It's time to check the eggplant in the oven. And what about the slices that were a bit too sottili (thin)? Will they have burned? Note that English mostly uses eggplant as a collective noun (in the singular) but Italian, unless referring specifically to a single eggplant, uses the plural le melanzane when referring to eggplant in general, and to the slices themselves.

To conclude this three-part lesson on positive and neutral adjectives, Daniela talks about neutral adjectives in the plural.

Marika prepares the eggplant slices by baking them in the oven—a much lighter way of preparing the eggplant layers than the traditional frying method.

Daniela continues explaining how to use adjectives in Italian. This time she focuses on so-called neutral adjectives.

Marika explains when to use the prepositions: in (to), da (from), di (of, from), and per (for, to, by). There's no need to learn them all at once!

Giovanni Ballarini talks about what the kitchens of Italian restaurants were like in the fifties and sixties. To make sense of how he describes them, see Yabla lesson Parole Alterate - Modifying Words to Create New Ones, as well as video lesson Marika spiega: Parole alterate. Gianni Mura talks about some of the trends found on restaurant menus today.

Marchesi's friends and clients talk about Milan in the 1980s and how the fashion business helped it become such a cosmopolitan city. Reference is made to Florence's "Sala Bianca," [White Hall] in the Pitti Palace, where fashion shows took place before Milan became synonymous with high fashion.

Melanzane alla Parmigiana, or La parmigiana di melanzane (Eggplant Parmesan) is a classic recipe from the Campania region. Marika shows us how to make it, one step at a time.

The important theme for today is "adjectives." In this first part, Daniela will teach you about "positive" adjectives. Find out what she means by that!

Gianni is doing some yard work, and shares his thoughts about how plants go wild, or take over when they're not kept in check.

Using the prepositions "to" and "at" in Italian can be tricky, because there's one Italian word for both: a. Marika gives us some tips.

Ferrari fans won't want to miss a stop at the Ferrari museum in Modena. Hear all about it from Antonio Ghini, director of the museum, and get a glimpse of the museum itself.

Daniela has her students do some exercises to make sure they've understood the use of articles with possessive adjectives. You'll see that being part of family or not makes quite a difference, as does being just one or more than one!

Strolling through Rome, we stop in front of the so-called statue of Pasquino, who, rebelling against the rigid regulations of the reigning pope, made the statue "speak" by using placards, registering his protest against the city.

Can you answer the question, cosa stai facendo (What are you doing)? If not, take a look at this video where Marika explains the presente progressivo (present continuous tense).