This week we’re publishing another title in our series of Italian ‘easy reader’ ebooks based on operas, Puccini’s much-loved Madama Butterfly. As always with new publications, it’s 25% discounted this first week (offer ends Sunday 26th March 2023).

We began the series back in the fall of 2022, with a simplified text + audio version of Nabucco, one of composer Verdi’s most famous operas. Next we did Puccini’s romantic classic, Turandot, then another Puccini weepy, La Bohème, returning to Verdi for the final two publications of 2022, Rigoletto and La traviata, and most recently, the spectacular Aida.

But back to Madama Butterfly – Giacomo Puccini’s famous opera was first performed in Milan in 1904, and is here simplifed for learners of Italian at around intermediate level (with quotes from the actual libretto!)

What’s it about?

We’re in Nagasaki, the famous Japanese port, in the early years of the twentieth century. Let’s have a drink with Pinkerton, a U.S. naval officer – today’s his wedding day! The bride-to-be, Cio Cio-San, is beautiful, just fifteen years old, and fragile as a butterfly. Should be a happy day for them both!

Begin with this ‘easy reader’ ebook before watching the actual opera, or simply use this original Italian reading/listening practice material to add a little variety to your study program.

• .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 (based on Puccini’s Act/Scene structure) to read and listen to
• Comprehension questions to check your understanding
• Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
• Suitable for students at pre-intermediate level or above
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Do check out the Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) before you buy a copy. That way, you’ll know whether the level is suitable for you, and that the format works on the device you intend to use it on.

This being the first week, Madama Butterfly is 25% discounted, so just £5.99 rather than the usual ‘easy reader’ ebook price of £7.99.

Buy Madama Butterfly, just £5.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Opera ebooks | Catalog

How do I access my ebook?

hen 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.S.

Don’t forget to read/listen to Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news (text + online audio), which was published a few hours ago.

And why not subscribe, to get each thrice-weekly bulletin sent directly to your email inbox? That’s also FREE.

This week we’re doing the half-price ebook offer on three titles we published in 2021. Any of them will cost you just £3.99 until Sunday 19th March 2023.

These three are all on the easier side, though I’m putting them in level order in any case, from easiest to hardest.

The first one is an actual story, in the usual format, while the second and third are both collections of texts – different characters writing about their typical days (the second one), so using the present tense, and a memorable day in their lives (the third one), so the past tense.

Despite the obvious grammatical focus of those two, they’re fun. I enjoyed them, at least. Check out the free sample chapters to see if you might, too.

Il ciclista (A2)

A big-city journalist takes a much-needed break in a picturesque Umbrian village. On her first morning there she heads to the only bar for breakfast, and is suprised to find an older man asleep in his wheelchair…

• .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 any level
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Il ciclista just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Ti racconto la mia giornata (A2)

‘Tell us about your typical day’ is a classic classroom activity for practising the present, describing routines, likes and dislikes, and so on. So here, nine people do!

Read/listen to a nurse, a DJ, a tour guide, a carer, and five more, relating a day from their lives, from the vital issue of what they have for breakfast, to their jobs, their families and friends, and how they relax.

Once you’ve done all nine, test how much you’ve understood (and hopefully learnt!) using the exercises in the final section.

• .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
• 9 chapters to read and listen to
• 9 exercises at the end of the ebook, to check your understanding
• Italian/English glossaries of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
• Suitable for students at elementary level and above
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Ti racconto la mia giornata just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Un giorno da ricordare (B2)

Learn Italian by reading and listening to easy readers (simplified stories).

This ebook contains nine tales of unforgettable days, recounted by memorable characters, with the aim of stimulating you to listen to and read Italian, while offering plenty of exposure to the main Italian past tense!

Topics include a new grandson, getting laid off, a shipwreck, a child’s first ski race, a dream home, a surprise party, a pet dog, graduation day, and losing a cellphone!

• .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
• 9 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 and above
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Un giorno da ricordare just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

How do I access my ebooks?

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.S.

Have you seen Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news (text + online audio)? It was published an hour or two ago. Reading/listening to it is FREE!

Subscibing is FREE too, and subscribers get each thrice-weekly bulletin sent directly to their email inboxes, each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. You can subscribe here.

Our latest Italian ‘easy reader’ ebook is about Joe Petrosino, the first Italian-American police officer, who was famous for his fight against the mafia.

As usual with new publications, this week it’s 25% discounted, compared to the usual ‘easy reader’ ebook price, so just £5.99, rather than £7.99.

We also have four other HALF-PRICE ebooks from our Catalog, about the Italian diaspora in the USA, Australia, Scotland, and Spain. Each of those costs just £3.99.

All five offers end on Sunday 12th March 2023. Scroll down for details!

An original Italian easy reader by Francesca Colombo

Are Italians immigrants in 19th century New York all the same, ‘a race of criminials’? Find out with our original, ‘easy reader’ ebook, and improve your Italian reading and listening skills at the same time!

“Devono brillare queste scarpe, ragazzo! Oggi non ho fretta. Come ti chiami?” Il ragazzino risponde con un forte accento italiano: “Joe, signore. Mi chiamo Joe Petrosino. Le sue scarpe saranno come nuove in pochi minuti.”

Il poliziotto annuisce distrattamente: “Fai del tuo meglio, Joe.” Intanto osserva il negozio di alimentari fatto saltare in aria il giorno prima. La bomba ha distrutto la porta e la vetrina, l’insegna che dice: “Da Felice, prodotti italiani” è rimasta al suo posto, ma è storta.

Il poliziotto irlandese sospira scuotendo la testa, mentre altri due colleghi più giovani gli si avvicinano. Uno di questi gli chiede: “Chiudiamo il caso, signore? È il solito regolamento di conti fra italiani, è inutile perdere tempo” e l’altro aggiunge: “È impossibile capire quello che dicono e quello che gli passa per la testa. Sono una razza di criminali, e il proprietario del negozio vai a sapere se non era un mezzo mafioso anche lui… tutti uguali, tutti uguali.”

• .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)

Buy Joe Petrosino e la lotta alla mafia just £5.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Catalog

Read about other famous Italian-Americans in the B2/C1-level La diaspora italiana – Italiani negli Stati Uniti (Free sample chapter .pdf | Read reviews), which is HALF-PRICE this week. Joe is featured in that one, too, but is only one of many interesting characters.

N.b. Given that there was so much to write about Italian-Americans, that one is DOUBLE THE NORMAL LENGTH, sixteen chapters instead of the typical eight. Which at 50% off the usual price makes for an extra-special bargain!

Also half-price this week are the three other titles in our ‘Italian Diaspora’ series:

• La diaspora italiana – Italiani in Australia (Free sample chapter .pdf)
• La diaspora italiana – Italiani in Scozia (Free sample chapter .pdf | Read reviews)
• La diaspora italiana – Italiani in Spagna (Free sample chapter .pdf | Read reviews)

How do I access my ebooks?

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.S.

Thursday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news (text + online audio) was published this morning.

Subscribers get each thrice-weekly bulletin sent directly to their email inboxes, also for FREE, each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Subscribe here.

This week for our half-price ebook offer, we’re discounting four Italian ‘easy readers’ that we published in 2020.

Until Sunday 5th March 2023, get them for just £3.99 each, rather than the usual ‘easy reader’ price of £7.99!

This week’s half-price ebooks, in level order from easier to hardest, are…

Zio Ciro e la pizza (B1)

Against her conservative father’s wishes, a nineteen-year-old Italian-American, buys a plane ticket to Napoli, in Italy. The plan is to discover the city her family originated from, and to get to know zio Ciro, the black sheep of the family!

Join Angela as she helps her Neapolitan uncle prepare pizzas for a special lunch, while learning the fascinating history of Napoli’s most famous dish!

• .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 any level
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Zio Ciro e la pizza just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Dante, un’altra marachella (B1/2)

Dante, the black and white feline protagonist of ‘Dante, gatto vagante‘ is once more out and about, roaming the sestiere of Venice where he lives, his earlier misadventures having faded from memory. These days he always finds his way home, safe and sound, to the loving Anna and a delicious bowl of crunchy ‘croccantini’. So why would today be any different?

• .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 any level
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Dante, un’altra marachella just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Chi è per me Cecilia (C1/2)

“Grandioso! Licenziato dopo due mesi… E adesso che faccio?!” pensai. Il primo impulso era stato quello di prendere il cellulare. Avevo scorso la rubrica fino alla lettera “C”, poi mi ero fermato a fissare lo schermo. Infine avevo sospirato e lo avevo riposto in tasca. Preso dallo sconforto, mi guardai intorno e chiesi, questa volta ad alta voce: “Che diamine posso fare?”

Milanese twenty-something Matteo loses his first real job after just a few months, and despairs he’ll ever find another. His parents don’t understand how bad his prospects seem, and he hasn’t spoken to his best friend, Cecilia, for several months. Should he call her? But can true friendship between a man and a woman really exist?

• .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/Italian glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
• Suitable for students at advanced level
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Chi è per me Cecilia just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

La carriera – dietro le quinte del Palio di Siena (C2)

“E mancano solo quattro giorni al Palio, la corsa di cavalli più famosa d’Italia!”
sebbene la radio gracchiasse, si distinguevano piuttosto chiaramente le parole dell’esaltato commentatore: “Siena freme e si dipinge dei colori delle contrade, agghindate per la festa. Come ben sapete, cari ascoltatori, tra le dieci contrade che gareggiano vi sono alleanze e rivalità secolari. Per ogni contrada è stato già estratto a sorte un cavallo. I migliori di quest’anno sono il giovane Trifoglio, che è al suo secondo palio e corre per la contrada dell’Istrice, e la veterana Caruccia che vestirà i colori della Lupa. La Lupa e l’Istrice sono due storiche rivali, che fatalità, signori! Se ne vedranno delle belle!”

Follow Il Guercio, the diminutive one-eyed Sardinian jockey, as he’s hired to ride one of the year’s best horses, bareback, in Italy’s most famous urban race, the Siena Palio!

• .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 glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level (no English!)
• Suitable for students at upper-intermediate/advanced levels
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy La carriera – dietro le quinte del Palio di Siena just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | 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.S.

Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news (text + online audio) was published this morning. Reading/listening to it is FREE!

Better still, subscribers get each thrice-weekly bulletin sent directly to their email inboxes, also for FREE, each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Subscribe here.

EasyItalianNews.com is FREE because it’s funded by donations from those who know it helps them improve their Italian – support EasyItalianNews.com!

This week we’ve published a new Italian easy reader in our ‘eBook of the Classic Italian Movie’ series, ‘Io la conoscevo bene‘.

As always with our ‘classic movie’ ebooks, this one is written by an Italian teacher who is also an award-winning scriptwriter, so knows his stuff – they’re ideal for students of Italian who need reading/listening practice, but also for anyone interested in Italian cinema! Browse all eighteen titles in the series here and here.

The latest one is Io la conoscevo bene, level is B1, so intermediate. Until Sunday February 26th it’s reduced 25% from the usual ebook price of £7.99 to just £5.99.

You’ll find more details below, but as always, I suggest checking out the FREE sample chapter (.pdf) before you buy a copy. That way, you’ll know whether the level is suitable, and that the format works on the device you intend to use it on.

The FREE sample chapter (.pdf) also contains a link to the audio for the WHOLE STORY, which is available online for anyone who’d like to listen to it (though having the text, which is not free, obviously helps with that…)

Antonio Pietrangeli’s 1965 movie, ‘Io la conoscevo bene’, features Stefania Sandrelli as beautiful Adriana, an aspiring movie star who’s looking for something more than just a career on the screen…

Giovanni Galavotti’s re-telling of the story of the film for learners of Italian makes a great introduction before watching the movie itself (ideally in Italian!) Or it can be used simply as supplementary reading/listening material, guaranteed to liven up any study program!

• .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 B1 level and above
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Io la conoscevo bene just £5.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | eBook of the Movie (1) | eBook of the Movie (2) | eBook 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.S.

Tuesday’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news (text + online audio) was published a few minutes ago. And that one is COMPLETELY FREE!

Subscribing, which is also FREE, means getting the thrice-weekly bulletins sent directly to your email inbox, each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Subscribe here

A couple of weeks ago we did a half-price offer on four ebook titles we published in 2018, five years ago. It worked well, so today we’re repeating the exercise, but this time with five titles from innocent, pre-pandemic, 2019. Doesn’t that seem a long time ago??

Any of the following five ebooks will cost you just £3.99 until Sunday 19th February 2023. Be aware, the level of these is high, other than the first, which is intermediate. Check the free sample chapters before you buy!

Dante, gatto vagante (B1)

Dante is a black and white cat who likes to roam his sestiere of Venice but proudly refuses to wear a collar. So when, one day, he fails to show up for his dinner, frantic owner Anna has no way to trace him. Where can he have got to?

• .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 any level
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

N.b. If you like this story, you may also enjoy Dante’s further adventure: ‘Dante, un’altra marachella‘.

Buy Dante, gatto vagante just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Il vulcano (C1/2)

Il fenomeno delle migrazioni è un tema importate e complesso, che facilmente scalda gli animi.

Nel 2014 in Italia sono arrivati circa tredicimila minori stranieri non accompagnati: ragazzi e ragazze, o bambini e bambine, minorenni, senza la cittadinanza europea, senza la protezione e la tutela dei loro genitori.

Questi minori vengono affidati a famiglie che vogliano e possano prendersene cura o a istituti protetti dove, grazie al sempre più importante aiuto dei volontari, i ragazzi possono trovare qualcuno che li segua nel loro percorso di crescita e che li aiuti a ricucire le loro ferite.

Quella che state per leggere qui di seguito è una storia vera.

The moving story of how the author, a language teacher, is asked to help a child who has crossed the dangerous Mediterranean Sea on a rubber boat with other migrants, having lost his mother somewhere along the route from his home country.

Now a new challenge awaits the boy – he speaks not a word of the Italian yet must soon start school. And, gradually, build a life in this new land.

• .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 advanced level
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Il vulcano just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Il bar (B2/C1)

Il signor Mario gira la chiave nella serratura e solleva la serranda del Bar Ateneo. Il locale si trova davanti all’Università Statale nel centro di Milano. Il proprietario del vecchio bar, puntuale come ogni mattina, apre la porta di legno scricchiolante, indossa il grembiule e si aggiusta gli occhiali da miope sul nasone aquilino. Poi si dirige svelto a infornare i cornetti e a preparare la macchina del caffè.

Quando ha finalmente le mani libere, Mario si avvicina al calendario per eliminare la pagina del mese appena trascorso: febbraio. Ha una breve esitazione e prende tempo massaggiandosi i corti ricci grigiastri che, nonostante i suoi cinquantotto anni, resistono sul capoccione a forma d’uovo. Un respiro profondo per farsi coraggio dicendo a se stesso:

“Anche quest’anno è arrivato il primo marzo. Stiamo a vedere che diavolo succede”.

• .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 upper-intermediate level or above
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Il bar just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Prometeo e la guerra dei titani (B2/C1)

Un altro giovedì di gennaio al liceo classico Parini di Milano. E’ passato da poco mezzogiorno e alla quarta ora la 5C ha greco: la lezione sembra essere infinita…

But wait! What’s that the teacher’s saying?

“Sapete che secondo il mito greco nella notte dei tempi si combatte una terribile guerra tra immortali? L’obiettivo della guerra è il dominio dell’intero universo.”

• .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 upper-intermediate level or above
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Prometeo e la guerra dei titani just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Il mistero della quercia (B2/C1)

Why does a village traffic accident, which resulted in no injuries besides some damage to a roadside oak tree, have everyone so worried?

Luisa, who’s spending a month with her grandparents, will keep asking questions until someone tells her what’s going on!

What is ‘Il mistero della quercia’?

• .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 upper-intermediate level or above
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Il mistero della quercia just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

How do I access my ebooks?

When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment), download links will be automatically emailed to you. They’re valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebooks in a safe place. Other versions of the ebooks, 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 .pdfs, don’t worry! Email us at the address on the website and we’ll help. Also, why not check out our FAQ?

P.S.

Don’t forget to read/listen to Tuesday’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news.

Improved comprehension skills make other aspects of language learning (grammar, vocabulary, speaking etc.) easier.

The more you read and listen, the more you learn. And it’s FREE!

This week at EasyReaders.org we’ve published a new ‘easy reader’ ebook, part of the ‘A day in the life of’ series of tales from the lives of famous ‘Italians’.

So far, these have included Galileo, Colombo, Raffaello, Vivaldi, Leonardo, Garibaldi, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Verdi, and, um, Plinio. See them all here.

This time , though, it’s a more modern figure, the ‘father of radio’,  Nobel-prize winner Guglielmo Marconi. The story is called Tutti parlano di Marconi, because a hundred or so years ago, everyone was!

The level of this one is B1/B2, so intermediate. Until Sunday February 12th it’s reduced 25% from the usual ebook price – just £5.99. There are full details below, but as always, I suggest checking out the FREE sample chapter (.pdf) before you buy your copy.

That way, you’ll know whether the level is suitable and that the format works on the device you intend to use it on.

An original Italian easy reader by Francesca Colombo

Guglielmo’s mother is explaining to the university physics professor that her son finds school boring, and is, in any case, busy with his hobbies, so she doesn’t insist he go. The professor nods politely – he’s used to wealthy families and their spoilt, lazy offspring…

The woman continues – her son is designing, what does he call it, ‘a battery’ – in the little laboratory they’ve built for him. The nodding stops. Perhaps the Marconi boy really doesn’t need to go to school? Bring him along to the university, the professor suggests. Why not tomorrow?

Improve your Italian reading and listening skills with this intermediate-level ‘easy reader’ ebook:

• .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)

Buy Tutti parlano di Marconi just £5.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | ‘Day in the life of…’ series | 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 (.mobi/Kindle-compatible, .epub) cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them.

P.S.

Don’t forget to read/listen to Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news (text + online audio), which was published a few minutes ago.

Subscribers get each thrice-weekly bulletin sent directly to their email inboxes, which is also FREE.

Subscribe here

This week for our half-price ebook offer, we’re revisiting four ebooks that we first published in distant 2018. Until Sunday 5th February 2023 any of the four will cost you just £3.99, instead of the usual ‘easy reader’ ebook price tag of £7.99.

Regular ebook buyers should please be aware that these all sold quite well when first published, and subsequently, so it’s possible you have one or more of them already. I can do refunds if mistakes are made, but better to check your ebook library before hitting the ‘buy’ button.

Yue a Bologna (A1)

Yue, a talented young Japanese from a rural community in Hokkaido, wins a one-year scholarship to study opera at the ‘Conservatorio’ in Bologna, home to Europe’s oldest university. But the thought of leaving her parents and brother for a whole year disturbs her. And, before studying at the ‘Conservatorio’, she’ll first have to learn Italian…

Buy Yue a Bologna just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Le italiane (B2)

A cool-headed resistance fighter, an Oscar-winning actor, a doctor, a singer, an Olympian, an astronaut, a TV presenter, and a victim of the mafia. What do they all have in common? Read and listen to the moving stories of these eight determined Italians to find out!

Buy Le italiane just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

Valeria, Michele e le maschere (B2)

Valeria has been single for months now. She meets men but after going out a few times they seem reluctant to commit, or even return her messages! She wonders whether the dating app, Tinder, might be worth a try? Michele spends his Saturday evenings alone, playing computer games. If only he wasn’t so shy, he’d meet more people. And then, maybe find a girlfriend? Perhaps the solution is online… Read and listen to find out!

Buy Valeria, Michele e le maschere just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

La Via Francigena (C2)

“Venti giorni di cammino, di fatica, di entusiasmo e di scoperta. Venti giorni di avventura lungo una delle vie più importanti d’Europa, percorsa, negli ultimi mille anni, da principi, imperatori, cardinali, pellegrini, viandanti, giovani, vecchi, bambini, donne, uomini e animali. Una via che racchiude in sé la storia del nostro Paese, una storia fatta di accoglienza, generosità, passione e paesaggi mozzafiato: la Via Francigena.” Join Italian teacher and author, Roberto Gamberini as he follows this famous route of pilgrimage from Lucca in Tuscany to Rome in Lazio.

Buy La Via Francigena just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog

How do I access my ebooks?

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 (.mobi/Kindle-compatible, .epub) cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them.

P.S.

Don’t forget to read/listen to Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news (text + online audio), which was published this morning.

Subscribers get each thrice-weekly bulletin sent directly to their email inboxes, also for FREE.

EasyItalianNews.com is FREE for anyone to use (and subscribe to, if they choose) because it’s funded by donations from students who know it is helping them improve their Italian reading and listening skills…

Support EasyItalianNews.com!

In the fall we began publishing a new series of ‘easy reader’ ebooks based on famous Italian operas.

The first was a simplified text + audio version of Nabucco, one of composer Verdi’s most famous operas. Next we did Puccini’s romantic classic, Turandot, then another Puccini weepy, La Bohème, returning to Verdi for the final two publications of 2022, Rigoletto and La traviata.

Now the festive period is behind us, we restart, with yet more Verdi, the spectacular Aida, and as always, this first week it’s 25% discounted (offer ends Sunday 29th January 2023).

Giuseppe Verdi’s musical exploration of love, jealousy, patriotism and divided-loyalties is here simplifed for learners of Italian (with quotes from the actual libretto!)

Aida, daughter of Amonasro, King of Ethiopia, was captured and is now slave to the Egyptian princess, Amneris, who is unaware of her true identity. Both women are princesses, and both have feelings for handsome soldier Radamès. When Aida’s father leads an Ethiopian military expedition against Egypt, Radames takes command of the defence…

Written to celebrate the opening of the Suez canal, Aida was first performed in 1871 and has been a favorite of opera goers ever since!

Why not begin with our ‘easy reader’ ebook before seeking out a recording of the opera on Youtube? It’ll help! Or just use this original Italian reading/listening practice material to add a little variety to your study program.

Liven up your language studies with this interesting skills practice material, while learning about Italian culture at the same time!

• .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
• 7 chapters (based on the act structure of the opera) to read and listen to
• Comprehension questions to check your understanding
• Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
• Suitable for students at pre-intermediate level or above
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

This being the first week, Aida is 25% discounted, so just £5.99 rather than the usual ‘easy reader’ ebook price of £7.99.

Do check out the FREE sample chapter (.pdf) before you buy a copy, though. That way, you’ll know whether the level is suitable and that the format works on the device you intend to use it on.

Buy Aida just £5.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Opera 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 (.mobi/Kindle-compatible, .epub) cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them.

Remember, download your copy by Sunday 29th January and you’ll save 25%, compared to the usual ‘easy reader’ price of £7.99, so pay just £5.99!

P.S.

Don’t forget to read/listen to Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news (text + online audio), which was just published.

Subscribers get each thrice-weekly bulletin sent directly to their email inboxes, which is also FREE.

EasyItalianNews.com is free for anyone to use (and subscribe to, if they choose) because it’s funded by donations from students who know it is helping them improve their Italian reading and listening skills.

Support EasyItalianNews.com!

This week, EasyReaders.org has two half-price eBook offers, both from our Classic Italian Movies series.

Fantozzi (B2)

Ragionier Fantozzi, Ugo is an Italian everyman, though not a very happy one!

Ugo is ambivalent, to say the least, about his job and his family. He dares to hope for more from both his professional and personal lives, though never seems surprised when his ambitions are thwarted!

The 1971 book was a million-seller. And mention the 1975 film, on which our ‘easy reader’ is based, to any Italian to get them happily talking you through their favourite scenes.

For a rather different insight into Italian life and attitudes, don’t miss the unforgettable cultural meme that is Fantozzi!

• .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
• 9 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 and above
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy Fantozzi (B2) just £3.99!

Il secondo tragico Fantozzi (B2)

Ragionier Fantozzi, Ugo is the Italian everyman: abused by his employer, unhappy at home, and so occasionally tempted to rebel – in the hope of a better future…

“Of course! Everyone knows Fantozzi”, declared this copywriter’s Italian wife, on entering the kitchen to find out what he was laughing out loud about.

The 1971 book was a million-seller and was followed by several unforgettable movies, from which this second volume of mishaps has been selected (find the other here: Fantozzi)

• .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 and above
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

 Buy Il secondo tragico Fantozzi (B2),  just £3.99!

Besides the two half-price ebooks, also this week there’s a 20% coupon code, valid for all the other ebooks in the Classic Italian Movies series, fifteen titles in total! The coupon code is: 20%OffMovieEasyReaders

Copy/paste it carefully into your cart, press the ‘Apply coupon’ button, and it should reduce the cart total by deducting 20% from the price of any applicable items, which are all the ebooks in the movie series, except the nine-ebook bundle (which is already discounted 50%) and the two half-price eBook of the Week offers.

Fantozzi | Il secondo tragico Fantozzi | Classic Italian Movie 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.S.

Don’t forget to use coupon code 20%OffMovieEasyReaders if you decide to buy any of the Classic Italian Movie ebooks…