The Untold Stories Behind the Venetian Masks
Venitian mask wearing is a tradition which goes back as far as the 12th century, and...
Parliamo d’amore: Valentine’s day in Italian (FREEBIE included)
Buon San Valentino! For Valentine's this year I decided to make it extra fun. First up, my podcast...
10 Romantic Songs in Italian
Italians speaking, Italians singing. With such a melodic language, it all sounds like music to me....
Evangelisti Silk: Three Generations of Excellence
The Evangelisti family has been working in silk accessories since 1969. Today, they are third...
Officina Fiorentina – Outstanding Quality Made in Tuscany
In an ongoing project of mine to meet and interview and better understand local businesses, I had...
5 Songs in Italian for Parents
I have a confession. Before Valentina’s first birthday, I cried for weeks on end while playing...
Ciao!
My name is Rachel (aka The Italianista) and I consider myself an expert on all things Italian. My love affair with Italian began as a little girl, with my Italian grandfather’s stories of Puglia, and continued to grow, so by the time I finished college, I had majored in Italian language and literature and art history. After a Masters program in art history, plus 10+ years of living in Italy, I have fully integrated into the culture and daily life in the boot. I also have dual citizenship and am fluent in Italian, which is another thing I love to do – helping others get over their fear of speaking in Italian!
I live in Florence with my Italian husband Marco, our daughter and our California dog.
If you love Italy, I think you’ll like it here, as I am sharing everything I’ve learned over the years with you!
Latest Podcast Episodes
48: How to talk about astrology in Italian
“What’s your sign?” (Di che segno sei?). Today, I want to explore l'astrologia or astrology...
47: Colorful Italian Expressions: The Color White
Andare in bianco | To go white This is a false friend, since in English...
46: What is the “champagne” of Italy? (Hint: It’s not prosecco!)
Have you heard that prosecco is Italy’s version of champagne? If so, PLEASE forget what you heard....
45: Venetian Masks, do you know what they were hiding?
Venitian mask wearing is a tradition which goes back as far as the 12th century, and...
44: Romantic (and sexy) things to say in Italian
Ciao! I am so excited because this week, in honor of Valentine’s day, we’re going to talk about...
43: Common Pronunciation Mistakes in Italian Part II
Ciao! In a previous episode I covered common pronunciation mistakes in Italian and I wanted to...
42: Tanti Auguri! Birthday Traditions in Italy
Tanti auguri! Did you know this phrase can be used for everything, from birthdays, to Christmas,...
41: Let’s Party It’s Carnevale!
Ciao a tutti! Today let’s look at one of my most favorite times of the year in Italy, Carnival!...
40: Colorful Italian Expressions – GREEN!
I love idioms, expressions and as you likely know, proverbs in Italian. These are the things that...
39: La Befana – the gift giving witch in Italy
January 6th is the Epiphany, which is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God...
38: New Year’s in Italy
Christmas is over and it’s time to get ready for the new year. In part, I can’t believe it,...
37: Christmas Traditions Throughout Italy
Merry Christmas! Since today is a special day, i thought I would share some Christmas traditions...
36: 4 common pronunciation mistakes in Italian that everyone makes
Since making it a side hobby of mine, to help people speak Italian better, I have started to...
35: 5 Ways to make your holiday season more Italian
Since the holiday season is officially here, I thought it would be fun to give Italy lovers some...
34: Why is December 8th a holiday in Italy?
December 8th is a national holiday in Italy, the Festa dell’immacolata, or the Feast of the...