The great Luciano Pavarotti, accompanied by a children's choir, sings the most famous Italian Christmas song of all, Tu scendi dalle stelle (You come down from the stars), composed in 1754 in the province of Naples. Buon Natale!

How do you like your coffee? Find out how Cettina likes hers!

Daniela discusses with her class the opening hours of stores in different regions of Italy as well as Germany. They go on to talk about the differences in school systems between the two countries.

Are you ready to go skiing? Sure you haven't forgotten anything? Review with Francesca the kind of clothing you should wear if you're going to spend a nice day in the snow.

Although it rarely snows in Rome, there are mountains nearby where it does snow. Francesca takes us to the Abruzzese Apennines and while driving, she tells us about her passion for sledding, and how to deal with winter temperatures.

Daniela shows her class how to use the verb, rimanere(to remain, to stay) and she also conjugates this partly regular, partly irregular verb.

Marika and Daniela discuss their problems with friends and neighbors, and go on to plan their vacation. At the same time, they discreetly conjugate the verb chiedere (to ask) in the past perfect, future, and conditional.

Whose keys are these? Marika explains how to answer this kind of question and more. Occhio! (look out!): his and hers are the same!

Anna talks to us about a part of Rome she loves: the Jewish Ghetto, the neighborhood where, in the 16th century, the Jews of Rome were forced to live, and which is now famous for its restaurants, bars, and nightlife.

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

When winter passes, the cuckoo starts singing and the air becomes infused with spring fragrances, and with love.

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.

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

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.

Marika and Anna present the verb avere (to have) in the subjunctive mood, which, in Italian, as you'll see, is used when the word che is used as a conjunction. This mood has practically disappeared from the English language.