In the usually quiet waters of the island, where the fishing is good, an unusual phenomenon was witnessed by fishermen and divers, an underwater volcano!

Fellini loves working with Marcello Mastroianni. He tells us why, and in doing so, tells a great story about a fake bullet wound.

Andromeda talks about the various types of ice cream and how they are made.

Daniela finishes explaining about the opening hours of shops, comparing those of Italy with those of Germany.

Marika and Daniela are chatting in Rome, with the Colosseum in the distance. The focus of their chat is the word chiedere (to ask) in its different conjugations.

Daniela and her pupils compare the opening hours of shops in their country to those in Italy where, traditionally, the midday break has always had particular importance. Over the past ten years, tradition has gradually given way to convenience, and the rules governing opening hours have become less and less strict.

Panarea is the smallest of the Aeolian Islands, and is sometimes called the island with the sea inside it. Its transparent sea, steep bluffs, volcanic eruptions and quaint village make it very attractive to tourists.

After the war, when eating had to do with survival, tastes started to change and to branch out towards different regions. Now, once again cucina tipica (traditional local cooking) or prodotti tipici (local products) have practically become magic words.

Daniela talks about verbs having to do with shops, and whether they close at lunchtime or not.

Federico Fellini, having won three Oscars, talks about the Academy Awards and how they represent the goal of every filmmaker both in the U.S. and abroad. He goes on to talk about American cinema as mythical, legendary.

We are at the beautiful botanical gardens of Rome. Marika and Anna are sitting on a bench talking. In their conversation they take us through the different conjugations of the verb pensare (to think).

Pollara is one of the villages on Salina, one of the Aeolian Islands, and the only one to boast fresh water with the resulting vegetative mantle. In fact, its important crops include capers and grapes (in the form of Malvasia wine).

When we speak of an unspecified quantity of food items, objects, etc. we use the indefinite or partitive article, which changes according to the gender of the noun in question (singular: del, della, dello, and plural: dei, delle, degli). In the second part of the lesson, you'll notice that Italian uses the equivalent of "of" or "of it" where English doesn't. Feel free to absorb the first part of this lesson before tackling the second part.

Who doesn't love ice cream? Andromeda gives us her take on the history of gelato (ice cream), from Mount Etna in Sicily to Paris.

Into the fifties, many Italians would stop at trucker restaurants, knowing they'd eat huge portions for little money. With prosperity, Italians began to search for authentic and higher quality foods. One of Marchesi's signature dishes is the open tortello, a deconstructed filled pasta.