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.

Corriere TV

A while back I mentioned Corriere TV as a resource of listening and practicing your Italian because many of their videos are shorter in length, informative and easy to follow.  If you're a fan of Facebook, you can now follow their new page, Corriere TV, and watch videos from your Facebook page without having to leave Facebook.

Of course, if you're not a fan of Facebook or you do not use it, you can still visit the site directly to watch their video content.

Parola del Giorno App!

Our app, Parola del Giorno, is now on sale in the App Store.  Download it to your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad today!  The app costs only $0.99, but it is a great way to learn new words, hear them pronounced and increase your Italian vocabulary!

Screenshot of the app

Antefatto -- The YouTube Channel for Il Fatto Quotidiano

Ciao a tutti!

It's been a while since I updated this blog, so I want to spend the next few days alerting you to some great resources for listening and practicing your Italian language skills.

Having said that, I want to remind you of the power of YouTube!  There is a lot of content online that you can use to practice your Italian.  A friend of mine uses it to watch Italian movie trailers and the occasional movie that is posted online at YouTube.  Another likes to follow blogs and video blogs of various Italians online.  I want to bring your attention to Antefatto, the YouTube channel for Il Fatto Quotidiano.



Il Fatto Quotidiano is one of the few news sources in Italy that isn't controlled by the Italian government or run by Berlusconi's media empire or his family.  It is extremely independent, receives no government support and is sustained by its readers.  This video channel on YouTube has interviews with some interesting characters as well as video stories on things going on in Italy -- a superb way to practice your Italian while at the same time learning about what's happening in Italy from a news source that is reliable.

It's no secret that the Italian press, particularly RAI, Berlusconi's TV/media units, often does not cover controversial figures or controversial events in Italy.  But with Il Fatto Quotidiano, you hear from voices that you might not get to hear from while at the same time improving your comprehension skills.

Radio 24 Iphone App Update and More News

Felice nuovo anno a tutti! | Happy New Year to everyone!

Many of you who read my blog always send me nice emails or leave comments about certain apps, so I just wanted to say that the app for Radio 24 has been updated (finally!).  You can now listen to their podcasts directly from the app!

Just do a search in the app store for "Radio 24" or click here to go to their Itunes page.  Their app is currently free.

I recommend this radio station because they have a large number of radio programs on various topics, and it is always a great way to build your vocabulary by listening to shows about various topics, even those that you might avoid in your native language (for example, I don't read/listen to sports news much, but I try to do more of that in Italian).

Another app that I just recently discovered thanks to iPhone Italia is the free iPhone/iPad app for Sky News 24.  The first thirty days that you download the app, you can watch live and streaming over your phone this channel.  Currently, you can watch free from your PC, but if you're away from your PC and want to watch the news or find out what is going on in Italy at any given moment, this is a cool app.  After 30 days, a subscription (in app purchase) is required before you can stream.  A monthly subscription costs $1.99 and the price decreases per month if you purchase a yearly subscription.  Check the app for the latest in app prices.

Also, TG1 and TG3, which deliver TV news and are part of Rai, also have apps for the iPhone.  Users have reported that these apps do not work well, but they appear to work fine on my iPhone.  Check them out and see for yourself.

Before closing, I just want to address a message I received a few weeks ago.  I am sorry if I do not talk about apps for other devices.  Since I do not have any other kind of phone, it is hard for me to comment on them.  I apologize for the Apple centricness of my blog, and I will do better to promote listening resources that do not require an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.   As always, if you know of an online resource that I should profile, please let me know!