Milan, as it became an important center for gastronomy and publishing, relinquished, at the same time, part of its regional identity.

You won't want to miss this lesson, where Daniela introduces direct object pronouns, as in: I buy the book - I buy it.

Marchesi talks about how much he learned from just being around great chefs who happened to be relatives, but also how much he learned from books. There are also some interesting opinions about why most great chefs are male!

Marika shows us her apartment's master bedroom.

In Italian families, the role of women has always been one of fundamental importance. Women were able to create wonderful meals with humble ingredients, but as talented as they might have been, their place was in the home, running the family, not travelling abroad learning haute cuisine.

In Italy, there are some very special desserts made especially for Easter. Gastronomical expert Susanna Cutini recounts their origins, their points in common, their symbolism. Whether you celebrate Easter or not, spring is a time of rebirth and fertility, and so there's plenty to celebrate!

Daniela goes over the very important words and phrases that help you to understand directions and navigate around Italy. She covers verbs such as "to cross," and adjectives such as "opposite," and "behind," as well as the simple and articulated prepositions used with place names.

It's time for the grand tour of a very important room in Marika's apartment, the bathroom! You'll notice she gets a little mixed up between hot and cold water faucets! Don't worry--the position is the same in Italy as in other countries!

Massimo Montanari, an expert in historical food studies, discusses the role of women in the development of regional cooking.

Daniela teaches us the essential verbs and phrases for asking directions in Italy.

Marchesi shows us a delicious dessert made from leftover panettone. Panettone is an Italian fruitcake from the Lombardy region that is traditionally served during the Christmas season. Cinepanettoni are comic movies served up during the holidays.

Lisetta and Alessio show us how they like to taste their new, freshly pressed olive oil. Since oil can be used uncooked to dress salads, or used as cooking oil, they call the uncooked oil olio crudo (raw oil).

Marika shows us around her kitchen, the heart of the household. We can bet it's her favorite room of all!

Not only does the race go from Brescia to Rome, it goes back to Brescia, and the last part, uphill, is very tricky. This historical footage and commentary is priceless! Fasten your seat belt for the finish line.

Daniela has her students practice conjugating a verb of movement in the passato prossimo (present perfect). There are plenty of details to watch out for: plural or singular, masculine or feminine, "to be" or "to have" as helping verbs.