How do three buddies, who happen to be oxen, get eaten by a lion? Adriano tells the tale, complete with the lesson to be learned. Have you guessed? It's one of Aesop's Fables.

Adriano shares with us the story of the fox and the cicada. Apart from the usefulness of the story itself, there's a good selection of verbs in tenses we don't use every day, but which are used in storytelling.

Spring is here and Cettina is enjoying the outdoors. Flowers are starting to bloom, trees are getting leaves, and the sunshine is warm enough to go without a jacket.

Serena and Martina take you to a shop that sells both home health care products and beauty aids. This kind of shop is called a sanitaria, coming from the word, sanità (health). If you ever (heaven forbid!) need a wheelchair, ace bandage, neck brace, or even orthopedic shoes, this is the place to go. Today, Serena and Martina are shopping for more glamorous items.

Find out how Adriano spends his day, and how he stays in shape, even though he works in an office.

Go clothes shopping with Serena, who's looking for something nice for a festa, as well as some everyday wear.

Serena is still shopping for clothes, and looks at some pretty flashy shoes. In the end, though, she goes for the jacket, and she fishes in her bag for the cash. She gives us a good example of how the plural is used when talking about euros. Euro is both singular and plural in Italian. So whether we're talking about soldi (money) or euro (euros), Italians think in the plural!

A cartoon in which two aquarium fish worry about the kids of the house who are going on a school trip.

Serena goes in to a shop with a friend to buy some beauty cream. She pays by carta di credito, and makes sure she walks out of the store with lo scontrino (the receipt), which is obligatory in Italy! As an afterthought, she would like Gerarda, the proprietor, to gift-wrap the beauty cream for her, so she asks for un pacchetto regalo.

Serena and Elena talk about the school system in Italy, which is quite different from that of other countries. Terminology is different and can be deceptive, so be prepared for some false cognates. Where Americans talk about going away to school (college, university), Italians talk about the university. Find out what "scuola" means to these two young Italian women.

Get the inside story on going to university in Italy! Serena and Elena talk about how the school year is broken up, where you register, taking exams and how the grading works, what grade point average you need to pass, and much more.

Studying is not the only thing students do at the university. They like to have fun, too. Being from out of town, but too far away for a commute, Serena and Elena rent an apartment with other students. Find out what they like to do in the evenings!

Anna and Marika take you to a special shoe store that sells only Italian footwear, and only women's shoes.

Diego is very knowledgeable about his collection of women's shoes and handbags, all made in Tuscany, exclusively in genuine leather. He proposes models that are beautifully fashionable, but are at the same time comfortable enough to wear every day.

The traditional Anglo-Saxon holiday, Halloween, has gradually taken hold in Italy and is now an occasion for partying, wearing costumes, and having fun. Serena opens up the door to her apartment and...