Buondì.
It’s Halloween!
“Anche in Italia
la festa di Halloween
ha ormai preso piede.
L’origine è
la festa celtica Samhain,
che in antico irlandese
significa “fine dell’estate”
ed era l’occasione
per ringraziare
gli spiriti dei morti
del raccolto estivo.”
That’s from yesterday’s EasyItalianNews.com bulletin.
Ten minutes of audio and text specifically designed for learners like you.
(Read and listen to the rest by following this link: https://easyitaliannews.com/)
Now then, if today is Halloween, tomorrow must be Ognissanti.
And thank goodness!
For November 1st, “una festa cristiana che celebra insieme la gloria e l’onore di tutti i santi, ivi comprendendo anche quelli non canonizzati”, is a public holiday here in Italy.
Which means our language school will be closed, and I get to R.E.L.A.X!
Or at least, to catch up on all the jobs that have piled up since the last public holiday, just under a month ago.
Nota bene, EasyItalianNews.com fans, while the club publishes Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, holiday or not, the new site relies on a team of young Italian writers.
Which is a great thing!
However, Italians, as you may have suspected, are not exactly Stakhanovites when it comes to free time.
Rather than work on ‘giorni festivi’ or at weekends, they like to get dressed up in this season’s fashions and drive shiny, new cars filled with their friends, or family, to obscure fish restaurants a hundred miles away.
Odd that they wouldn’t prefer to be sitting in front of a laptop answering emails – “there’s nowt so queer as folk”, as we say in England.
Anyway, the point is that there’ll be no ‘easy news’ tomorrow, or on any future public holiday.
Sad face.
But put a big cross next to Saturday morning on your calendar, when the next bulletin will be published!
So, what else do I have to tell you…?
‘Book of the Week’ offer!
This week’s Book of the Week, Vivaldi e la chiesa della Salute, is flying off the shelves, it obviously being a popular level, or subject, I suspect it’s the level that makes the difference. We clearly have fewer beginners and more intermediate-level learners. 
Vivaldi e la chiesa della Salute is part of our ‘Famous lives’ series, which also includes Galileo, Leonardo, Caravaggio and various other painters and explorers whose names I can’t reliably spell this early on Halloween.
The reviews were positive, and there’s a Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) that you can look at, before you buy, so as to verify that the level is OK for you and check that the file opens on the computer, tablet, smartphone, or whichever device you prefer to use it on.
- .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online at soundcloud.com)
- 8 chapters to read and listen to
- Comprehension questions to check your understanding
- Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
- Suitable for students at intermediate level or above
- Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)
- Your e-book will be e-mailed to you within 24 hours of purchase
Vivaldi e la chiesa della Salute usually sells for £7.99 in our online shop, but this week only it’s HALF PRICE, at just £3.99!
This week’s offer ends on Sunday 4th, some time at night, when it’s spooky and dark.
But why risk getting distracted by ghouls, or saints for that matter?
Get your order in early, while you think about it.
Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Buy the full version – £3.99 | ‘Famous Lives series | easy Italian readers | Catalog
A venerdì.