Maryann Serra was kind enough to contribute her recipe for Anise Cookies… Anise cookies are a popular tradition for Italians and other families around the world, especially during the holidays. This light fluffy cookie tastes much like licorice cake, so people who like the flavor licorice especially enjoy them. Making Italian anise cookies is fun and...

Open Culture has a page of free language learning links covering 40 languages. Here are some of the languages you can find links for… Arabic, English, Chinese, French, Spanish, Bulgarian, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Esperanto, Finnish, Gaelic, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Lithuanian, Luxembourgish, Maori, Norwegian, Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Swahili,...

My daughter’s class had a multicultural celebration recently where each kid interviewed a relative about a recipe that’s been handed down in the family.  My daughter interviewed my Mom about her manicotti recipe. Here’s part of what she learned: "Manicotti is from Italy, and it’s been in my family since 1810.  It was passed down from...

We’ve just released a new eBook for the Kindle – Italian Kids Songs and Rhymes. We’ve gathered over eighty Italian songs and rhymes, presented in their original language and with translations into English. Many have commentary sent to us by our correspondents around the world. It’s an ideal resource for teachers of the Italian language, parents...

  "January is named after the two-headed Roman god Janus, god of thresholds and beginnings… With his two heads he looks at the past and the future, behind and before… Which I guess is what we are all doing today." -Ernestine Shargool

I’ve been corresponding with Gian Carlo Macchi who’s from Italy about foods eaten for Christmas and Santa Lucia in Italy and how they differ from food eaten by Italian Americans the US (I’m an Italian American).  We’ve also been discussing gift giving in both countries and greetings for the season.  These comparisons are interesting!  ...

Gian Carlo Macchi wrote about Christmas in Italy and how the one who brings presents to children differs from region to region.  Here’s his note: …About Christmas here in Italy I can add something. Traditionally, it is Gesù Bambino (the Child Jesus)* who gives gifts to children. But some places, for example in Bergamo (Northern Italy),...

Pioggia is an Italian poem about rain by Giovanni Pascoli (1855 – 1912). Below you can listen to a recording, follow along in the original Italian and then read an English translation of the poem. First a note about the illustration, in English we say “It’s raining cats and dogs” when it’s raining very hard....

Emanuela Marsura wrote to me from Italy and sent this guide to making potato gnocchi.  She wrote: "I sent you photos of the preparation of potato gnocchi." Recipe for Potato Gnocchi Ingredients 2 1/4 pounds Potatoes (1 kg) 2 Eggs (whole or just yolks) Pinch Salt ...

I asked Emanuela Marsura about Easter egg traditions in Italy and whether or not they dye eggs.  Here’s what she wrote back: We paint eggs with aniline dyes [inedible], and also with natural coloring: red onion skins, leaves of stinging nettles, red turnips and coffee grounds. Some people paint the eggs with tempera, but afterwards you...

Calaveras literally means "skulls". Calaveras are poems recited for the Day of the Dead (All Souls Day) in Mexico.  They’re satirical poems that poke fun at people in a way that suggests they’re dead, even though they’re alive.  Often the people being satirized are politicians and other people in power or in the public...