If you have ever visited Italy, you have probably run across the term pinacoteca describing a picture gallery, and wondered where it came from. You will find out in this video about a room called the "tablinum" in the Assisi domus, discovered because they wanted to build an elevator!

In Sicily, at one time, horses would work in the sulfur mines and slowly become blind. The story is told through a Sicilian ballad, sung by Domenico Modugno. Mimì's mother sits with him as he prepared his bags, but she struggles to understand why he would want to leave. See complete lyrics (in Sicilian) here.

Are you ready for the passive voice? In many ways, the Italian passive works as it does in English. If we have a subject, a transitive verb and a direct object, we can form either an active phrase or a passive one. But there are some rules, and Daniela sets out to explain them.

Marino and Giuditta tell us how they ended up getting Covid, and what their symptoms were.

The Taviani brothers talk about how color and images can be more important than the story itself. There are clips from interviews with them when they were much younger, and the director of photography contributes some thoughts, as well. The movie featured in this segment is Good Morning, Babylon from 1987.

Parking is a problem in medieval hilltop towns and cities (especially those attractive to tourists), so one solution is to build an elevator to get from parking further down the hill, up to the center of town. But, you never know what you are going to find when excavating. In Assisi, they certainly hit the jackpot, right in the center of town: A roman domus.

Domenico asks his cousin for some money to go to Rome, and goes to see the town priest to see if he can get a ride. But there is an emergency, and his priorities have to shift.

Marika introduces a mini-series devoted to the story of a family that has decided to share their Covid-19 experience.

The directors talk about the important role the sea played in their films. Another element that played an important part was color, used to express feelings and situations.

We're in Assisi, where, during some excavations, a domus was discovered. It's clear it belonged to a wealthy family because of the richness of the wall and floor decorations, and might even have been the home of the poet Propertius.

Domenico tells his story to the audience, and to us, as he takes us back to when he was a youth. There was one movie theater in town, and he was always there.

Daniela gives us various examples of how to close a formal letter as well as the complimentary closing that precedes the signature. As you will see, these are quite different from the ones in English letters. We then recap the parts of a formal letter.

The Taviani brothers talk about how their movie Under the Sign of Scorpio was received at the Venice film festival, and about their location scouting for the film.

With a look at one of the greatest Etruscan masterpieces in the Villa Giulia museum, we take our leave of Rome to journey to the Umbrian city of Assisi, or, as it was called in Roman times, Assisium.

This biopic about Domenico Modugno, one of the most beloved Italian pop singers of all time, best known for his hit song, Volare, begins with a hymn to life. Enjoy!