YouTube offers all kinds of resources for all kinds of necessities and it is a great tool for language learners as well.
YouTube is one of the most important sources of video entertainment in my daily life and it is a wonderful opportunity for practicing my English comprehension skills. I watch a lot of videos on a daily basis – all of them in English – and I feel that this is highly beneficial for my English fluency.
The fun thing is that I practice the language without even realizing it because I do it while I watch videos about travels, books, lifestyle, yoga and all other kinds of topics I am really interested in. While I focus on the content of the video, I learn new words, new idiomatic expressions and basically I reinforce all my knowledge of the language.
As I mentioned in a previous post about improving your reading skills in a foreign language, using your passion is a great way of working on your language skills without even feeling that you are studying. Depending on what you are passionate about, you can find lots of interesting resources that can help you learn more about your hobby and improve your language skills at the same time – kind of a win-win situation, don’t you think?
I found this habit so beneficial for my English language skills that I thought it could be useful for you guys learning Italian as well. Obviously, this is a perfect exercise for advanced learners but if you feel brave, you can try it even if you are an intermediate speaker. As for everything, if you have patience and passion, you’ll definitely see some results.
Since I watch a lot of YouTube videos in Italian as well, I selected some of my favorite YouTubers and I listed them depending on the topic they mainly focus on. I have selected five areas of interest, which I think are some of the most common and popular: food, books, travel, fashion, and yoga. I hope that you can find something interesting for you there!
Let’s now see this list of YouTubers which you could use for practicing Italian in a different way.
YouTubers that focus on books
Books are one of my most favorite things in life and it’s no surprise that I am subscribed to quite a number of BookTube channels, both Italian and English. Here are three Italian BookTubers I selected for you.
Ilenia Zodiaco – probably the most famous Italian BookTuber, she is super smart and very interesting to follow. She speaks quite fast, so it can be challenging to follow her but it is definitely worth it.
Chiara Martini – Chiara is another very nice YouTuber who shares her passion for books. I really like her because she has a very relaxing voice – and speaks quite slowly, which could be great for your learning purposes – and great taste in books.
Francesca Caracciolo – I have to admit that I discovered Francesca while doing research for this post and I immediately fell in love with her and her style. I have watched a couple of videos and found them very interesting (plus there are many more I want to watch).
YouTubers that focus on food
If you look for Italian food channels, you will come up with endless results. Many of them, though, are channels with videos shot in a kitchen where someone is preparing a certain recipe. They are undoubtedly useful but I prefer channels where people tell their story and share a bit of their personality and not just food. Here’s my selection.
The Bluebird Kitchen – Francesca, the lady behind this YouTube channel, speaks super fast and it might be difficult to understand her but I decided to include her anyway because she makes high-quality videos and her recipes are really great. She’s one of my favorites!
Il Goloso Mangiarsano – this channel is run by two sisters who are sincerely passionate about healthy food and lifestyle. They mainly share recipes and tips for a conscious way of eating. I especially like their vlogs about gardening and growing vegetables.
Mi piace mi fa bene – this is another channel focused on healthy food. It is run by a food blogger and writer, Federica Gif, who shares her recipes and tips for shopping for healthy food.
YouTubers that focus on travels
I am not a big fan of travel channels, mainly because I find travel videos quite boring (I prefer to travel myself!). This means that I don’t have favorite Italian travel YouTubers and the selection below comes from the research I did for this post. However, I checked a few videos for each of the channels below and found them all super interesting and not boring at all!
Mi prendo e mi porto via – this is a very popular travel channel run by two travel bloggers, Elisa and Luca. In this channel, you’ll find a lot of vlogs, obviously, but also tips and suggestions to travel in a smart way.
Wildflower – this channel is run by a famous Instagrammer and blogger. Her name is Francesca Ruvolo, she is truly passionate about traveling and shares travel vlogs and lots of tips to travel without spending a lot of money.
In viaggio col tubo – this is another travel channel run by a couple, Gio and Marti. The channel is very popular and I think this is totally deserved because they are very nice and make great videos which are both entertaining and informative. I really like them and I am super happy I found their channel. I definitely think I’ll binge watch their videos!
YouTubers that focus on fashion
Even if I am not a fashion addict, I really like clothes. However, most videos about clothes and fashion are just another thing that I find quite boring. I have a few favorites though – some of them are a tad different from usual fashion bloggers – and I am sharing them with you here.
Irene’s Closet – this YouTube channel is one of the most famous in Italy, when it comes to fashion. I really like this channel because it is full of fun videos with interesting tips about fashion and style. She is also very nice but speaks quite fast, so be warned! 🙂
Camilla Mendini – if you are into conscious fashion, you might like this channel by Camilla Mendini. She is very passionate about sustainable clothes and eco-fashion and makes a lot of videos about this topic. Moreover, she lives in Italy, so there are a lot of fun videos about the US seen through Italian eyes.
Selene Verdoglia – this channel is a bit different from the others because its main topic is sewing. Selene shares videos with tips about making your own clothes and sewing in general. She has a relaxed vibe and doesn’t speak too fast.
YouTubers that focus on yoga
Although I do not practice very often, yoga is one of my favorite disciplines. I really like watching yoga videos and the ones here below are some of the channels I like the most. By the way, the good thing about yoga videos is that the voice is always very calm and slow, so they are definitely easier to understand than the others.
La scimmia yoga – this is probably the most famous Italian yoga channel and this is absolutely deserved because Sara Bigatti makes a lot of useful videos about yoga practices and the discipline in general.
Passione Yoga – another great channel about yoga with lots of videos that cover a wide variety of yoga-related topics. Shanti, the lady who runs the channel, has a very soft and slow voice – like all other yoginis on YouTube – and this helps your listening and comprehension practice.
Coco Iris – I like this channel because most of the videos are shot in the open-air, so you can enjoy the amazing scenery Iris chooses for her videos. Quite off-topic here, but I really like her Instagram account as well!
Well, this is a selection of some of the best YouTube channels in this areas, in my opinion. I hope you’ll find something interesting and inspiring to help you practice your Italian skills while watching something you enjoy.
Now you: do you use YouTube as a language learning tool? If so, which channels do you follow?
If you are interested in improving your Italian language skills, I’d suggest you check Chiacchieriamo, your way of chatting with an Italian without moving from home.
Chiacchieriamo is a Skype chat that helps you practice and improve your Italian with a native speaker. If you want to give it a try, you can request a 30-minute free chat, so that we can meet each other and see if you like the service.
This is a great list! I’ve already subscribed to at least 5 of the channels you mentioned. One other I watch regularly to practice my listening is ‘L’angolo del focolare’. She talks about what she eats, places she has been, cleaning and decluttering tips, etc.
Oh, I am so happy you found something interesting!
I’ll check the channel you mentioned as well, thanks!
Ciao
Cinzia
Thank you for this article, really useful!!
Oh, that’s great to hear! Thank you very much
Cinzia