The Italian Escape: A bilingual English-Italian language podcast

Do I need to know Italian to work as a marketing expat in Italy?

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Ciao! Siamo Gabriele e Angelique. Benvenuti nel nostro podcast!

We are passionate language learners, and we record for you the language learning podcast we’d like to play when we learn new languages.

Our podcast, produced in mixed English and simple Italian, helps beginners and intermediate Italian language learners enjoy engaging content about Italy, its language, and its culture from day 0 of their language learning journey.

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Marketing in Europe can be challenging because of its multicultural environment.

Rather than seeing it as an obstacle, one can turn it into an opportunity.

This is what you will discover today through our conversation with Marta Romão.

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For a Portuguese, Marta had a unique childhood. Having been born in Lisbon in the 90s, she lived in Belgium with her family until she was six.

This experience opened her world.

Instead of pursuing an average Portuguese lifestyle, she ventured out of her home country by working as a multilingual marketing professional in Spain, and in Italy.

In this episode, we chatted with Marta about her life, her experience in the Italian marketing scene, and working with Italian tech start-ups in Rome.

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This episode will conclude our second season of the Italian Escape Podcast. We will take a break and launch our third season after the summer.

If you want us to cover any topic of interest, email us, and we’ll happily talk about it when we return.

In the meantime, support our podcast, leave us a review in Apple Podcast or a rating on Spotify, and join our Patreon community.

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Listen NOW to our conversation with Marta.

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Where to find Marta:

Did you know that Ligurian cuisine is more than just pesto and focaccia?

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Ciao! Siamo Gabriele e Angelique. Benvenuti nel nostro podcast!

We are passionate language learners, and we record for you the language learning podcast we’d like to play when we learn new languages.

Our podcast, produced in mixed English and simple Italian, helps beginners and intermediate Italian language learners enjoy engaging content about Italy, its language, and its culture from day 0 of their language learning journey.

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It all started 6 years ago.

Having been a maritime lawyer for years, Enrica pivoted into her career by becoming a food storyteller.

She recounts her personal journey – both in English and in Italian - through the culinary tradition and flavors of Liguria with her food blog, “A Small Kitchen in Genoa”.

If she’s not writing recipes and stories in her blog, she is offering private Ligurian cooking classes and food tours around Genoa.

This month, she is releasing her new cookbook, “Liguria in Cucina – the flavors of Liguria”. It’s a recipe book that’s written both in English and in Italian – perfect for our listeners who want to replicate Ligurian dishes while learning languages!

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In this episode, we listen to the many stories behind some of Enrica’s favorite Ligurian dishes, and the particularities behind documenting food traditions across the region.

If you liked our conversation, check out the link in the show notes to order her latest cookbook.

In the meantime, support our podcast, leave us a review in Apple Podcast or a rating on Spotify, and join our Patreon community.

Listen NOW to our conversation and learn about Enrica and the underrated beauty of Ligurian cuisine.

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Where to find Enrica:

How do you learn Italian with a language co-pilot?

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Ciao! Siamo Gabriele e Angelique. Benvenuti nel nostro podcast!

We are passionate language learners, and we record for you the language learning podcast we’d like to play when we learn new languages.

Our podcast in mixed English and simple Italian helps beginners and intermediate Italian language learners enjoy engaging content about Italy, its language, and its culture from day 0 of their language learning journey.

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Language learning can be daunting, especially if you seek perfection.

In today’s episode, we look at another way of learning Italian with the help of a language co-pilot.

That’s where Andre comes in.

Born and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico, her love for music and singing led her to unknowingly teach herself English at the age of six and sparked her curiosity for other languages.

When she turned 18, she decided to do her first solo trip to Florence. Little did she expect that this will change her life in a massive way. Since then, she has met countless frustrated students who feel like they have no talent for learning languages.

Because of this, she created an easy, fun, and empowering method called, co-piloting.

Listen NOW to our conversation and learn about Mo Parlo and what it means to be a language co-pilot.

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Would you like to try out Mo Parlo's course?

She's offering our listeners a 10% discount. 

Here's what you need to do:

Welcome to the Italian Escape Podcast!

Today, before we start the podcast, we’d like to make a small announcement.

Roughly one year ago, we launched the Italian Escape Podcast to provide more resources for beginners and intermediate Italian language learners and give you confidence in learning the language.

At first many thought that this was a crazy idea and that it would be impossible to maintain it.

And yet here we are one year later, with hundreds of listeners tuning in to our episodes.

So, THANK YOU dear listeners for following us in this bilingual journey.

Now we need your help. 

If you think that our podcast has helped you in any way please grab your phone now and send us a message.

Is a native Italian the best choice for a teacher? Maybe not.

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Ciao! Siamo Gabriele e Angelique. Benvenuti nel nostro podcast!

We are passionate language learners, and we record for you the language learning podcast we’d like to play when we learn new languages

Our podcast in mixed English and simple Italian helps beginners and intermediate Italian language learners enjoy engaging content about Italy, its language, and its culture from day 0 of their language learning journey.

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Do you know about the time when Italy tried to rebuild the Roman Empire?

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Ciao! Siamo Gabriele e Angelique. Benvenuti nel nostro podcast!

We are passionate language learners, and we record for you the language learning podcast we’d like to play when we learn new languages.

Our podcast in mixed English and simple Italian helps beginners and intermediate Italian language learners enjoy engaging content about Italy, its language, and its culture from day 0 of their language learning journey.

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Slowly but surely, more people are becoming more aware of the dark past of colonialism that was led by countries such as Spain, Portugal, the English, and the French, to name a few.

But what about the Italians?

In this episode, Gabriele recounts the highlights or milestones – be it the good and the bad - that took place during one of Italy’s almost forgotten chapters of its history – its colonialist history in Africa.

Sadly, many choose to neglect this part of history and associate it with fascism. It turned out that Italy started its colonial history by purchasing the Bay of Assab in 1869, 52 years before fascism started.

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As an Italian, Gabriele believes that we should not recount these episodes because we are proud of having dominated and conquered other populations.

Disclaimer: Nothing to be proud of over there.

Instead, we must remember the strength we showed and the challenges we overcame as a reminder of what we can achieve in the future when fighting for a more fair and just goal.

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How easy is it to go vegan in Italy?

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Ciao! Siamo Gabriele e Angelique. Benvenuti nel nostro podcast!

We are passionate language learners, and we record for you the language learning podcast we’d like to play when we learn new languages

Our podcast in mixed English and simple Italian helps beginners and intermediate Italian language learners enjoy engaging content about Italy, its language, and its culture from day 0 of their language learning journey.

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Happy New Year to our dear listeners.

As many of you might know, every January, people all over the world participate in the Veganuary challenge to promote and educate everyone on the vegan lifestyle.

Because of this, we thought of sharing with you today our conversation with Alice Cosso and Giulia Cimarosti, world travelers and founders of the online vegan community in Genoa, called Vegenova.

If they’re not busy traveling across the globe, you’ll see them scouting for places that offer vegan treats here in Genoa, and the rest of the Ligurian coast.

Is it impossible to stay vegan when traveling to Italy? Can someone manage to eat a yummy pizza while skipping the mozzarella?

Can we still eat authentic Italian food if we stay away from animal products?

How will you find Italian restaurants that accommodate this diet?

Surprisingly, Italians are not as close-minded as you think when it comes to adopting a vegan diet. Last year, Alice and Giulia launched the first vegan festival also known as VEGenova Vegan Festival, and it turned out to be a success.

In this episode, we discuss the many misconceptions people have about maintaining a vegan diet here in Italy, as well as their journey to being one of the most popular online vegan communities in Italy.

While it is true that Italians adore their prosciutto crudo, and Parmigiano, they also offer traditional animal-free meals like ribollita, farinata, and zimin, to name a few.

Well, how do you think the famous "Mediterranean diet" came to be?

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So, if you’re thinking of organizing a trip to Italy and going plant-based or vegan, you should not miss this episode.

And, if you want to learn more about Vegenova’s recommendations, and science-backed information on going vegan, you should surely head to our shownotes.

In the meantime, you can support us by leaving us a review in Apple Podcast and on Spotify and joining our Patreon community.

Listen NOW to our conversation and learn about veganism in Italy while enriching your Italian language learning experience.

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Where to find Vegenova:

Would you like to find joy when learning languages?

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Ciao! Siamo Gabriele e Angelique. Benvenuti nel nostro podcast!

We are passionate language learners, and we record for you the language learning podcast we’d like to play when we learn new languages

Our podcast in mixed English and simple Italian helps beginners and intermediate Italian language learners enjoy engaging content about Italy, its language, and its culture from day 0 of their language learning journey.

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Today you’re in for a treat. With Christmas fast approaching, we thought of sharing with you an episode that will give you hope and joy.

Have you ever watched an Italian “West Side Story”?

Ciao! Siamo Gabriele e Angelique. Benvenuti nel nostro podcast!

We are passionate language learners, and we record for you the language learning podcast we’d like to play when we learn new languages

Our podcast in mixed English and simple Italian helps beginners and intermediate Italian language learners enjoy engaging content about Italy, its language, and its culture from day 0 of their language learning journey.

Today, we’d like to share with you our conversation with Dr. Elizabeth Turner, a third-generation Italian American who decided to pursue a professional musical career. She is now the Director of Vocal Arts at St. Thomas University.

Music has been a lifeline for Elizabeth. Nowadays, you will often find her busy teaching kids and young adults to learn how to sing.

We chatted with her about her Italian roots, Italian American culture, her love for music, and her Broadway musical called, “Ciao Bambino”.  It’s a story about a young Italian woman named Elizabetta who embarked on a journey of self-discovery as she chases the American dream right after WWII.

Will she make it?

You’ll have to find out by watching her musical next year.

Have you ever been to a mushroom festival in Italy?

Ciao! Siamo Gabriele e Angelique. Benvenuti nel nostro podcast!

We are passionate language learners, and we record for you the language learning podcast we’d like to play when we learn new languages

Our podcast in mixed English and simple Italian helps beginners and intermediate Italian language learners enjoy engaging content about Italy, its language, and its culture from day 0 of their language learning journey.

Today we’d like to share with you a short discussion on the country fairs in Italy and our first-hand experience of a local mushroom festival.

Also called “le sagre”, the purpose of these festivals is to bring in people and celebrate the numerous local products they have before winter starts.

This September we headed to a little town in Liguria called Bardineto, where we tried out their mushroom-based dishes.

In this episode, we will talk about 

• What a “sagra” is,
• What to expect when joining the country fair, mushrooms, and the other dishes we tried out while we were there
• As well as our thoughts about being in a local countryside fair

This episode will leave you hungry and motivated to visit Italy during the “sagra” period.

In the meantime, you can support us by leaving us a review in Apple Podcast and on Spotify, and joining our Patreon community.

And now, we present to you our conversation about le sagre. 

Show Notes:

Ciao! Siamo Gabriele e Angelique e ben tornati nel nostro podcast, the Italian Escape.

We are passionate language learners, and we record for you the language learning podcast we’d like to play when we learn new languages

Our podcast in mixed English and simple Italian helps beginners and intermediate Italian language learners enjoy engaging content about Italy, its language, and its culture from day 0 of their language learning journey.

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Italian food – many of you love it. But do you really know the stories behind it?

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Ciao! Siamo Gabriele e Angelique. Benvenuti nel nostro podcast!

We are passionate language learners, and we record for you the language learning podcast we’d like to play when we learn new languages

Our podcast in mixed English and simple Italian helps beginners and intermediate Italian language learners enjoy engaging content about Italy, its language, and its culture from day 0 of their language learning journey.

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Today we’d like to share with you our conversation with Martina Bartolozzi, an Italian American trained butcher and food expert, who was born and raised in Tuscany.

If she’s not busy sharing her anecdotes on the local food scene and food customs of Italy on Instagram, you can find her working on her personalized or ready-to-go interactive maps and writing stories of women in food.

We personally had a great time chatting with her about her life story, the struggle of Italian women in the food business, and the contrasting food culture between Italy and the States.

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This episode will conclude our first season of the Italian Escape Podcast. 

Next month we will disappear for a brief period as we take a break to recover and prepare for the next season. The format of our episode will be a bit different compared to the first episodes.

This episode will give you an idea of what you’d expect when we return this November.

In the meantime, if you love our podcast and would like to help us out, do leave us a review in Apple Podcast and on Spotify. Another way of helping us is by joining our Patreon community, as we’ll be putting up more exciting stuff once the next season starts.

And now, we present to you our conversation with Martina. Listen NOW and learn about the importance of sharing stories of the food we produce, cook, and eat here in Italy.

You can find Martina Bartolozzi and her maps via:

We have always talked about how wonderful Italy is, but what do you know about its dark sides, such as poverty?

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Ciao! Siamo Gabriele e Angelique. Benvenuti nel nostro podcast!

We are passionate language learners, and we record for you the language learning podcast we’d like to play when we learn new languages

Our podcast in mixed English and simple Italian helps beginners and intermediate Italian language learners enjoy engaging content about Italy, its language, and its culture since day 0 of their language learning journey.

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Today we talk about Italy’s state of poverty. But what is poverty? Is it absolute? Is it relative?

In this episode, we will talk about the numerous questions related to poverty including:

• How bad is it right now compared to 20 years ago?
• Did COVID-19 cause it? And what about the war in Ukraine?
• Is there a way out of it?

As you will listen to our episode, you will realize that the poverty crisis is a complex matter. In Italy, it is part of a vicious cycle. People may end up being jobless and homeless for good. Once you’re in the system, you cannot get out of it.

Listen NOW to our conversation and learn more about Italy’s ongoing poverty crisis while enriching your Italian language learning experience.

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Did you like our episode? Rate us!

Do you know who “the hero of the 2 worlds" is?

Today we will be talking about the one and only – Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of the most famous Italian heroes who spent his life fighting for freedom and unified Italy. Being known as “the hero of the two worlds”, you’ll see his monuments everywhere in Italy, as well as in Latin America.

In this episode, you will find out why everybody should know about this brave man who fought for freedom in Italy and many more countries across the world.

He was not fighting out of spite, or desire to become famous. He just believed that every person deserves freedom. Because of his democratic ideals, in a time of monarchies, he was not well-liked by the royal political leaders of his time. And yet, people of all social classes loved him so much that he was a worldwide recognized hero during his lifetime.

Listen NOW to our conversation and learn more about one of Italy’s most famous historical figures.

Show notes:

What is a language acquisition expert? Chances are you might need one.

We had a chat with Ludovica Corda, an Italian second-language acquisition expert based in New York, USA. Living abroad most of her life, she saw the value of working smarter and not harder when it comes to language learning.

For years, she teaches people on how to effectively learn Italian by associating it with their mother tongues.

Since the pandemic, she began producing online educational videos by mixing English with Italian.

Listen to this episode NOW and find out Ludovica’s story and her unconventional yet effective way of teaching Italian.

Where do Italians hideaway when summer comes?

If you happen to spend your Italian summer holiday in a city, you’ll eventually realize that the city’s practically deserted. Where are the Italians you longed to interact with?

You’ll eventually find out that they are living very different lives by the sea, or by the mountains.

Start listening to this episode NOW, to improve your Italian while you learn how and where do Italians spend their summer holidays.

By the end of the episode, you’ll learn a thing or two about what “l’estate italiana” is for the locals.

Have you ever wondered whether you’d like to jumpstart your musical career here in Italy?

For this episode we talked to Oyku Dogan, a Turkish musician who decided to pursue her musical education and career in another Mediterranean country - Italy.

At 19 years old, she left her home country and settled in the little town of Piacenza.

Once she has set foot in Italy, she studied different music styles and the techniques behind each of them, all of which were taught in Italian – a language she had to be proficient in a short span of time.

Time and time again, she showed the same courage she had when coming to Italy by ignoring big music companies and embarking on an unconventional independent music career while living in Italy.

Listen to this episode NOW and find out Oyku’s story while learning Italian with the Italian Escape podcast.

Have you ever thought of working in Italy as a luxury brand strategist, while travelling and living la dolce vita?

For this episode we talked to Elena Ciprietti, a New Yorker who decided to pack her bags and live her Italian dream over 10 years ago.

She first lived in Milan, building her career in marketing.

She then lived in Palermo, where she reconnected with the land of her great-grandparents.

Now, she is in Modena and can often be found exploring tiny, wonderful Italian islands.

Why did she come to Italy?

How did she begin her career and worked her way up in the world of Italian luxury?

Would you think that she is living the American dream of a new life in Italy?

Would you like to follow her footsteps and visit the unconventional spots in Italy?

Listen to this episode NOW and find out Elena’s story while learning Italian with the Italian Escape podcast.

The Italian escape podcast is growing. Do you want to know what’s new?

In the last 3 months, since this podcast started, we were overwhelmed by the support that you showed us.  You let us know, over and over, how helpful this podcast is for you.

That’s why we decided to double our efforts and release a ton of new features to make your Italian learning journey more engaging, easier, and smoother than before!

In this episode we thank you for your support and introduce the many new tools that we are adding to your bilingual language learning toolbox. Newsletters, transcripts, vocabulary lists, videos and more new features are coming for you.

Listen to this episode NOW and find out how is learning Italian with the Italian Escape podcast.

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at theitalianescapepodcast@gmail.com, or send us a voice message

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Have you ever witnessed a real Italian wedding?

In this episode we share the emotion of celebrating our friends’ love in a timeless Italian setting.

We attended our friends Davide and Ilaria’s catholic wedding inside a 24-century old temple of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. How incredible is that!

We joined the wedding party in an ancient Villa in the outskirts of Siracusa, Sicily. So quaint!

We ate the cake by the pool. We danced, ate, laughed and challenged the spouses with wedding trivia.

But we also struggled eating through the many hours long of party.

Italian weddings are all of this and much more. Listen to today’s episode NOW, to learn Italian easy and find out how awesome weddings are in Italy and why you should manage to get invited to one!

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at theitalianescapepodcast@gmail.com, or send us a voice message

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Sicily has so much to offer other than figs, cannoli, sunshine, coppolas and the mafia. 

We headed south a couple of weeks ago to re-discover what the eastern coast of Sicily has to offer other than the stereotypes people had of this island and their people. 

In this episode, we will be talking about Catania.

While being the second largest city in Sicily, it is known for being close to the highly active volcano Mount Etna, and for its airport (being the largest there is in the island). 

Maybe, all is well and good for foreigners, Catania (and maybe the whole of Sicily) may been getting a bad rap among the Italians because of their shortcomings for unreliable governance. 

Start listening to our episode NOW as we explore the different facets of Catania such as:

• The food and the folkore behind the fish market
• Its theater that is known for its fantastic acoustics
• Its striking similarities and differences with other cities we've been to around the world

And many more!

Open your minds and ears as you simultaneously learn more about the Italian language and one of the country's regions - Sicily.

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at theitalianescapepodcast@gmail.com, or send us a voice message

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Italian grammar may be easy for some students but is a nightmare for most.

In this episode we give our best comments and advice to help an international pool of students to whom we have asked: “what is your biggest Italian learning struggle?”

Some of the answers surprised us. For example, Italian grammar is hard for many students, but not for all. There is a reason for that, and we discuss it.

Other answers were expected. For example, some students, despite living in Italy, have a very hard time practicing Italian with Italians. Do you know why?

We talk about those (and many more) struggles, but don’t worry! You can overcome all of them.

Listen to this episode NOW to find out our best tips.

You are not walking on the Italian learning path alone!

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at theitalianescapepodcast@gmail.com, or send us a voice message

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We watched videos by foreign tourists who visited Florence and we were shocked.

We can't understand why foreign tourists waste their time on Ice Cream, Aperitivo and Pizza.

The thing is, you don’t need to go to Florence to enjoy them. You can get them anywhere in Italy and at a much lower price!

Most importantly, you will waste your precious vacation days and return home without the real Florence experience.

Start listening to this episode NOW, to improve your Italian while you learn:

What to taste and how to eat like the Florentian people.

Where to find some of the unique sites which almost no foreigner gets to visit.

How to find out the history of the Italian Jews community and what they did when they first got their freedom.

EAnd many more tips which will make your Florence vacation unique!

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at theitalianescapepodcast@gmail.com, or send us a voice message

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Living in Italy is wonderful. Its food, its people and its language are famous all over the world.

But let me (Gabriele) tell you that being a mixed couple in Italy is hard.

• Can you make Italian friends, or will you live in the "expats’ circle" bubble?
• Do you know enough Italian culture to win your Italian partner   family’s blessing?
• Can you handle Italian bureaucracy and get your Italian long-stay   permit?

If you answered NO to any of such questions, I must tell you that having a successful mixed couple relationship is going to be hard.

We bumped into such problems, and they made my then-girlfriend feel like a burden.

But there was a way out of it so that, in the end, we managed to get married.

The solution? Learning the Italian language and Italian culture.

Just having a basic Italian knowledge that will let you buy your grocery is not enough to make your relationship last.

We recorded this episode to share our experience with you.

Listen to it now, practice your Italian for free AND learn how you can overcome some of the   challenges (and how some are still to be solved!)

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at theitalianescapepodcast@gmail.com, or send us a voice message

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Have you ever tried the many types of tomatoes in Italy?

In this week’s episode we will be talking about the one of the most important ingredients in the Italian cuisine: the tomato.

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at theitalianescapepodcast@gmail.com, or send us a voice message

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Gabriele’s brother finally graduated from the school of medicine here in Genoa!

In this episode, we discuss about the traditions behind the university graduation here in Italy, and how different it is from other countries based on Angelique’s personal experience.

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at theitalianescapepodcast@gmail.com, or send us a voice message

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Have you ever celebrated Easter in Italy?

Italians may not be the most religious people on Earth, but they take their Easter holiday seriously. Kids take a week-long break from school, and people would spend their time eating traditional Easter dishes and doing a barbecue the day after while being surrounded by nature.

Listen to our episode as Gabriele tells us more about the stories behind the Italian Easter traditions and talks with Angelique how different Easter is in other countries, like Poland and the Philippines.

Notes: 

"Quei russi che andavano in vacanza in Calabria"

"La Costa Smeralda senza oligarchi"

A word of caution: this episode is perfect for people who want to step away from the mainstream tourist experience when visiting Milan.

Having worked in Milan for five years, Gabriele and Angelique took the opportunity in exploring the city. While it is true that Milan is famous for the Duomo, its apéritif places, and its high-end fashion streets, the city offers more than that.

In this episode, we share with you our favorite spots, food, and activities for you to visit, eat and do when you swing by Milan for the weekend this springtime.

If you have any thoughts or comments on our podcast, e-mail us at theitalianescapepodcast@gmail.com

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When do you call yourself an expat?

In this episode, we sat down and reflected on what it means to be an expat in Italy (in this case, Angelique’s point of view). Some questions we also tackled were the following:

• Does an expat need to speak the new country’s language?
• How do you become an expat in Italy?
• How easy or difficult is it to assimilate to the Italian working environment?

Notes:

Italian culture has been popularized in many ways.

“It’s a city that does not reveal to you everything it can offer at first glance”

In this episode, we talk about our home city, or for Angelique’s case, her second home: Genoa, the capital of Liguria. Here are a few things one must keep in mind when visiting Genoa:

· The region is often known for its “closed” attitude towards tourists

· Genoa does not only consist of the port: while it has the sea, it also has the mountains

Listen and learn more about the local “celebrities”, interesting facts about Genoa, and our tips on how you can best enjoy Genoa the next time you swing by!

We're now in the 21st century, yet:  

• We still have not managed to auto-translate ourselves with others abroad 
• We have yet to realize that English is not a universal language spoken by everyone 
• Dating is hard if you are not confident in speaking your partner's language.