Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Sandra tells about her immigration experience to the United States in 1979. At first, without knowing English well and without technology, she faces many difficulties in daily life and in finding work. Starting from a simple job as a coat check attendant in a restaurant, she slowly begins a new life that would later lead her to become a chef.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Sandra tells about her initial difficulties in the United States and how, realizing she wouldn't get very far without knowing English, she learned it on her own. Starting from a humble job in the restaurant industry, she quickly grew professionally.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
During an important evening at the Washington, D.C. restaurant where Sandra was the dining room manager, the usual chef didn't show, and Sandra found herself having to manage the kitchen as well. She had no experience there, and so it was somewhat of a disaster. The episode pushed her to learn, however: Thanks to the help of an expert cook, she began an apprenticeship, acquired skills, and started building a career bringing Italian cuisine to the United States.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
The story of Sandra continues, a Tuscan chef who emigrated to the United States, who established herself in Miami with authentic Tuscan cuisine. Thanks to her continuous ties with Italy, she keeps her roots alive, even cooking for Barack Obama.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
The story of Sandra continues, a restaurateur in Miami, chosen to cook at a White House event for Barack Obama. Between initial disbelief and rigorous security checks, the experience becomes a source of great pride for her. The story also highlights the value of friendship and the importance of reinventing oneself in life.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Sandra now lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in North Carolina. She is still working and loves it. She and Marika discuss some Italian expressions about the value of work and about how their friendship has lasted all these years.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy Neapolitan
Antonio is a teacher and we find him at Somma Vesuviana, on the slopes of Vesuvius, near Naples. For some time he has tending a small garden, where he grows vegetables, which he sees as miracles of the earth, with seeds developing into fruits.
Difficulty:
Adv Beginner
Italy
Jake, Matt and John form Radio Smile, a new Italian Rock Band. They show us their new space and promise to keep all their fans updated on their activities.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Journalist Annalena Benini introduces us to different writers from different places in Italy, beginning with Rome, where she interviews Chiara Gamberale, a novelist.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Chiara Gamberale talks about how and where she writes, and how her life has changed now that she has a little girl.
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
Italy
Chiara tells about how she realized she knew how to read, which then led her to begin writing. She wrote her first "novel" in second grade. Where she grew up, on the outskirts of Rome, influence her writing to a significant degree.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Annalena meets up with Paolo Giordano who talks about the trauma of moving from Turin to Rome. Giordano's first novel, La solitudine dei numeri primi (the solitude of prime numbers) from 2008 was made into a popular film of the same name in 2010.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Annalena continues talking with Paolo Giordano, who talks about how places such as Afghanistan and Apulia have influenced his writing.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Melania Gaia Mazzucco talks about one of her novels set in seventeenth-century Trastevere, quite a different place than what we see today. Although she has traveled the world, Mazzucco comes from generations of romani di Roma (Romans from Rome).
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Melania talks about her relationship with her father when he was still alive. He didn't say much, but unbeknownst to her, tried to get a story of hers published. She talks about one her favorite parts of Rome: Isola Tiberina (Tiber Island), the only river island in the part of the Tiber that runs through Rome.
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