Podcast Profile: Essere e benessere

One of my favorite podcasts that I enjoy listening to every morning on my way to work is the radio program, Essere e benessere (translated as: Being and Wellbeing), with Nicoletta Carbone. The show airs Monday through Friday at 11:00 AM Italian time on Radio24 and typically lasts an hour. If you listen to it live (starting at 10am in London, 5am on the East cost of the USA, 2am on the West coast of the USA), you'll have to bear with the (sometimes entertaining) commercials and traffic reports.

This informative program is a call-in program in which listeners with questions about the current topic call in -- typically it's in reference to a medical/health condition that affects them or someone they know. Callers can phone into the show and ask questions to the guests who are either in the studio with Nicoletta or who call in. Callers also can email or text their message to the show if they can't get through on the lines or don't have the courage to ask their question on live radio.

I think this show is great to practice your Italian with for several reasons:

1. Since the show features guests and listeners (ascoltatori) from all over Italy, you'll run the gamut of accents, giving your ear a good "workout".
2. Radio announcers tend to speak very clearly (although somewhat fast at times) - Nicoletta is easy to listen to
3. The show is informative - each day they cover a different ailment, health concern or health issue; the guests she invites on her show tend to be very well informed and experts in their field. It's also interesting to note the difference in the approaches of health and health care between your own country and Italy.
   

The web site for the show tends to feature additional information if callers and listeners want to learn more information. The show tends to run between 40-50 minutes depending on commercials and other interruptions of the show. The podcast is generally put on the web site quickly after the show, and you'll find you can probably listen to it at your desk when you arrive at work in the morning.

I try to read about the episode on the web site before I listen to it so that I have a better idea of the context of the show. Knowing that the show is about heart problems, skin conditions or athlete's foot certainly helps as you try to comprehend the Italian being spoken.