Instantly Italy

Italian speaking practice and grammar tutoring

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

If you want to read this article in Italian, you can find a downloadable bilingual PDF file in
Your Italian Toolbox, the page where I upload all language-learning materials, under the section Miscellaneous (You can access the page by subscribing to my newsletter)

Ferragosto has just passed, and summer feels different 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 do Italians love this day so much? Well, let me try to explain that to you.

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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. 

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[Places I Recommend] A Genuine and Rustic Place In The Italian Countryside: I Pascoli di Amaltea in Mombarcaro, Piedmont

Subscribe to the Vespa rides and get full access to Your Italian Toolbox, a library of language learning materials that you can use to practice Italian.

If you are a fan of Italy, you probably know le Langhe, a true Italian countryside gem.

Le Langhe – or Langa – is a hilly area in the south of Piedmont, in the province of Cuneo. The area is mostly known for its amazing wines – Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera mostly – and for its cheeses and truffles as well. Once a very poor countryside area, le Langhe has now become one of the richest areas in the country, thanks to the winemaking tradition and the hard work of its inhabitants.

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Italian Stereotypes: What Do Italians Think Of Other Italians?

Subscribe to the Vespa rides and get full access to Your Italian Toolbox, a library of language learning materials that you can use to practice Italian.

What do you think when you think of Italians? 

As it always happens with other cultures, if you look at us from afar, you probably see us as one general group. You may think that we all are very friendly, we like to talk a lot (usually with quite a loud voice and using hand gestures), we have a strong bond with our family, we don’t know how to queue and we all like to take things slow.

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