There are plenty of Italians living in Germany. Cettina from Sicily interviews Alfonso, also from Sicily, as it turns out. Here are some easy questions and answers for when you meet someone for the first time.

If you have never been tested for Covid-19, Giuditta and Marino give a good description of the process. And their youngest son had to be very brave.

The Taviani brothers talk about their movie The Elective Affinities, based on a novel by Goethe. Central to the film is the conflict between reason and passion, nature and the idea of utopia, as the love stories of two couples unfold.

Domenico does his audition in front of the movie camera. Then he has to figure out how to make enough money to pay for his room and board. His new friend Riccardo gives him a couple of important tips.

Coronavirus affects people in different ways. Marino and Giuditta share their experiences and recount what they did on their own, to try to get better.

Although their films weren't overtly political, the Taviani brothers saw and heard what was "in the air" in Italy, and somehow captured some the essence of it, without even being aware of it.

Domenico goes to the Experimental Center where there is a sea of candidates waiting their turns to go in and take the entrance exam. He meets a friendly guy named Riccardo Pazzaglia. He also meets a girl who is rather nervous and feeling insecure.

Giuditta and Marino give us details about what life was like in isolation. Challenging for sure, but with some good aspects, too!

Although the si passivante (passivizing si) is a kind of si impersonale, it has some very specific differences. Daniela explains them and provides some examples.

The political vision of the Taviani brothers comes through in their movies, especially Allonsanfàn. The choices they made in the story were simply a reflection of their thinking at the time, not because the movies themselves were affiliated with a particular political party.

Ancient culture merged with "modern" culture, especially after Constantine created the new capital of the Roman Empire, Constantinople. Near Matera in Basilicata, even caves built into the rock face became churches. The frescoes on those walls are quite stunning.

Domenico gets on the pilgrimage bus to Rome and entertains his fellow passengers with a song. Don Antonio might have made different song choices... At the convent where the pilgrims are staying, Domenico makes friends with Father Mello.

After summing up about the passive voice, Daniela goes on to talk about some other related constructions. It's important to remember that the passive is formed with transitive verbs only. But when we don't have a named subject or agent, we have a few other ways to make a sentence passive-like. One way uses the famous particella (particle) si. Si is used for so many things in Italian that it is bound to create confusion for learners, even advanced learners. Don't worry, part 3 of the lesson will explain further. Another way uses the verb andare (to go) to indicate something that must be done. Here too, the stress is on the action, not the subject or agent.

What symptoms did Giuditta and Marino have? And how did they handle their family duties?

This segment explains the title of the movie, Saint Michael Had a Rooster. The Taviani brothers, as well as the lead actor, talk about some aspects of the story, and Nanni Moretti comments on the camera technique.