Buondì.
I’m rather late today as we had to drive the lion cubs to their day zoo. The smaller one isn’t used to the car, so howled most of the way.
On the way back from the other side of town, I stopped at Lidl for supplies: two flavors of Estathé (popular with children in the summer, and a rather clever pun, in my opinion), plastic glasses, tortilla chips, normal crisps, mixed nuts (lions like nuts), plus a packet of the sort of chemical schifezze, masquerading as mini-swiss rolls, which small animals can’t resist.
You guessed – this evening, we’re having a party! And as the temperature in our courtyard is predicted to be 36 Celsius, and the zanzare are legion, and hungry, there’ll be chilled prosecco for the adults. We’ll need it!
So anyway, no time now to do more than link to Episode 5 in our summer series on The Renaissance. It’s a good one, and long this time, so do make space in your day to read/listen.
Il Rinascimento, Episodio 5. Geni rivali: Leonardo e Michelangelo (XV-XVI secolo)
Congrats, by the way, to those of you who spotted the error in the audio of Episode 4, and commented on Wednesday’s article to prove it.
For those who enjoy that sort of thing, there’s an error in this new one, too. Further down in the body of the text, the same type as before – a discrepancy between text and audio. Again, it’s not hard to hear, if you listen carefully and trace the text with your finger or cursor as you do so.
For those who haven’t yet begun the summer series, Episodes 1-4 of this year’s, along with the Summer Series from 2020 and 2021, can be found on our History page.
A venerdì, allora.
P.S. New Easy Reader Ebook Reminder
As mentioned on Monday, this week we have another in our series of history-themed ‘easy reader’ ebooks, this time set in World War I.
A conscript army is defending Italy from the Austro-Hungarians. New recruits Rino and Felice have been marching, footsore, towards the trenches, which are carved high up in the rocks of the Alps. They’re almost there!
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Tra il 1915 e il 1917, durante la Prima Guerra Mondiale, l’esercito italiano e quello austriaco si scontrano nella zona montana delle Alpi Carniche, vicino al fiume Isonzo. I militari italiani, reclutati in tutta Italia, vengono mandati al fronte.
“La terra delle montagne, qui, ha un odore strano, una puzza terribile a dire la verità. Non è come a casa” dice Rino a suo fratello Felice a bassa voce, mentre il rumore di molti stivali come i loro marca il ritmo della marcia. “Ancora pochi minuti e arriviamo alla trincea, accelerate il passo!” comanda un ufficiale che cammina poco avanti a loro.
Gli stivali sono scomodi, con il fondo di cartone e i chiodi sulla suola sottile. I piedi dei soldati sanguinano dopo le lunghe ore di cammino al freddo sulle Alpi. L’odore, intanto, è sempre più forte. “Questa puzza viene sicuramente dalla trincea” pensa Rino di nuovo. Felice gli stringe un braccio e dice: “Non ce la faccio più, lo giuro. Devo fermarmi un poco” mentre va avanti a fatica. Rino lo incoraggia: “E dai, che stiamo arrivando, resisti!”
- .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
- .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
- 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)
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Vita in trincea is B1/B2-level, so intermediate, and as usual the first week, it’s disounted 25%, to £5.99 rather than the usual ‘easy reader’ price of £7.99.
And if you’re not at B1/2 level? Not to worry – there are plenty of other ebook options from beginner to advanced in our online Catalog, all with downloadable free sample chapters and FREE online audio!
Buy Vita in trincea | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | History-themed ebooks | Catalog
How do I access my ebook?
When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook, where available, cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them. There’s a space to do that on the order form – where it says Additional information, Order notes (optional). If you forget, or if you have problems downloading the .pdf, don’t worry! Email us at the address on the website and we’ll help. Also, why not check out our FAQ?
P.P.S.
Did you get Tueday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news?
If not, you may not be a subscriber. Fix that here.
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OnlineItalianClub.com | EasyItalianNews.com | EasyReaders.org (ebooks) | NativeSpeakerTeachers.com (1-1 lessons)