Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
The moment has arrived, and now it is a matter of standing around in the studio waiting for the show to start. The directors are very nervous and it remains to be seen whether they have reason to be or not. Ida's family plus the neighbors are glued to the TV and can't wait to see Alberto on the small screen.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Mariano is seriously worried about the incident in the examining room. Some people can't help but tease him, however. At home, Ciccio is still "sick," but isn't thrilled with being served soup rather than lasagna. Giulio is being an idiot as usual, teasing Lele about Irene in front of the children.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Our narrator describes what it was like working on the set of La porta del cielo (the Gates of Heaven): the extras, the dangers, the boredom, and the strategies for keeping the cast and crew safe. He also explains how they reconstructed the railway carriages that are featured so prominently in the film.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Camilla gets a note from Dora while teaching her class. It gives her an idea for a class assignment. Later on, Camilla goes to Dora's house for tea.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Doctor Rapisarda seems to want to be elsewhere other than making his rounds. Peppe Silvestri is about to be operated on. Luigi is asked how things are going now that the tube has been removed.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Marika provides more useful expressions involving the head, many of which are also common in English.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Eda discovered Margherita Hack on a TV show hosted by Piero Angela. This changed Eda's life. Margherita as a young scientist had a rough time in a profession where men were the important ones and had little regard for women.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Manzi's family is helping him get ready for the big evening, his first lesson on TV. Ida has gone to great lengths to get everything as perfect as possible. And even their neighbors want to see his debut.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Giulio takes Lele to an exhibit in order to have him meet the lady from the fax. Lele goes home only to find a new guest, not a human one.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Vittorio De Sica, along with other filmmakers and actors, does not want to be transferred to Venice, as has been mandated by the State. There, he would have to shoot propaganda movies for the Fascists. Luckily a Catholic film company wants to make a movie about a train of sick and deformed people on their way to seek miracles at the shrine of Our Lady of Loreto, a popular pilgrimage destination in the Marches region. The kind of train that carries pilgrims is called un treno bianco (a white train).
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Camilla spends the afternoon at Dora's place, and they have a lot to talk about. Of course, Camilla loses track of the time.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Luigi has another conversation with Zamagna, but isn't sure if it is really him. Luigi is not out of the woods yet.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
A car problem allows us to meet Eda Gjergo, a young astrophysicist, who will in turn lead us to meet Margherita Hack, the subject of this episode about women luminaries. Hack was a famous scientist, communicator, and activist.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Moscati tries to calm the crowd of people and help them understand that it isn't necessary to burn all their household belongings, and that cholera is transmitted through their drinking water. He promises to help treat them as Elena watches the scene from afar.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Manzi is interviewed by the program team at RAI headquarters. They worry that he will be out of control with the whole world watching, but they appreciate how good his audition was. Meanwhile, Ricotta seems to have found a job, and once again, his studies at the reformatory have proved to be surprisingly valuable.
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