How much is too much? Marika explains about quantity, and shares some common idioms about quantity and degree that can come in very handy.

Daniela concentrates on the modal verbs essere [to be] and avere [to have] in the imperfect tense.

Erica and Martina talk about their friendship, which started in the first year of high school and continues today.

It's time to talk about Calabria, a southern region with both sea and mountains. Let's hope Anna did some studying.

Daniela discusses the imperfect tense for verbs ending in -are, -ere, and -ire.

Daniela continues her lesson on necessity or need, providing examples with an impersonal subject. In English the impersonal can be expressed with "one" in the third person: "one needs," or by using the passive voice:"Something needs to be done." And in informal speech, we might use "you" or "we.": "you need to..."

Laura joins Carlo in questioning the contestants about animal traits in this elimination round.

Anna is quizzed on Sardinia and can easily identify the capital and its major cities, its nuraghes (characteristic low towers), its cantu a tenore (traditional singing), but comes up short on providing the name of a typical Sardinian dish.

Nineteen-year-old Martina tells us about herself. Her dreams have changed over the years, and she now has some concrete, long-term, and clearcut goals.

Daniela, in the first part of a two-part series, shows us how to express need in a personal way with the noun bisogno [need].

The contestants face another round robin of questions, this time regarding four specific years. It's a great chance to practice those long, one-word numbers Italians use.

A young university student tells us about her interests as a kid, how her ideas changed as she grew up, and what her dream is.

Marika completes the recipe for "pasta alla Norma," and serves it up. It's evident that Anna thinks it's real good, too. In fact, she describes it as troppo buono (too good), a typical colloquial way to say "very, very good."

It may come as a relief to see that Italian adverbs of manner are similar to English ones. But when Marika starts giving us some [very useful] idiomatic adverbial phrases using adjectives, it's slightly more complicated.

Adriano and his mother show us how to make this Sicilian summer specialty. It's easy to make, but there is one important secret.