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READ ITALIAN WITH ME - FRANCESCA

READ ITALIAN WITH ME - FRANCESCA

Written by: Francesca Rangone
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Are you learning Italian and looking for a natural way to improve your listening and comprehension skills? You are in the right place!
In this podcast, we read captivating stories in Italian together. Each episode gives you a chance to listen to clear, natural Italian reading, followed by a quick wrap-up in English where I share how you can download the free PDF from the Read Italian With Me library.

Want to take your learning further? Download the free episode PDF to get the full Italian script, English translation, vocabulary list, and exercises to practice shadowing and boost your speaking skills!
Whether you are an absolute beginner or looking to brush up on your skills, grab a cup of coffee, relax, and let's read Italian together!

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Episodes
  • #4 NEIVE SHADOWING READ ITALIAN WITH ME

    #4 NEIVE SHADOWING READ ITALIAN WITH ME
    Oct 8 2026
    (00:00:00) Intro in English (00:01:59) PART 1: LISTEN AND REPEAT - 1. I LUOGHI CHE SI RICORDANO (00:03:43) 2. UN GESTO SEMPLICE (00:04:38) 3. LE COLLINE ILLUMINATE (00:06:21) PART 2: PRONUNCIATION & RHYTHM (00:09:51) PART 3: LISTEN, REPEAT, REMEMBER (00:10:01) 4. IL MUSEO DELLA DONNA SELVATICA (00:10:49) 5. LE BOTTIGLIE DI ROMANO LEVI (00:12:14) 6. L'AUTENTICITÀ (00:13:10) PART 4: THE TABLE OF THE VILLAGE - 7. GLI AGNOLOTTI AL PLIN (00:14:29) 8. UN PIZZICO RIPETUTO (00:15:23) PART 5 — SPEAKING WITH THE STORY (00:15:39) Challenge 1 (00:16:28) Challenge 2 (00:17:37) PART 6: GUIDED SHADOWING (00:19:29) PART 7: THE FINAL SHADOWING (00:20:37) PART 8: FINAL CHALLENGE (00:21:38) OUTRO IN ENGLISH PRACTICE ITALIAN — Shadowing & Listening from the Story: NeiveWant to improve your Italian listening, speaking, pronunciation, and rhythm?In this episode of Practice Italian, we return to the story Neive - Il sapore del gesto, set in Neive, in the Langhe, Piedmont, northern Italy. But this time, we are not simply listening to the story. We are using it to practise speaking Italian out loud through listening, repetition, pronunciation, memory, and shadowing.What is Italian shadowing?Italian shadowing is a speaking practice technique where you listen to a speaker and speak along with their voice. You don't need to translate every word or speak perfectly. The goal is to train your ear and your mouth to follow the sound, rhythm, pronunciation, and melody of Italian.In this episode, you'll gradually move from listening and repeating individual sentences to guided shadowing and final blind-style practice, using sentences from the Neive story.What will you practise?The episode follows a progressive listening and speaking practice:Listen and Repeat — hear Italian sentences and repeat them aloudPronunciation & Rhythm — practise longer sentences and natural Italian flowListen, Repeat & Remember — work with sentences from the story without relying only on the textUseful Italian vocabulary — practise language connected with villages, vineyards, food and traditionsSpeaking with the Story — complete and reproduce sentences from memoryGuided Shadowing — speak at the same time as the speakerFinal Shadowing — follow the rhythm and melody of Italian through the central ideas of the storyWhat Italian will you hear?The practice sentences come directly from the story of Neive, including language connected with: the Langhe, vineyards, wine, Italian villages, traditional food, handmade pasta, gestures, traditions and cultural heritage.You'll also practise expressions such as:Ci sono luoghi che si ricordano per un gesto. Un gesto semplice. Ripetuto migliaia di volte.Le colline delle Langhe erano illuminate...Gli agnolotti al plin.Un pizzico leggero. Le Langhe non vivono soltanto nei loro paesaggi. Vivono nei gesti.The episode also draws attention to useful Italian structures and pronunciation, including si ricordano, gerund forms such as rimbalzando, and the Piedmontese word plin.How should you use this Italian shadowing episode?For best practice:Listen: hear the complete sentence and notice its rhythm. Repeat: say the sentence aloud after the speaker.Shadow: speak at the same time as the speaker and follow the flow of the Italian. You don't need to catch every word. If you fall behind, keep going. The goal is to become more comfortable speaking Italian through imitation and repetition, not to produce a perfect translation.For an extra challenge, listen to the episode three times:First: listen.Second: repeat every sentence aloud.Third: shadow the speaker from beginning to end.Learn Italian through Neive and the Langhe. This episode uses the story of Neive as a practical context for Italian listening and speaking. Neive, in the Langhe of Piedmont, provides the vocabulary and imagery: vineyards, autumn landscapes, traditional food, agnolotti al plin, handmade labels, and the gestures through which traditions are passed from one generation to another.If you want extra support, the free Read Italian With Me Library includes the full Italian script, vocabulary, and exercises based on the story.Haven't listened to the complete story yet?Start with Il gusto dei borghi - Neive: il sapore del gesto, then come back to this episode and practise the Italian you have heard. Listen. Repeat. Shadow. Speak Italian.Read Italian With Me: practice Italian through stories, places, and real Italian rhythm.#LearnItalian #ItalianShadowing #ItalianListening #PracticeItalian #SpeakItalian #ItalianPronunciation #ItalianPodcast #Neive #Langhe #Piedmont #Piemonte #Italy #ItalianCulture #ItalianFoodGet the Free Read Italian With Me LibraryDownload the free episode PDF from the Read Italian With Me library to accessthe full Italian script,English translation,vocabulary list,and exercises!
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    23 mins
  • DISCOVER ITALY: IL GUSTO DEI BORGHI #4 NEIVE

    DISCOVER ITALY: IL GUSTO DEI BORGHI #4 NEIVE
    Oct 7 2026
    (00:00:00) Intro in English
    (00:00:57) Neive - il sapore del gesto
    (00:03:05) Le mani che raccontano
    (00:04:03) Il museo della Donna Selvatica
    (00:06:27) Gli agnolotti al 'plin'
    (00:09:51) Outro in English

    IL GUSTO DEI BORGHI — Episodio 4: Neive: il sapore del gesto

    What can a simple gesture tell us about Italian culture?
    In this episode of Il gusto dei borghi, we travel to Neive, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, in the heart of the Langhe, Piedmont, northern Italy. Here, tradition lives in the hands of the people who work the vineyards, prepare fresh pasta, make wine, and preserve local crafts and recipes.
    This is a story about Neive, the Langhe, Italian food, wine, traditional crafts and the small gestures that carry cultural memory from one generation to the next.
    What will you discover in Neive?
    The story takes you through the medieval village and the surrounding Langhe landscape, with its vineyards, historic buildings, local food and traditions.

    You'll discover:
    • Neive and the Langhe in Piedmont
    • The village's historic streets and Piazza Italia
    • The Museo della Donna Selvatica
    • The handmade labels created by Romano Levi
    • The tradition of vineyards and the autumn grape harvest
    • Agnolotti al plin, a traditional Piedmontese pasta
    • The meaning of plin, a small pinch used to close the pasta
    • Local wine and the connection between food, land and tradition
    • The idea of the gesto — the gesture — as a way of preserving cultural memory
    Why is the gesture important?
    In Neive, traditions are not preserved only in books or museums. They live in repeated actions: hands that work the vineyards, hands that harvest grapes, hands that make pasta, and hands that create something with patience and care.
    The central idea of this episode is simple: traditions live through gestures. A small movement, repeated thousands of times, can become part of the identity of an entire place.
    Learn Italian through stories - Read Italian With Me uses stories about Italian villages, food, landscapes, and culture to help you discover Italian while listening to authentic, descriptive storytelling.
    This episode gives you exposure to Italian vocabulary connected with: villages, vineyards, wine, food, pasta, traditions, crafts, landscapes, and cultural heritage.
    The story is read at a natural pace. If you prefer to listen more slowly, you can adjust the playback speed in your podcast or YouTube app.

    If you want additional support, the free Read Italian With Me Library includes the Italian script, vocabulary, and exercises based on this story.
    What is Neive known for?
    Neive is presented in this story through its Langhe landscape, vineyards, wine culture, traditional food, historic village, and handmade traditions. The story connects these elements through one central idea: gesto. Because some traditions survive not because they are written down, but because someone continues to perform the same gesture with care.

    🎧 Listen to the story of Neive and discover Italy one village at a time.

    Read Italian With Me — Il gusto dei borghi: where every village has a story, and every story has a taste.


    #LearnItalian #ItalianPodcast #ItalianStories #ItalianListening #Neive #Langhe #Piedmont #Piemonte #Italy #ItalianCulture #ItalianFood #ItalianTraditions

    Get the Free Read Italian With Me Library

    Download the free episode PDF from the Read Italian With Me library to access
    1. the full Italian script,
    2. English translation,
    3. vocabulary list,
    4. and exercises!
    Show More Show Less
    11 mins
  • #3 GARESSIO SHADOWING READ ITALIAN WITH ME

    #3 GARESSIO SHADOWING READ ITALIAN WITH ME
    Oct 1 2026
    PRACTICE ITALIAN — Shadowing & Listening from the Story: Garessio.

    Want to improve your Italian listening, speaking, pronunciation, and rhythm?
    In this episode of Practice Italian, we return to the story of Garessio - Il sapore dell'incontro, a medieval village in the Alta Val Tanaro, Piedmont, northern Italy.
    This time, we don't simply listen to the story. We listen, repeat, remember, and shadow our way through the Italian language.
    What is Italian shadowing?
    Shadowing is a speaking practice technique where you listen to a speaker and speak along with their voice. You don't need to understand or remember every single word. The goal is to train your ear and your mouth to follow the rhythm, pronunciation, and melody of natural Italian. In the final blind shadowing exercises, you put the script aside and speak with the voice — no text, no translation, just Italian.
    What will you practise in this episode?

    You'll work with sentences from the Garessio story through several stages:
    • Listen & Repeat — listen carefully and repeat each sentence
    • Rhythm & Pronunciation — practise Italian sentence flow and natural rhythm
    • Longer Sentences — build confidence with more complex Italian structures
    • Useful Italian — practise structures you can use beyond the story
    • Memory Challenge — listen, remember and reproduce Italian sentences
    • Blind Shadowing — speak along with the voice without looking at the script
    • Recall — use Italian to talk about Garessio and the story
    You'll practise useful structures such as: abbastanza + aggettivo + da... È un luogo di passaggio. A volte basta + qualcosa + per + verbo.
    You'll also encounter structures such as gerund + subjunctive and come se + imperfect subjunctive, always through sentences taken from the story.

    What Italian will you practise?
    The episode uses vocabulary and sentences connected with:Garessio, villages, mountains, rivers, food, bread, chestnuts, traditions, travel, encounters and Italian cultural heritage. The story provides the context; the shadowing exercises turn that context into active speaking practice.

    How should you use this episode?
    First, listen. Then repeat. Finally, shadow. During blind shadowing, don't look at the script. If you fall behind or miss a word, keep going. The objective is not perfect translation or perfect recall — it is learning to follow the rhythm and sound of Italian.

    If you need extra support, the free Read Italian With Me Library includes the script, vocabulary, and exercises based on the story.

    If you haven't listened to the complete Garessio story yet, start with Il gusto dei borghi — Garessio: il sapore dell'incontro, then come back to this Practice Italian episode.

    Read Italian With Me: practice Italian through stories, places, and real Italian rhythm.
    🎧 Listen. Repeat. Shadow. Speak Italian.

    #LearnItalian #ItalianShadowing #ItalianListening #PracticeItalian #SpeakItalian #ItalianPronunciation #ItalianPodcast #Garessio #Piedmont #Piemonte #ValTanaro #Italy #ItalianCulture

    Get the Free Read Italian With Me Library

    Download the free episode PDF from the Read Italian With Me library to access
    1. the full Italian script,
    2. English translation,
    3. vocabulary list,
    4. and exercises!
    Show More Show Less
    18 mins
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