissola Marina, Savona

If you want to Be Italian For A Weekend, you can join the Vespa ride and get a three-day email crash course about Italian culture. You will also get full access to Your Italian Toolbox, a library of Italian learning materials.

One of the things I like the most about Italy is that it hides pure gems almost everywhere.

If you look carefully, you’ll find meaningful old buildings, fascinating museums, interesting monuments or simply places with a story to tell in every Italian town, even in the smallest and lesser-known ones.

[Read more…]

10 Basic Italian Phrases You Need To Know If You Visit Italy (Plus One)

If you want to Be Italian For A Weekend, you can join the Vespa ride and get a three-day email crash course about Italian culture! You will also get full access to Your Italian Toolbox, a library of Italian learning materials.

You don’t need to speak Italian if you come to Italy, obviously, but knowing a few basic phrases could definitely help. 

Knowing a bit of the language is a matter of survival if you go to remote or off-the-beaten-track Italian locations but mastering a few basic words and phrases can be a great idea even if you go to tourist places, where most people know English.

[Read more…]

How To Order Coffee In Italy (Without Sounding Too Much Like A Tourist)

If you want to Be Italian For A Weekend, you can join the Vespa ride and get a three-day email crash course about Italian culture! You will also get full access to Your Italian Toolbox, a library of Italian learning materials.

You might have read posts about coffee in Italy possibly about a thousand times before. 

But probably it is worth writing one more post about the topic because I still hear too many people ordering “un espresso” when asking for coffee, here in Italy. So let’s take some time to recap a few basic guidelines you need to follow if you want to order coffee in Italy.

[Read more…]

What is Ferragosto? All you need to know about this unique Italian holiday

If you want to Be Italian For A Weekend, you can join the Vespa ride and get a three-day email crash course about Italian culture! You will also get full access to Your Italian Toolbox, a library of Italian learning materials.

Ferragosto has just gone and summer has a different feeling now. 

But “what is Ferragosto?”, you may ask. What is this weird holiday that makes Italy stop and basically close down in the middle of summer? Why Italians love this day so much? Well, let me try to explain that to you.

[Read more…]

Expats in Italy: A Double Interview With Chris and Eva of Shabby Sheep Design

Today I am super happy because I do not get to interview just one expat but two at the same time!

In this post, I chat with Chris and Eva, a British couple who lives and works in Italy. They lived in the Cotswolds but years ago they decided to change their life, relocating to Tuscany – in La Lunigiana, precisely. They have been living there for 13 years now and have started an online business which clearly shows their love for Italy. 

[Read more…]