Italian ResourcesDo you have any favourite sites or other resources for learning Italian or for finding things to read or watch? If so then please let me know and I'll add them to the list!
Recommended coursesMichel Thomas Italian: a popular course that teaches the basic structures of the language. A good way to get started, especially if you like to learn grammar and structure first.
Assimil Italian with Ease: a forum favourite; Assimil courses are based on dialogues along with explanations and reviews. This course takes you to a level where you can manage conversations and enjoy some native materials.
Any recommendations for other courses, or for grammar books?Websites for learning and studyWordReference Italian/English: Dictionary and verb conjugations. More complete than any paper dictionary.
Corriere dictionanary: Italian-only dictionary.
Pons Dictionary (Italian <-> English/German/Polish/Slovenian)
Italian grammar explanationsAccademia della Crusca: An institution that regulates how correct Italian should be written and spoken, similar to the Real Academia Española, Académie française, etc. If you have a doubt about a particular grammar aspect, the Accademia is the most distinguished source you can check out. Grammar aside, the website is filled with articles about the Italian language, its history, word etymology and much more.
Treccani: A great dictionary as well as grammar and cultural information.
Transparent Languages Italian Blog: A blog aimed at learners with a lot of interesting content about Italian culture, in a mix of English and Italian.
Al Dente podcast: Great podcast for intermediate learners, the speech is quite slow and clear yet it's not too simplified and the topics are varied. Includes transcripts.
Radio Arlecchino: Podcast series on grammar and culture.
A1-B2 Italian courses on the RAI website.
LyricsTraining: Learn and practise using music lyrics, and discover popular music. Many Italian songs.
Reddit Italian Immersion links: More links to learning resources.
News and politicsLa Corriere della Sera: Probably the most well-known Italian newspaper.
La Repubblica: Popular newspaper, although I find it a bit sensationalist. If you fancy reading some articles about murders or the Mafia or Berlusconi.
Linkiesta: Another news site which is considered higher quality. A lot of politics and culture.
Quattro Gatti: Interesting presentations about societal and political issues in Italy.
La Gazzetta dello Sport: Sports news.
TV, film, video, radio, booksRAI: The site of Italy's main TV and radio network. Lots of shows and radio programmes and podcasts on all sorts of subjects, although some of the TV shows can only be watched from Italy.
Mediaset: Another big TV network, and you can find episodes of many popular shows of questionable quality on here, such as Camera Café (comedy with short episodes), Striscia La Notizia (news/satire), I Cesaroni (family comedy/drama), Uomini e Donne (reality)...
Discussion of Italian TV detective/mystery shows; US users can watch them through MHz Networks.
Learn Italian with Lucrezia (YouTube): Learner-oriented channel with a mix of lessons and "vlog" content. Enjoyable and useful for all levels.
Sgrammaticando (YouTube): Lots of videos on Italian expressions and figures of speech, and she also does vlogs where she talks about all sorts of subjects.
The Pills (YouTube): Comedy series. Quite challenging, with Roman accents, and it's very popular in Italy.
The Jackall (YouTube): Various comedy videos and series; especially famous for film spoofs.
Scottecs (YouTube): Absurd comedy cartoons.
Let's Play videos on YouTube: play-through videos, great resource if you're into gaming, with lots of spontaneous speech.
Radio Italia: Radio station that plays only Italian music (unlike the RAI stations etc. which play lots of English-language music) but also has talk.
Radio Kiss Kiss Italia: Another station that plays only Italian music, but this time it's all music and no talk, and the music is a bit more mainstream and less varied.
Radio DeeJay: Radio station, the programmes are a bit more varied than those on the RAI stations.
Tune In Radio Italy: To listen to Italian radio stations by region. Might be useful if you wanted to train your ear to the accent spoken in a particular part of the country. They also offer a free and paid app for smartphone and tablet. Paid app allows you to record radio to listen to offline.
Book recommendations for intermediate students and
Advice on a first book in Italian.
More recommendations for YouTube channels, TV shows, radio/podcasts, etc. would be great!Social mediaInsegreto: a site particularly popular with teenagers where people anonymously post their secrets. Not one for the faint-hearted, but it's a goldmine for everyday language and slang, particularly sexual slang, and I also learnt a lot of the
passato remoto from it...
Il Coinquilino di Merda (Facebook page): Funny stories of flat-sharing experiences; another good one for everyday language. There's also a whole bunch of similar pages, such as "Il Ragazzo di Merda".
Anyone know any other good social media pages to follow?