Daniela starts her four-part series on the passato remoto [remote or absolute past] verb tense. This tense is broadly used in the south of Italy, and infrequently in the north.

The incomparable Mina sings a Lucio Battisti - Mogol love song.

Daniela discusses the verbs finire [to finish] and essere [to be] in the remote past tense.

A tic tac ad developed for the Milan Expo, showcasing new flavors. Tic tac is owned by the Ferrero Group, a multinational corporation based in Piedmont. Ferrero also owns the much-loved Nutella brand.

Marika and Anna go through the list of ingredients needed to make a Ligurian specialty — pasta with pesto sauce.

The video is filmed in Rome and shows some of the best-loved fountains and monuments.

The amazing landscapes in this video were filmed on the volcanic island of Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands off of Africa.

Modugno appears in this vintage clip on the Ed Sullivan Show and sings what is probably the most popular Italian song ever. Franco Migliacci, the songwriter, was inspired to write the song by the paintings of Marc Chagall.

Daniela explains how to conjugate the remote past of the verbs avere (to have) and prendere (to take).

Laura Pausini, in concert, sings a song about the wrenching difficulties of a long-distance relationship. The music and lyrics were written by Biagio Antonacci.

Daniela explains three situations in which the remote past may be used and gives us examples of each situation. But don't worry, this tense is not mandatory and Daniela suggests the passato prossimo (present perfect) as a valid alternative. Note: The passato prossimo is constructed like the English present perfect tense (with a helping verb and past participle), but is used more like the English past simple.

This post-WWII song tells of a romance between a duckling and a poppy. It is a children's ditty with lots of word play but also has political undertones.

A song about cats that helps Italian school children remember that 6 x 7 = 42.

This song by the Milanese band is about trying to keep a romantic relationship going. It has had huge success in Italy.

The pop band Zero Assoluto [Absolute Zero] is made up of two Rome musicians, Thomas De Gasperi and Matteo Maffucci. They have frequently performed at the annual Sanremo Festival.