Instantly Italy

Italian speaking practice and grammar tutoring

[Italian Books] The Story of an Italian Family, of a Business, and of a Whole Town

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For this series of posts I normally pick Italian books that have an English translation as well. I do it to give people the opportunity to read good Italian books even if they can’t read in Italian.

However, I’ve decided to make an exception today because the book I want to tell you about tells a true Italian story that is really worth knowing even though you won’t read the book.

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[Hidden Italy] Alta Langa, A Peaceful Corner of Paradise in Piedmont

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When you say the word Langa, people immediately think of wine, cheese, and truffle.

In fact, the Langhe, the hilly area around Alba in Piedmont, is one of the most famous gastronomy areas in the whole world. In autumn, people literally flock to the region to taste its delicious wine and maybe a bit of its superb white truffle.

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[Family Recipes] Zabaione, A Delicious Treat That Reminds Me of My Childhood

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Zabaione is not exactly a summer recipe, I know.

This glorious mix of eggs, sugar, and sweet wine is normally associated with autumn or even with Christmas but I have recently eaten it and now I absolutely have to write about it.

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The Feast of Saint John in Italy: A Magical Time of the Year

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It’s the day of Saint John tomorrow and there is some magic in the air. 

Saint John, San Giovanni in Italian, is the patron saint of many big and small Italian towns and this makes it a very special day. The day of the patron saint is a public holiday in Italy and this means that tomorrow many people will be taking a day off if the town where they work celebrates its patron saint.

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How to Avoid Crowds in Italy

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How can I avoid bustling crowds of foreign tourists when I visit Italy? 

This is probably one of the questions I get asked the most and I thought it might be interesting to answer it with a proper blog post.

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[Italian Books] Scherzetto by Domenico Starnone

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After reading Lacci a while ago and loving it, I’ve finally decided to read another book by Domenico Starnone. 

I read his book Lacci in 2019 and wrote a post about it. In fact, I’ve enjoyed that book so much that I have been meaning to read another title by him for ages.

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The Unique Character of Italian Christmas Holidays

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The Christmas holidays in Italy have a special flavor and I have realized it only recently. 

For some reason, I have always thought that this was a very special period for many people around the world but Christmas and the Christmas holidays in Italy are a bit different than in some other places.

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How Are Weddings Celebrated In Italy? Some Authentic Italian Wedding Traditions

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During our language chats, my students and I talk about many different topics.

Depending on what each student likes, we talk about sports, books, movies, daily life, politics, travels, and lots of other fun stuff. I have to admit that, if the student is interested in the topic, I love chatting about Italian wedding traditions because I always find it fun to compare them to those of other countries.

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[Italian Books] I leoni di Sicilia by Stefania Auci

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I have another good Italian book to recommend and I am super happy about it! 

As you may know very well since I constantly repeat it in my posts, I am always on the hunt for good Italian books to recommend here on the blog and, when I find one, I am truly delighted.

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Are Italians really superstitious? A fun article about superstition in Italy

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I am not very superstitious, but it seems that a lot of Italians are.

It seems that many people in Italy strongly believe that some things might bring bad luck and it is a common belief that people are generally more superstitious in the south of the country.

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