Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
We move on to Valtorta a spot where cheese is king. Here, they produce a special little cylindrical cheese called an agrì, exclusive to this spot. In fact, Slow Food, an organization that's become international but which began in Italy, has it as one of its special products.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
The ancient via Priula leads us to the mountains where we visit a herbal laboratory, in which flowers and plants are transformed into beauty products using historical recipes.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
We meet some very charming donkeys and hear about how Francantonio and his sons developed a passion for them.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
In the Brembana Valley, the river reigns supreme. In fact, there is still a functioning water mill for grinding corn, as well as people passionate about maintaining centuries-old traditions.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Here and there in the small villages of the valley, there are interesting frescos hearalding back to earlier times. Two local recipes are offered: stuffed curly cabbage leaves and Taragna polenta, a kind of cornmeal with the addition of buckwheat.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
The fine white mold that forms on the cheese helps give it its characteristic flavor, but it is also painstakingly scraped off each round. Before the high-altitude pastures are ready for grazing, humans take advantage of the snow and the trails.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Lo stracchino is a soft, mild but flavorful cheese that's spreadable, and we find it in supermarkets all over Italy. But the kind Francesca's family produces in the mountains, with traditional tools, is on a whole other level. Why is this cheese called stracchino? There is a fascinating reason. Watch the video.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Il formaggio (cheese) is rarely missing from an Italian kitchen. This video takes us to the mountains north of Bergamo where the Monaci family has kept the family cheese-making tradition going, beginning in the stable where the cows are taken care of during the colder months.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
People often wonder where the name ferragosto comes from, as well as the holiday itself. Marika fills us in with its fascinating history and evolution.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
We come to the end of this story of the lockdown in Italy, told through amateur videos, all gathered and coordinated by Gabriele Salvatores.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Let's see how Andromeda carries out her morning beauty routine. Depending on the weather, she might add a thin layer of sunscreen to prevent her skin from aging.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
On April 25th, Italians celebrate being liberated from the Nazis. It's customary for Italians to gather in piazzas all over the country to celebrate, but in 2020, everyone was in lockdown. The famous song Bella ciao provides the soundtrack for this segment, as people talk about their experiences, as well as what they are looking forward to when the worst of the pandemic is over.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Andromeda shows us, step by step, how she takes off her makeup and gets her skin ready for the nighttime.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
How did Italians spend Easter in 2020? Certain traditions were able to be maintained, but it wasn't easy!
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Andromeda demonstrates her nightly beauty routine in this segment, and describes the products she uses.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Despite the restrictions brought on by Covid, people would still graduate from school, they'd get married, and they'd celebrate birthdays. But of course, they would have to get creative. Health workers in close contact with Covid patients would have to find a way to be affectionate with their loved ones without infecting them.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
During the pandemic, there were those who couldn't do their shopping for one reason or another, so volunteers would help out. Some could pay for their groceries, but others couldn't. At the beginning of the video, we're in the ZEN, a housing project on the outskirts of Palermo. ZEN stands for Zona Espansione Nord (northern expansion zone). Towards the end of the segment, we're at Milan's Pio Albergo Trivulzio, a nursing home and hospital where many people died in the first wave of Covid-19.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
During the lockdown of 2020, cities were deserted. The urban landscape changed drastically and some strange things happened, too.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
During the pandemic, children keep being born, which is a a joyous event. At the same time, people, especially the elderly, die with no loved ones around, no closure, no goodbyes. The doctors and nurses worry constantly about having been careful enough with their PPE.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
How can you stay fit if you are shut up in your apartment? It's not easy, but it can be done. And what if you're a musician? Your balcony becomes your stage, and the adjacent buildings, your audience.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Living in a studio apartment during the quarantine was especially challenging. Bergamo was one of the worst hit cities in Italy and the rate at which coffins piled up was shocking.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
What is chromotherapy? Marino, who is a chromotherapist, explains this fascinating branch of alternative medicine.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
During the first wave of the pandemic, working in the hospital was especially grim. No visitors were allowed, so families had to stay close by phone and with a health-care worker helping out. It was hard for everyone.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Italians adopted English words to describe the new system of working from home. They've called it smart working. No one was happy about the virus, but some people could see the bright side. Others were very stressed out and would go on a disinfecting rampage. The worst situation was in hospitals, where health care workers were pretty much flying blind.
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