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!

Last Post for 2010 and Recap

Ciao a tutti!  I hope that 2010 has been a great year for all of you who read this blog and use (or at least try to use) some of the sites and resources that I mention.  While this blog is the least trafficked and visited of any of the blogs that I maintain, I still enjoy updating this site when I can and help you to find excellent resources that are not only educational but entertaining, too!

I know how hard to it is when you're first learning Italian to find resources that aren't too difficult to use, but keep plugging away at your listening skills.  You will be surprised at how much better they become the more you practice.  For the more advanced speakers and listeners, always try to find time in your day for a little Italian listening to keep your ear used to the language and its pace.

I'll be back in 2011 with more interesting sites to review and profile as well as some new ideas for learning Italian.  Below is a list of some of my favorite tools, apps, and sites for learning Italian that I profiled in 2010! I hope that you will continue your Italian language learning odyssey in year(s) to come!

Enjoy and Buone Feste a tutti!

1. I have to say, hands down, that my favorite discovery in 2010 has been Podcaster!  This is an app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad that allows users to download and store podcasts on their phone without having to sync up to Itunes.  It's a great app for your phone or iPod and is very versatile because it allows you to pull together dozens of podcasts into one location.  So if you like sports, news, current events, or history, there are tons of podcasts that you could pull into the app and listen to at your leisure.  The app is easy to use, and the developer is very responsive to feedback, too!  Recent updates allow users to download podcasts in the background as well as put the app "to sleep" (especially useful if you enjoy listening to podcasts at bedtime like me!)
   
2. Learnitalianpod.com is another one of my favorite sites that is always doing something new.  They have a series of podcasts and a learning center for all levels as well as podcast courses for intermediate and advanced levels, too.  I love this site for beginners because they have a course for those of you who may want to learn Italian but do not know where to begin.  Pay them a visit, download their podcasts, and subscribe to their learning center!  You will not be disappointed!
   
3. Maxmondo.com is a superb site geared to intermediate/advanced learners.  It is so hard to find materials for intermediate and advanced users.  Subscribe to their audio newsletter which comes with a pdf transcript that you can follow along as well as exercises and helpful vocabulary.  This is a very well developed online product that is a must for your Italian language learning arsenal!  They also have free short podcasts that you can download as well.
   
4. L'Italiano in Famiglia is an online course developed by the "Ufficio Scolastico Provinciale di Brescia" and has been specifically developed for those who seek to learn Italian as their second language or for those who do not have access to Italian courses in their area.  This features videos that profile a family, following them around as they do and take part in various activities.  What I like is that no only is there an audio component, but there's a visual one, too!  Seeing and hearing together can most often aid in understanding or at least help to provide a context to the situation -- this can make learning new words and expressions much easier.  While the dialogs and acting can be a bit "odd" at times, it is a well done course with accompanying materials.