Corriere TV: Spotlight

Another quick video stream to watch online is Corriere TV's Spotlight, a short video segment where a famous person is interviewed and asked a series of questions. The interviewer is not seen and only the responses to the questions is heard. It's a sort of conversation without the conversation, so to speak.  There are several of these interviews with various people in Italian politics, film, literature, etc.  They are a great way to connect with important and influential people in Italy and hear their thoughts.

Corriere TV: 3 minuti 1 parola

A very entertaining program on Corriere TV called Tre minuti una parola that looks at a particular word in Italian and explains how it is used, its history and some linguistics when it is relevant.  The show is down with animation and graphics which often helps to explain what Beppe Severgnini is saying, so if you're having trouble following the conversation, just watch the images, and you'll find that it is easier to understand what he is saying.

This is one of my favorite programs, and you are bound to enjoy it!

Not only will you find the program entertaining, but I am sure you will learn a new word or two!

Rai 3: Cosmo

Learning Italian when it is paired with current events is a great way to learn and improve the language.  A new program on Rai 3, Cosmo with Barbara Serra, is a great way to improve your Italian and learn about the world around you.  Many of you many be familiar with Barbara Serra, who, since 2006, has been the face of Al Jazeera English in London  (She also hosted the Street Food episode on Palermo).  This show is unique in that all of the correspondents are women and includes the reporting of Elisabetta Curzel, Alessandra Viola and Silvia Bencivelli.

Cosmo is an investigative program that looks at issues in our world, such as privacy and nuclear energy, explains the issue or problem by interviewing experts from around the world.  The most recent episode on April 17th focused on nuclear weapons and the arms race.  The great thing about this kind of format is that you have an established context that can help you understand what you are hearing and learn about the world around from an Italian perspective.

Each episode is about an hour in length, and I found myself enthralled through each episode.  The format of the shows make use of special effects, computer models and other tools to help explain the science.  For example, on the most recent program about nuclear weapons, they created computer simulations about what might happen if Rome were bombed by an atomic weapon and the kind of damage that it would have on the city and people who remained.

The shows airs every Sunday at 11:35 PM, but repeats of the episodes can be watched again on Rai.tv.