In the last episode of Season 1, Julie and Dani leave Rome on a train bound for new adventures in Orvieto. Small talk – and a little argument – with fellow passengers adds more local Italian flair to their Italian journey.

In our roundtable, Elisa shares a pair of idioms, including the Italian equivalent of Julie’s favorite – “When in Rome…” – and another about the Mona Lisa. In our premium version, we get a stack of useful phrases for train travel in Italy.

But there’s more to Postcards from Italy! To get the most out of Season 1, subscribe to our premium online course for full episodes, transcripts, roundtable notes and Italian-only audio to test your listening and comprehension skills.

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After visiting the Colosseum, Julie and Dani go shopping at an outdoor market in Rome, then shop for shoes at a boutique. They also have a bit of fun chatting with “ragazzi” dressed as gladiators.

In our roundtable, Elisa shares an idiom that tries to explain how your mustache can make you feel superior. In our premium version, we also learn all about shopping in Italy, from do’s and don’t’s to how and when to bargain for deals. 

As usual, the free version of this episode only scratches the surface! To get the most out of Postcards from Italy, subscribe to our premium online course for full episodes, transcripts, roundtable notes and Italian-only audio to test your listening and comprehension skills.

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Julie and Dani visit the Vatican, but first they have to get through security and learn the rules to follow in the Basilica. We also learn that being educated in Italy is not the same as being polite!

Elisa shares an idiom to express surprise, which is helpful when Erin describes how she almost got kicked out of the Sistine Chapel!

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Julie and Dani visit a tabaccheria, and learn all about this magical mystery store that sells much more than just tobacco. After they buy bus tickets, postcards and stamps, they run to catch a city bus. We also learn an Italian proverb that explains why good friends are like white flies.

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Julie and Dani eat breakfast at the hotel, where Dani meets a new friend and Julie samples the international buffet. We also learn the *single word* that makes an Italian language learner immediately sound like a native speaker.

Elisa also tells us how Italians use the word "fritatta" as more than a tasty breakfast food! Erin asks about Italian vs. American breakfasts and we drool over all the sweet treats that start a beautiful day in Italy.  

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Julie and Dani get their first taste of pizza in Italy… and Dani learns that Italians have very strict rules about pizza. 

In our roundtable, we discuss an expression of surprise or frustration that translates as “sheer madness”! We also begin a deep-dive discussion about the classic pizzas you’ll find in Italy… and in our bonus materials we dive even deeper into the ones you won’t. 

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Julie and Dani enjoy an aperitivo on the terrace after getting a recommendation for a pizzeria. While enjoying the views of Rome, they are treated to cocktails and snacks at the hotel's rooftop bar. 

In our roundtable, Elisa tells us why Italian mothers hate to hear that someone is starving, and we learn a phrase that means “to be hungry as a wolf.” While discussing another animal-related expression, Elisa explains why she is “Team Chickens.” Erin also asks Elisa to tell us about all the yummy food her Italian mamma might make if she were hungry.

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Julie and Dani go up to their hotel room and learn about its many interesting amenities, including an “emotional shower.”

In our roundtable, we learn how to live like the Pope, and also how Elisa’s own father can be mistaken for the Pope. We discuss the 2nd part of our list of useful hotel phrases and the many kinds of accommodations you can find in Italy.

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** Mille grazie a Laura Teso. Laura is the creator of My Corner of Italy and generously allowed us permission to adapt her useful hotel phrases for this episode. You can find her on Instagram @mycornerofitaly and more of her resources here: 

https://www.italiarail.com/accommodation/albergo-or-pensione-quick-guide-types-hotels-available-italy

https://mycornerofitaly.com/book-an-hotel-room-in-italian/

And: https://mycornerofitaly.com/italian-hotel-phrases/

Julie and Dani check into their hotel and meet a few hotel employees, including Luca, who takes an interest in Dani.

In our roundtable, we discuss the Italian idiom “venire alla luce” or come to the light and all the ways it can be used. We also explore vocabulary about hotel services and part 1 of our list of useful phrases and questions for hotel stays.

To get the most out of Postcards from Italy, subscribe to our premium online course for full episodes, transcripts, roundtable notes and Italian-only audio to test your listening and comprehension skills.

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** Mille grazie a Laura Teso. Laura is the creator of My Corner of Italy and generously allowed us permission to adapt her useful hotel phrases for this episode. You can find her on Instagram @mycornerofitaly and more of her resources here: https://mycornerofitaly.com/book-an-hotel-room-in-italian/

And here: https://mycornerofitaly.com/italian-hotel-phrases/

On their way to the Hotel Artemide, Italian driver Pietro teaches Dani how to count in Italian and Julie asks about directions.

In our roundtable, we cover two different expressions about being tired and a classic Roman insult that involves dead people (really!). We also do a deep dive into numbers and directions.

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Julie and Dani talk about their family members on the way to the hotel and learn that they may not know Italian families as well as they think they do.

In our roundtable, we cover two expression about families and Elisa bursts the myth of the "Big Italian Family" stereotype. We also learn a few words that mean "together," and get a long list of vocabulary about families.

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Julie and Dani chat with their driver and he recommends a place to eat while teaching Dani a little bit of Italian.

In our roundtable, we cover three idioms (including "managgia," a favorite of Erin's) as well as learn about Trastevere, learn some small talk basics (how to say your name, age, and job), and Elisa teaches us a nursery rhyme to remember the months of the year.

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Julie and Dani go to a pharmacy and learn about all natural Italian cosmetics to help soothe skin, repel mosquitos and much more. 

Later on, Elisa teaches us everything we need to know about disgusting things… namely, the word for “disgusting” in Italian: “schifo”! 

As usual, the free version of this episode only scratches the surface! To get the most out of Postcards from Italy, subscribe to our premium online course for full episodes, transcripts, roundtable notes and Italian-only audio to test your listening and comprehension skills.

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A fun, new way to learn conversational Italian! Learn Italian with conversations, culture and colorful expressions. 💚🤍❤️ Postcards from Italy is a unique language learning program specifically designed for advanced beginners and intermediate Italian students, as well as armchair travelers. Our goal is to help you communicate confidently while traveling in Italy or brushing up on your skills while dreaming of your next trip. With our exclusive podcasts, transcripts and bonus learning materials, you'll be better prepared for real-life conversations and situations with native Italian speakers.

About the show: 
Each episode features a fictional dialogue between American tourists and locals they meet in Rome. Afterward, hosts Erin and Elisa (a native Italian teacher) have a lively, in-depth roundtable conversation in Italian and English about the colorful expressions, cultural tips, grammar and vocabulary from the dialogue. Topics cover food, customs, curse words, family names, travel tips and so much more!

Take your learning to the next level with premium content at PostcardsFromItalyPodcast.com

The Baxters' Italian adventure begins! Julie and Dani arrive at the airport in Rome and meet the driver they hired to take them to their hotel.

In our roundtable, we cover three idioms (including a very polite curse word) as well as labor strikes, a common Italian greeting that most travelers don't know, and how to say where you're from and where you live.

To get the most out of Postcards from Italy, subscribe to our premium online course for full episodes, transcripts, roundtable notes and Italian-only audio to test your listening and comprehension skills.

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Other show notes:

If you are traveling by train, you should be able to check whether your train is confermato or cancellato on the Ferrovie dello Stato website: (https://www.fsitaliane.it/content/fsitaliane/en.html).

The Do’s and Don’t’s of eating in Italy! In this very special episode of Postcards from Italy, Julie and Dani enjoy a lively dinner discussion with their new friends that includes a hilarious idiom about why old chickens are preferable to young chicks and a strong warning about drinking cappuccini after breakfast.

But things really heat up in our roundtable, where Elisa shares her insider knowledge as a born-and-raised Italian to tell us the top 37 food rules to obey while traveling in Italy. 

The free version of this episode only scratches the surface! To get the most out of Postcards from Italy, subscribe to our premium online course for full episodes, transcripts, roundtable notes and Italian-only audio to test your listening and comprehension skills.

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Cuciniamo! Let’s cook! Julie and Dani join a cooking class in Rome and prepare classic Roman recipes that illustrate the Italian expression “avere l’acquolina in bocca,” to have water in one’s mouth.

In our roundtable, Elisa gives us a long list of Italian verbs to use in the kitchen. We also learn that drinking like a sponge is not considered a positive thing in Italy, so drink responsibly!

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Julie and Dani shop for recipe ingredients with a local chef in Campo de’Fiori, where they learn that you must never touch another man’s fruit and that good wine makes good blood.

Later, Elisa tells us about the more sinister history of the famous Roman food market piazza Campo de’Fiori, and we learn a fun (and often-used) way to contract the phrase “va bene.”

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Julie and Dani eat dinner in a charming restaurant across the Tiber River in Trastevere, where they use a few colorful Italian idioms and are first “hungry as a wolf” and then “full as an egg.” Dani learns about some more (weird) food rules in Italy!

In the roundtable, Elisa and Erin savor three classic Roman recipes and Elisa takes us step-by-step through the grammatical structure of the deceivingly simple-sounding word “farcela.”

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Dani and Luca go to a popular Roman summer festival along the Tiber River, where their date is interrupted, first by friends and then by a slap! 

In our roundtable, we learn about “the misery of the pork” and how it’s used by Italians to express surprise or frustration, or both! Elisa also demystifies “proprio,” which is a veritable Swiss army knife of Italian words. [In fact, in our subscriber bonus notes, we offer 15 examples of how to use it!]

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The date with Luca continues in the Borghese Gardens of Rome, where Dani meets two of Luca’s friends at a scenic spot.

Elisa shares an idiom that says, if you can’t hear very well, you can probably blame it on deli meat. We also daydream about the quintessential Italian tradition of la passeggiata.

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Ro-ma... Ro-ma-mah! Roman romance is in the air as Dani goes out for an afternoon with Luca. He charms her with his romantic words and the most delicious gelato in Rome. 

Elisa and Erin enter the arena for the Battle of Gelato versus Ice Cream. We also learn why gelato is so good, you might need to lick your mustache!

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