Newsletter

Ciao amici, The holiday season is once again on its way! Take some stress out of the season early on and gift your friends and family an Italian experience with Immerse Italy.   Is there someone in your life who loves Italian or needs to prepare for a trip to Italy? Gift a series of private lessons that can be tailored to their needs and interests.   How about a gathering with coworkers, friends or family? A virtual or in-person (if in NYC) themed holiday event by Immerse Ita

Ciao amici, In just over two weeks I’ll be heading back to Italy! I plan to make my usual stops in Florence and Rome, but I booked a few extra days on my trip so I can spend some time in Sicily.   Like so many others, I have a special connection with Sicily. While I was an undergrad in Rome, I went to Siracusa for a summer to study Sicilian literature and culture. I visited ancient archeological sites, jumped into the Mediterranean during breaks between classes and made life-

Ciao amici, One of the best parts of teaching is having such polite students who want to correctly show manners while in Italy. After mastering "please" ( per favore ) and "thank you" ( grazie ) the next question is often, how to say “sorry” in Italian.   There is no one blanket apology phrase like “I’m sorry” in Italian, to apologize you have to consider the situation.   Scusami  (if you know the person) or Mi scus i (if a stranger) is used in situations where we would say “

Ciao amici, I’m sure that most of you have Parmesan cheese in your fridge, but what kind  is it? We usually refer to Parmesan as one single type of cheese but there are actually several different types with distinct flavors and textures.   To start, Parmesan is a DOP cheese, meaning that it must be produced according to precise rules, amongst them is the aging process at the caseificio  (cheese factory) before can sold. The longer Parmesan cheese ages the more aromas and text

Ciao amici, Buon autunno!  I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful Fall weather this week.   With the new season and back to school energy in the air, I want to take a look at how some people are using ChatGPT to study Italian. I’ll admit that at first glance, I took it as a threat to my career as an Italian teacher, but it didn’t take long to realize how insufficient, at best, AI is to truly learning Italian.   I’ve explained in the past how using technology as a shortcut

Ciao Amici, Every place has its signal that summer is coming to an end. Here in New York, it’s when the red, white and green tinsel goes up on Mulberry Street for the San Gennaro Festival. In Florence, it’s the arrival of Schiacciata all’Uva, a two-layer focaccia baked with fresh wine grapes.   The origins of this seasonal treat are believed to have started with the Etruscans and the recipe been passed down ever since. Today, the dish is deeply rooted in Tuscan tradition and