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2025 Spring Sale: ‘easy reader’ ebook picks at your level!

Last week we announced that our 2025 Spring Sale had begun. Find out more here.

So today, as part of this promotion, I’m going to give you my top ebook picks for beginner, intermediate, and advanced-learners of Italian – I hope there’ll be something here that grabs you!

When I say ‘my top picks’, what I mean is the ebooks that I have enjoyed the most (I read them all, multiple times, during the editing and publishing process).

My criteria is just that: enjoyment. Why?

Because as a language-learner myself, I find that if there’s a story that engages me (whether it’s a news article, or fiction, like our ‘easy readers’), I’ll keep turning the page.

And if I can’t (metaphorically) put an ebook down, my reading comprehension skills improve, and with them my knowledge of vocabulary, and my confidence with the grammar of the language I’m learning.

As any teacher (or student) knows, boredom is the enemy! So a writer that knows how to craft a text so that it pulls you in and won’t let go, even if it’s ‘just’ language-study material, is indeed a useful ally!

Don’t forget, the 2025 Spring Sale is on! To get 25% off everything in your shopping cart, copy/paste the coupon code, which is:

2025-Spring-Sale-25%-Off

Bene, let’s get to it. I’m on the Catalog page of our online shop, starting a little way down, where it says ‘Italian Easy Readers’ (if you’re learning another language, you’ll need to scroll down the Catalog page and make your own selections, sorry!)

So we have seventeen easy reader ebooks for A1 and A2 students, six at A1 (the lowest level), eight at the ‘half-level’ A1/2, and three at A2 (the harder ones). If you’re not sure which level is right for you, use the Free Sample links and take a look. You should be able to get the gist of the story with only occasional use of a dictionary.

N.b. This article was written a couple of years ago. Since then we’ve published other ebooks, so the selection at your level is probably even more ample than described below. Our Catalog page is always up-to-date, so includes the most recent titles, and free sample chapters!

So honestly? I enjoyed all seventeen. but I’ve been strict with myself and whittled the total down to just two at each level, concentrating on the ones I liked the MOST – the stories that made me actually care about the characters, and about what happened to them next!

(These are extracts from our Catalog page, so you can also see the price, the available formats, and a link to the free sample chapter for each title…)

A1 Italian easy readers: Colpo di forbici - cover image

Colpo di forbici (A1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
Rosa la cuoca disastrosa (A1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

A1/2 Italian easy readers - L'ascensore - cover image

Il giocoliere (A1/2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
L’ascensore (A1/2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

A2 Cover image: Cielo libero

Cielo libero (A2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
L’amore ai tempi del supermercato (A2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

What if those were too easy for you? Nessun problema. For ‘intermediate’ learners we have loads and loads of materials – twenty-two separate titles!

The hard part was choosing between them, but again, I’ve been strict and narrowed it down to two stories at each half level…

A2/B1 Italian easy readers - 2 giugno 1946 - cover image

2 giugno 1946 (A2/B1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
Il campo di papaveri (A2/B1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

B1 Easy Italian readers - Dante, gatto vagante - cover image

Caccia all’autografo (B1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
Dante, gatto vagante (B1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

B1/B2 Cover image: Segreti e polpette

L’imperatore e i giochi (B1/2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
Segreti e polpette (B1/2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

B2 Italian easy reaaders - Le italiane - cover image

Natale a sorpresa (B2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
Le italiane (B2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

Hope there was something there that called out “Read me!”

But if you looked at the sample chapters and they were STILL to simple for you, firstly, well done for reading Italian for such confidence, and secondly, brace yourself now for the hard stuff!

B2/C1 Italian easy readers - Prometeo e la guerra dei titani - cover image

Prometeo e la guerra dei titani (B2/C1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi)
Il bar (B2/C1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi)

C1 Italian easy reader ebooks - I racconti della vestale - cover image

La commediante (C1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi)
I racconti della vestale (C1) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi)

C1/C2 Italian easy readers - Il vulcano - cover image

Anselmo e l’omicidio di Giovanni Borgia (C1/2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
Il vulcano (C1/2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

C2 Easy Italian readers - La Via Francigena - cover image

La Via Francigena (C2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)
La carriera – dietro le quinte del Palio di Siena (C2) £7.99 Download FREE sample (.pdf, .epub, .mobi/Kindle)

Bene. Hope you found lots that will keep you reading in and listening to Italian in 2025!

The prices marked above are the usual, year-round prices but with the 2025 Spring Sale promotion (which ends on Sunday 30th March) everything in our online store (EasyReaders.org) is 25% cheaper!

Copy and paste the coupon code 2025-Spring-Sale-25%-Off into your shopping cart, then scroll down to check the cart total has been reduced by 25%.

Make your selections today!

EasyReaders.org

P.S.

Check out the ‘easy reader’ ebook MULTIPACKS, which get you a three-for-two deal, or better.

AND the 25% discount!

Assuming you remember to use the coupon code, that is…

2025-Spring-Sale-25%-Off

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25% Off Graded Italian/Spanish/French/German Study Materials

Don’t know what ‘graded’ study materials are or how they could boost your progress with the language you’re learning?

Scroll down to ++++ to find out.

But first, don’t forget the 2025 Spring Sale is running this week and next, which means a 25% saving on graded material for learning Italian, Spanish, French, and German.

Everything in our online store, EasyReaders.org, is a quarter cheaper until midnight on Sunday 30th March 2025.

But only if you remember to use this coupon code:

2025-Spring-Sale-25%-Off

Make your selection from our range of ebooks, which have been especially written to keep you interested and making progress.

Apply coupon code 2025-Spring-Sale-25%-Off in your shopping cart to reduce the cart total by 25%!

Stock up on online easy readers, parallel texts and grammar workbooks – at an unbeatable price!

Italian | Spanish | French | German

Here’s that coupon code again:

2025-Spring-Sale-25%-Off

Don’t forget to use it when you order to save 25% on the price of everything in your cart!

Italian | Spanish | French | German

Now here’s the promised article:

++++

Everyone learning a foreign language is familiar with the concept of ‘level’.

Some materials are just too hard for where you’re currently at, others might seem just right, whereas the texts you worked on months ago will now, hopefully, feel easy.

We all know that it can be difficult (impossible!) to understand films and so on in the languages we’re learning, or to read an authentic article, say from a newspaper, which is written for educated native-speaker readers.

And yet, clearly, listening to the language as it is really used, and reading articles written in it, are important long-term goals, even if they seem unachievable for the moment.

Plus, it seems likely that the more we read and listen, the more meaningful our studies will be, the more new words we’ll pick up, and the more we’ll feel familiar with the grammar and structures of the languages we’re learning.

Reading and listening to the language you’re studying are unarguably good ways to speed your progress, and in any case, training yourself to listen and to read effectively in the new language is obviously going to be necessary at some point.

But authentic materials are HARD! Often too hard.

The solution to this quandry?

‘Graded’ texts, that is to say materials written by language teachers for learners like you, and designated as suitable for those who have reached or are above a particular level.

The CEFR level system uses six level bands, which are (from easiest to hardest): A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.

Assume that students at the C levels should be reading and listening to authentic (real-life) texts and audio without too much difficulty. The graded materials at those levels, then, will approximate texts written for native-speakers.

People at the intermediate stage (the B levels) are not yet ready for ‘real’ or ‘nearly real’ listening and reading, but still need to build their skills in anticipation. So the graded materials will be an in-between step, aimed at challenging students to develop their skills further.

The easiest materials (at A1 and A2 levels) are designed to be unintimidating, which means short chapters and simple or simpler grammar and vocabulary. Their purpose is to encourage learners to get into the HABIT of reading and listening to the language they’re learning as early on in the process as possible.

The more reading & listening you do early on, the easier everything that follows will be. You’ll already be used to, for example, guessing meaning from context in a text, or getting the gist of the spoken language even when you can’t pick out every word.

Graded materials are useful at every language-learning level, but their real power can be seen when they are incorporated as an integral part of our studies right from Day 1 with a new language.

The difference between a learner who regularly reads and listens to graded materials, and one who never or rarely spends time on anything other than grammar and vocabulary exercises, is plain to see, if for no other reason than that a student who has no fear of reading and listening (because she is using materials that have been specifically written for her level, remember) comes across as being more confident and more autonomous.

How to find graded materials for your level? Our Catalog page lists materials by type and in level order, which should help.

But importantly, there’s always a free sample chapter, which you should absolutely look at before deciding to buy a particular title.

Have a look at the first few lines, the first paragraph, the first page, even the whole of the first chapter. Can you manage to figure out what’s going on in the story without too much effort, without constantly reaching for the dictionary?

If not, step down a level, try another free sample chapter, keep looking until you find something that you’re comfortable with. Don’t forget to check out the free online audio, if there is one. Usually the link is at the top of the first chapter…

Then, if the story grabs you, go ahead and buy a copy! Read a chapter a day, perhaps. There are usually eight short chapters, so in not much more than a week, you’ll be done.

At which point, you could check out other titles at the same level, or look at free sample chapters for the next level (or half-level) up, to see if you’re ready for something a little more challenging.

Aim to establish a reading/listening HABIT. Move up to the next level only when you’re comfortable, no need to rush,

Gradually, month by month, your reading/listening skills will improve, as will your knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary of the language you’re learning.

With graded materials, such as ‘easy readers’ and ‘parallel texts’, you’ll master the language you’re studying step-by-step, almost without realising it!

P.S.

Do find some time to stock up on the easy readers, parallel texts and grammar workbooks you’ll need to improve the language you’re learning in 2025 –  at an unbeatable price – as the next sale won’t be until the end of June, so a long way off!

Browse our Catalog now: Italian | Spanish | French | German

There are free sample chapters to download for all of the many hundreds of ebooks there. Enjoy finding materials for your current level, and for the level or levels you aim to reach in the future.

When you’ve made your selection, don’t forget to apply Coupon code 2025-Spring-Sale-25%-Off in your shopping cart, to reduce the total price by 25%.

No longer interested?

All bulk emails we send (including this one) contain an unsubscribe link, usually at the bottom. Scroll down to find it, click the link and select ‘unsubscribe’. That will permanently remove your email address from our ebooks mailing list.

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2025 Spring Sale! Save 25% on Ebooks for Language Learners!

The EasyReaders.org 2025 Spring Sale has begun!

Which means that students of Italian, Spanish, French, and German can save 25% on ebooks to supplement or guide their language learning.

Everything in our ebooks store, EasyReaders.org, is a quarter cheaper if you remember to use coupon code: 2025-Spring-Sale-25%-Off

Ebooks for students of Italian, Spanish, French, and German can be found on our Catalog page, where everything is organised by language, type, and level.

Or follow these links:

Italian | Spanish | French | German

Use the following coupon code to save 25% on your orders, for as long as the promotion lasts, with no minimum or maximum spend:

2025-Spring-Sale-25%-Off

First make your selection from our range of ebooks, which have been especially written to keep you interested and so making progress.

Then go to your shopping cart and apply coupon code 2025-Spring-Sale-25%-Off to reduce the cart total by 25%.

Scroll down to verify that the cart total has been reduced by 25% BEFORE proceeding with your payment…

Coupon code 2025-Spring-Sale-25%-Off is good until midnight on Sunday 30th March 2025.

You can use it as often as you wish until then, with no minimum or maximum spend.

Do find some time to stock up on the easy readers, parallel texts and grammar workbooks you’ll need to improve the language you’re learning in 2025 –  at an unbeatable price – as the next sale won’t be until the end of June, so a long way off!

Browse our Catalog now: Italian | Spanish | French | German

And don’t forget to apply Coupon code 2025-Spring-Sale-25%-Off in your shopping cart, to reduce the total price by 25%.

No longer interested?

All bulk emails we send (including this one) contain an unsubscribe link, usually at the bottom. Scroll down to find it, click the link and select ‘unsubscribe’. That will permanently remove your email address from our ebooks mailing list.

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2025 Spring Ebook Sale Starts Next Week, Save 25%!

Next week we’re having our 2025 Spring Sale, which means that everything at our ebook store EasyReaders.org can be had a quarter cheaper than usual.

On Tuesday 25th March 2025 we’ll be emailing a coupon code so students of Italian, French, Spanish or German can save 25% on ebooks for learning foreign languages.

Reading and listening practice is essential to building and maintaining comprehension skills, so take the chance next week to pop 4 ebooks into your shopping cart, yet pay for just three of them!

Watch out for the email with the coupon code on Tuesday 25th March 2025!

In the meantime, make your selections from our extensive range of ebooks for learning Italian:

Italian Easy Readers | History/Historical | A Day in the Life of…Italian LiteratureWorld LiteratureItalian Cinema | Opera

Easy Reader Multi-Packs!Italian-English Parallel TextsSelf-Study Workbooks

And/or other languages:

Spanish | French | German

The Catalog page also has links to free samples for all the languages and for virtually all of the ebook titles. Download a few at different levels and read/listen  to them – it’s a good way to verify your reading/listening comprehension level in the language or languages you’re studying!

Our ebooks are .pdf by default (everyone is familiar with those), but for some types of text we also offer other formats that are compatible with Kindles and other ebook readers, .epub for instance. Both the Catalog page and the product information pages for each individual ebook should make it clear which format or formats are available, and how to get them!

Italian | Spanish | French | German

No longer interested?

All bulk emails we send (including this one) contain an unsubscribe link, usually at the bottom. Scroll down to find it, click the link and select ‘unsubscribe’. That will permanently remove your email address from our ebooks mailing list.

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Half-Price Ebook of the Week ‘Le italiane’ (B2) just £4.99

This week’s half-price Italian ‘easy reader’ ebook has been chosen because of Saturday 8th March. Find out more about the significance of that date here.

Italian easy reaaders - Le italiane - cover image

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!

  • .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)

Remember, this week ‘Le italiane‘ is 50% discounted, so just £4.99 rather than the usual ‘easy reader’ ebook price of £9.99!

Buy ‘Le italiane‘ just £4.99! | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Catalog

Find more ebooks, organised by level, then type: A1 | A1/A2 | A2 | A2/B1 | B1 | B1/B2 | B2 | B2/C1 | C1 | C1/C2 | C2

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?

 

And as there are still a few days left of February…

Climb the ‘Italian Comprehension Ladder’: 50% Off This Month

What’s a ‘comprehension ladder’?

Suppose you want to improve your understanding of written and spoken Italian, from a basic level up to a point at which you feel confident dealing with real Italian texts and audio recordings.

Practice with ‘graded’ materials will help build your skills and confidence, each gradation (or ‘level’) being like a step on a ladder.

You climb to the first step, then the next, and another and another, until soon… you’ve high above where you began!

Check out the eleven rungs in our ‘Italian Comprehension Ladder’, all of which will be 50% off the usual ‘easy reader’ price for the next few weeks.

Use the free sample chapters and links to the free online audio to select which rung of the ladder to begin your climb from.

Or grab them all, while they’re half-price!

L’appuntamento – level A1 Italian easy readers: L'appuntamento - cover image

Stefano and Chiara have known each other since they were children but, as they live in different places, have to make arrangements if they want to meet. Today they’ve agreed to see each other. Stefano has something important he wants to ask Chiara…

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at A1

Mistero al Circo Garotti – level A1-A2 Cover image: Mistero al Circo Garotti

The Circo Garotti is the most famous circus in Italy. But lately its owner, Alvise, has been troubled by the disappearance of some of the circus’s performing animals… Can Alvise find out the truth behind these mysterious events?

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at A1/A2

La montagna – level A2 Cover image: La montagna

Three friends decide to spend a weekend trekking in the mountains, as they used to do when they were younger…

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at A2

Quando suonano alla porta – level A2-B1 Italian easy reader ebook - Quando suonano alla porta - cover image

After an evening of wine and streaming TV series, singleton Stefano is asleep on his couch, surrounded by books and pizza boxes. But at five a.m. the doorbell rings…

“Stefano! Stefano apri, ti prego!”

Di chi è questa voce? Chi è che batte con forza alla porta di casa mia?

“Stefano, sono Laura. Per favore, apri, è un’emergenza!”

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at A2/B1

La volta buona – level B1 Easy Italian reader ebook - La volta buona - cover image

“In Italia ci sono circa 1.200 canili e rifugi per cani. In queste strutture vivono circa 120.000 cani. In Italia esiste una legge che impedisce il sacrificio dei cani in canile. Però, solo il 30% dei cani abbandonati viene adottato da una nuova famiglia. Il resto passa la vita in una prigione.”

Gigio is overweight and has skinny legs so, unless there’s food on offer, he moves slowly, or not at all. His cellmate, Pablo, is a ‘cane corso’, a large, powerful and intimidating dog. The human, Carola, who brings their meals often tells Gigio, “Pablo è un cane alfa, tu no… Tu sei un pacifista.” It’s just as well, thinks Gigio!

Only the most heartless students of Italian will read Gigio’s entertaining ‘prison diaries’ without wondering whether they’ve space at home for a dog…

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at B1

Le vie del cuore – level B1-B2 Easy Italian reader ebook - Le vie del cuore - cover image

In your home town, street names may have been chosen by a city planner hoping to orientate you, by a developer so as to evoke pleasant images in your mind (and so raise real estate prices), or by local leaders to commemorate an important person, place or event. At the very least, they’ll be familiar to you. But in another country? The names of Italy’s piazze, strade and vie can often seem mere strings of hard-to-remember syllables, devoid of any meaning to visitors from afar…

But no! Take a little time and – with the help of this ‘easy reader’ ebook – you’ll soon know as much as any local!

Chi visita più di una città italiana, trova alcuni nomi di vie e piazze molto ricorrenti: sono i nomi di personaggi celebri e importanti, di date significative o di luoghi con un valore storico o sociale. Per esempio, in molte città italiane c’è una “Via Leonardo da Vinci” o una “Piazza Dante Alighieri” in onore del grande genio e del famoso autore della Divina Commedia. Ci sono anche tante “Via Roma” in ricordo della splendida capitale…

E poi ci sono un sacco di nomi ed eventi sconosciuti o quasi. Per esempio: chi diamine era Giuseppe Mazzini? Perché è famoso Enrico Fermi? E cosa è successo il 4 Novembre?! Conoscere i personaggi e i fatti che danno il nome a molte strade e piazze delle città del Bel Paese è un po’ come fare un tuffo nella cultura italiana. Allora, siete pronti a tuffarvi?

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at B1/B2

Per colpa di una lettera – level B2 Easy Italian reader ebook - Per colpa di una lettera - cover image

One morning Albina gets an unexpected visitor – because of a letter!

“Arrivo, arrivo! Che diamine! Un po’ di pazienza!” strilla Albina con voce acuta e civettuola, mentre qualcuno bussa insistentemente alla porta della sua piccola ma elegante casetta a due piani. È convinta che sia uno dei suoi ammiratori che le porta un mazzo di fiori.

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at B2

La diaspora italiana – Italiani negli Stati Uniti – level B2/C1 Easy Italian readers - La diaspora italiana - Italiani negli Stati Uniti - cover image

A ‘diaspora’ is a population that lives somewhere different from their original home, or that of their forebears. Since the late nineteenth century, millions of Italians have emigrated in search of better prospects. By 1980 it was estimated that twenty-five million Italians had made their home outside of Italy, in countries all over the world…

Secondo il censimento del 2010, gli Italo-americani sono 17.250.000 e corrispondono al sesto gruppo etnico più numeroso negli Stati Uniti d’America.

Gli Italo-americani si sono distinti nei più diversi settori della società. Nel campo dell’invenzione, per esempio, ricordiamo Antonio Meucci, il padre del telefono, e la famiglia di origine friulana Jacuzzi, che ha prodotto le famose vasche da bagno.

In ambito sportivo si sono distinti, fra gli altri, il mitico giocatore di baseball Joltin’ Joe (Giuseppe Paolo) di Maggio, sposato per qualche anno con la diva Marilyn Monroe e citato in una famosa canzone di Simon and Garfunkel, e poi il campione dei pesi massimi Rocco Francis Marchegiano, meglio conosciuto come Rocky Marciano, the Brockton Blockbuster.

Anche nel mondo dello spettacolo non mancano cognomi italiani: da Frank Sinatra a Leonardo di Caprio, da John Turturro a Madonna (alias Veronica Ciccone) a Frank Zappa, passando per Robert De Niro, Jake LaMotta, Joe Pesci, Liza Minelli, Al Pacino e Jon Bon Jovi… La lista è lunghissima!

E, infine, un buon numero di italiani di prima, seconda, terza o quarta generazione hanno contribuito a governare il paese. Per esempio, Fiorello La Guardia è stato sindaco di New York negli anni della Grande Depressione.

“Little Flower”, così era chiamato (traduzione letterale del suo nome italiano), ha amministrato con grande onestà ed efficienza la città e ne ha rilanciato l’economia.

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at B2/C1

Il miracolo del paese – level C1 Easy Italian readers - Il miracolo del paese - cover image

Italia, circa sette anni dopo la Prima Guerra Mondiale e la successiva influenza spagnola, che insieme avevano decimato la popolazione giovane e fertile di Villalba, un piccolo paese nel nord d’Italia

Fuori dalla casa di Luigia c’era un gruppetto di persone che si guardava in attesa. Il marito di Luigia, che stava per diventare padre, mostrava tutta la sua preoccupazione.

“Voi credete che sia normale? Tante ore per…”

Il parroco sbottò, quasi fosse offeso: “Certo che è normale, abbi fede nel Signore, che diamine! Le cose ben fatte son lunghe da farsi!”

Marcello chiese scusa, rammaricato per aver messo in dubbio i piani del buon Dio. Ma in quel momento qualcuno gridò: “È nato, è nato!”

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at C1

Tumulto a Firenze – level C1-C2 Italian easy readers - Tumulto a Firenze - cover image

The thrill of revolution!

Nel 1378 la situazione sociale, politica ed economica della Repubblica di Firenze è precaria. La città è stata fortemente debilitata dalla Peste del Trecento e da una recente guerra contro lo Stato Pontificio. La nobiltà cittadina e il “popolo grasso” (ricchi banchieri e imprenditori) aumentano dunque la pressione nei confronti dei lavoratori salariati (soprattutto lavoratori della lana).

Nel dialetto toscano, “ciompare” significa battere, colpire, picchiare. Si definivano dunque “Ciompi” i battilana. Vi erano molti tipi di lavoratori di tessuti, e i Ciompi sgrezzavano la lana. Si occupavano solo della fase iniziale e più dura della lavorazione.

Nell’estate del 1378, a fronte di uno scontro tra nobili e corporazioni, anche i poveri salariati si riversano in città. In un primo momento il loro numero e la loro disorganizzazione sono sconcertanti. Presa coscienza della propria superiorità numerica e supportati inizialmente dalle Arti, i lavoratori della lana, detti Ciompi, iniziano a esigere diritti politici.

“Svelto, Luigi, prendi le armi!” mio padre aveva fatto irruzione, tutto trafelato, nel retro della casa. Io e mia sorella Angela, che stavamo battendo la lana, interrompemmo il lavoro.

“Quali armi? Che succede babbo?” chiesi sorpreso.

“Non c’è tempo, ti spiego durante il cammino… tu prendi il coltellaccio, che non si sa mai!” Mi strinse una spalla con la mano. Gli lanciai uno sguardo interrogativo ma obbedii.

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at C1/C2

La carriera – dietro le quinte del Palio di Siena – level C2 Italian easy reader ebooks - 'La carriera - dietro le quinte del Palio di Siena' - cover image

“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!

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at C2

Find more ebooks, organised by level, then type: A1 | A1/A2 | A2 | A2/B1 | B1 | B1/B2 | B2 | B2/C1 | C1 | C1/C2 | C2

P.S.

Logo of EasyItalianNews.com

Don’t forget to read/listen to Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news, will you?

The regular text + audio bulletins are a fantastic, FREE way to consolidate the grammar and vocabulary you’ve studied, as well as being fun and motivating!

Take a look at their website to get started on improving your Italian immediately!

And/or get all three text + audio bulletins of ‘easy’ news emailed to you each week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, subscribe (they really are FREE) by entering your email address on this page and clicking the confirmation link that will be sent to you.

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Free one-to-one online lesson offer ends tomorrow night

Here’s a final reminder not to miss your chance to take a free, one-to-one, online Italian/Spanish/French/German lesson with a native-speaker teacher.

There are only about 36 hours remaining of the Free Trial Online Lesson offer at NativeSpeakerTeachers.com. Their promotion ends tomorrow night, 23/02/25.

They do these offers only in November and February, when things are otherwise quiet. So after Sunday, there won’t be another chance for a while!

This week they’ve already given away lots of FREE online lessons, worth £22 each.

But they still have the capacity and budget for a few more, so if you’d like to try an online lesson (via Skype or Zoom) with a native-speaker teacher, here are the links you need:

Italian | Spanish | French | German

There’s no need to buy one to get one free, and you don’t have to provide credit card or payment details. Anyone who wants to try an online lesson, gets one for free!

Of course, the idea is that some of you will buy additional lesson credits and continue to learn this way. Others won’t, but that’s fine – hopefully those people will say nice things about us to others they know who are learning Italian, Spanish, French or German.

This offer is for new students only. The Free Trial Lesson offer is limited to one free online lesson per person.

Grab your free trial lesson:

Italian | Spanish | French | German

When NativeSpeakerTeachers.com receives your order, their teaching management assistant will email you to find out what your needs and preferences are and WHEN you’d like to do your free lesson.

  • The Free Trial Online Lesson offer ends on Sunday 23/02/25
  • You don’t have to DO the lesson this week, just ‘book’ it
  • Lots of people have already signed up for a trial lesson, but there are still slots available
  • This offer is for NEW STUDENTS ONLY
  • If you booked a free trial last time but didn’t take it – try again!
  • But if you’ve already done a free trial in the past, sorry but this isn’t for you
  • Once you’ve completed your lesson, you’ll be sent a 15% discount coupon

View online lesson prices here:

Online Italian lessons | Online Spanish lessons | Online French lessons | Online German lessons

Follow these links to book your free trial:

Italian | Spanish | French | German

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Don’t miss out on your free one-to-one online lesson!

Here’s a quick reminder that this week NativeSpeakerTeachers.com is giving away 150 FREE ONLINE LESSONS (the offer is for new students only.)

At NativeSpeakerTeachers.com there are just two opportunities each year to try a free online lesson (via Skype or Zoom) with one of their native-speaker teachers, in February and November.

You don’t have to buy anything or provide credit card details – all they need is your email address so our teaching management assistant can contact you to organise your lesson.

This promotion is for new students only.

Here’s the links you need to book your free trial lesson:

Italian | Spanish | French | German

N.b. The offer ends on Sunday night, though that’s the deadline for responding, not for actually doing the lesson. Lessons will be organised in the order that people contact us.

  • The Free Trial Online Lesson offer ends on Sunday 23/02/25
  • You don’t have to DO the lesson this week, just ‘book’ it
  • This offer is for NEW STUDENTS ONLY
  • If you booked a free trial last time but didn’t take it – try again!
  • But if you’ve already done a free trial in the past, sorry but this isn’t for you
  • After your lesson, you’ll get a 15% discount coupon valid for your first purchase of online Italian lessons

Compare online lesson prices:

Online Italian lessons | Online Spanish lessons | Online French lessons | Online German lessons

Book your free trial Italian/Spanish/French/German lesson before the offer ends on Sunday:

Italian | Spanish | French | German

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Why not try a FREE Italian/Spanish/French/German lesson?

At EasyReaders.org we publish ebooks for language learners, mainly Italian, but also French, Spanish, German and a sprinkling of other languages.

Our FREE samples, and FREE titles, are downloaded often (find them on our Catalog page) so we know there are lots of language students out there looking for a bargain!

EasyReaders.org used to also sell one-to-one online language lessons, but that’s now done through a dedicated website (with a different mailing list) NativeSpeakerTeachers.com.

But guess what? This week NativeSpeakerTeachers.com is giving away 150 FREE TRIAL ITALIAN/FRENCH/SPANISH/GERMAN LESSONS.

Why not try one?

Obviously, you should check out the details of the ‘free trial’ offer on their website.

Then, it’s a simple matter of ‘buying’ the lesson that interests you (priced at £0.00 instead of the usual £22.00 – no catches, nothing to pay) and waiting for them to contact you.

You can do that here:

Italian | Spanish | French | German

As I said, you should read the details of the ‘free trial’ offer on their website, but it’s a genuine offer, and it ends on Sunday February 23rd 2025.

P.S. Not interested?

All bulk email we send contains a prominent ‘unsubscribe’ link. Click it once and your email will be permanently removed from whichever list it’s part of (not from other lists you might be on.)

Hundreds of people use the ‘unsubscribe’ link each week, so there’s no reason to be reading emails like this one if you’re not interested.

The unsubscribe process is more or less instant. Do give it a try!

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Climb the ‘Italian Comprehension Ladder’: 50% Off This Month

What’s a ‘comprehension ladder’?

Suppose you want to improve your understanding of written and spoken Italian, from a basic level up to a point at which you feel confident dealing with real Italian texts and audio recordings.

Practice with ‘graded’ materials will help build your skills and confidence, each gradation (or ‘level’) being like a step on a ladder.

You climb to the first step, then the next, and another and another, until soon… you’ve high above where you began!

Check out the eleven rungs in our ‘Italian Comprehension Ladder’, all of which will be 50% off the usual ‘easy reader’ price for the next few weeks.

Use the free sample chapters and links to the free online audio to select which rung of the ladder to begin your climb from.

Or grab them all, while they’re half-price!

L’appuntamento – level A1 Italian easy readers: L'appuntamento - cover image

Stefano and Chiara have known each other since they were children but, as they live in different places, have to make arrangements if they want to meet. Today they’ve agreed to see each other. Stefano has something important he wants to ask Chiara…

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at A1

Mistero al Circo Garotti – level A1-A2 Cover image: Mistero al Circo Garotti

The Circo Garotti is the most famous circus in Italy. But lately its owner, Alvise, has been troubled by the disappearance of some of the circus’s performing animals… Can Alvise find out the truth behind these mysterious events?

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at A1/A2

La montagna – level A2 Cover image: La montagna

Three friends decide to spend a weekend trekking in the mountains, as they used to do when they were younger…

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at A2

Quando suonano alla porta – level A2-B1 Italian easy reader ebook - Quando suonano alla porta - cover image

After an evening of wine and streaming TV series, singleton Stefano is asleep on his couch, surrounded by books and pizza boxes. But at five a.m. the doorbell rings…

“Stefano! Stefano apri, ti prego!”

Di chi è questa voce? Chi è che batte con forza alla porta di casa mia?

“Stefano, sono Laura. Per favore, apri, è un’emergenza!”

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at A2/B1

La volta buona – level B1 Easy Italian reader ebook - La volta buona - cover image

“In Italia ci sono circa 1.200 canili e rifugi per cani. In queste strutture vivono circa 120.000 cani. In Italia esiste una legge che impedisce il sacrificio dei cani in canile. Però, solo il 30% dei cani abbandonati viene adottato da una nuova famiglia. Il resto passa la vita in una prigione.”

Gigio is overweight and has skinny legs so, unless there’s food on offer, he moves slowly, or not at all. His cellmate, Pablo, is a ‘cane corso’, a large, powerful and intimidating dog. The human, Carola, who brings their meals often tells Gigio, “Pablo è un cane alfa, tu no… Tu sei un pacifista.” It’s just as well, thinks Gigio!

Only the most heartless students of Italian will read Gigio’s entertaining ‘prison diaries’ without wondering whether they’ve space at home for a dog…

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at B1

Le vie del cuore – level B1-B2 Easy Italian reader ebook - Le vie del cuore - cover image

In your home town, street names may have been chosen by a city planner hoping to orientate you, by a developer so as to evoke pleasant images in your mind (and so raise real estate prices), or by local leaders to commemorate an important person, place or event. At the very least, they’ll be familiar to you. But in another country? The names of Italy’s piazze, strade and vie can often seem mere strings of hard-to-remember syllables, devoid of any meaning to visitors from afar…

But no! Take a little time and – with the help of this ‘easy reader’ ebook – you’ll soon know as much as any local!

Chi visita più di una città italiana, trova alcuni nomi di vie e piazze molto ricorrenti: sono i nomi di personaggi celebri e importanti, di date significative o di luoghi con un valore storico o sociale. Per esempio, in molte città italiane c’è una “Via Leonardo da Vinci” o una “Piazza Dante Alighieri” in onore del grande genio e del famoso autore della Divina Commedia. Ci sono anche tante “Via Roma” in ricordo della splendida capitale…

E poi ci sono un sacco di nomi ed eventi sconosciuti o quasi. Per esempio: chi diamine era Giuseppe Mazzini? Perché è famoso Enrico Fermi? E cosa è successo il 4 Novembre?! Conoscere i personaggi e i fatti che danno il nome a molte strade e piazze delle città del Bel Paese è un po’ come fare un tuffo nella cultura italiana. Allora, siete pronti a tuffarvi?

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at B1/B2

Per colpa di una lettera – level B2 Easy Italian reader ebook - Per colpa di una lettera - cover image

One morning Albina gets an unexpected visitor – because of a letter!

“Arrivo, arrivo! Che diamine! Un po’ di pazienza!” strilla Albina con voce acuta e civettuola, mentre qualcuno bussa insistentemente alla porta della sua piccola ma elegante casetta a due piani. È convinta che sia uno dei suoi ammiratori che le porta un mazzo di fiori.

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at B2

La diaspora italiana – Italiani negli Stati Uniti – level B2/C1 Easy Italian readers - La diaspora italiana - Italiani negli Stati Uniti - cover image

A ‘diaspora’ is a population that lives somewhere different from their original home, or that of their forebears. Since the late nineteenth century, millions of Italians have emigrated in search of better prospects. By 1980 it was estimated that twenty-five million Italians had made their home outside of Italy, in countries all over the world…

Secondo il censimento del 2010, gli Italo-americani sono 17.250.000 e corrispondono al sesto gruppo etnico più numeroso negli Stati Uniti d’America.

Gli Italo-americani si sono distinti nei più diversi settori della società. Nel campo dell’invenzione, per esempio, ricordiamo Antonio Meucci, il padre del telefono, e la famiglia di origine friulana Jacuzzi, che ha prodotto le famose vasche da bagno.

In ambito sportivo si sono distinti, fra gli altri, il mitico giocatore di baseball Joltin’ Joe (Giuseppe Paolo) di Maggio, sposato per qualche anno con la diva Marilyn Monroe e citato in una famosa canzone di Simon and Garfunkel, e poi il campione dei pesi massimi Rocco Francis Marchegiano, meglio conosciuto come Rocky Marciano, the Brockton Blockbuster.

Anche nel mondo dello spettacolo non mancano cognomi italiani: da Frank Sinatra a Leonardo di Caprio, da John Turturro a Madonna (alias Veronica Ciccone) a Frank Zappa, passando per Robert De Niro, Jake LaMotta, Joe Pesci, Liza Minelli, Al Pacino e Jon Bon Jovi… La lista è lunghissima!

E, infine, un buon numero di italiani di prima, seconda, terza o quarta generazione hanno contribuito a governare il paese. Per esempio, Fiorello La Guardia è stato sindaco di New York negli anni della Grande Depressione.

“Little Flower”, così era chiamato (traduzione letterale del suo nome italiano), ha amministrato con grande onestà ed efficienza la città e ne ha rilanciato l’economia.

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at B2/C1

Il miracolo del paese – level C1 Easy Italian readers - Il miracolo del paese - cover image

Italia, circa sette anni dopo la Prima Guerra Mondiale e la successiva influenza spagnola, che insieme avevano decimato la popolazione giovane e fertile di Villalba, un piccolo paese nel nord d’Italia

Fuori dalla casa di Luigia c’era un gruppetto di persone che si guardava in attesa. Il marito di Luigia, che stava per diventare padre, mostrava tutta la sua preoccupazione.

“Voi credete che sia normale? Tante ore per…”

Il parroco sbottò, quasi fosse offeso: “Certo che è normale, abbi fede nel Signore, che diamine! Le cose ben fatte son lunghe da farsi!”

Marcello chiese scusa, rammaricato per aver messo in dubbio i piani del buon Dio. Ma in quel momento qualcuno gridò: “È nato, è nato!”

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at C1

Tumulto a Firenze – level C1-C2 Italian easy readers - Tumulto a Firenze - cover image

The thrill of revolution!

Nel 1378 la situazione sociale, politica ed economica della Repubblica di Firenze è precaria. La città è stata fortemente debilitata dalla Peste del Trecento e da una recente guerra contro lo Stato Pontificio. La nobiltà cittadina e il “popolo grasso” (ricchi banchieri e imprenditori) aumentano dunque la pressione nei confronti dei lavoratori salariati (soprattutto lavoratori della lana).

Nel dialetto toscano, “ciompare” significa battere, colpire, picchiare. Si definivano dunque “Ciompi” i battilana. Vi erano molti tipi di lavoratori di tessuti, e i Ciompi sgrezzavano la lana. Si occupavano solo della fase iniziale e più dura della lavorazione.

Nell’estate del 1378, a fronte di uno scontro tra nobili e corporazioni, anche i poveri salariati si riversano in città. In un primo momento il loro numero e la loro disorganizzazione sono sconcertanti. Presa coscienza della propria superiorità numerica e supportati inizialmente dalle Arti, i lavoratori della lana, detti Ciompi, iniziano a esigere diritti politici.

“Svelto, Luigi, prendi le armi!” mio padre aveva fatto irruzione, tutto trafelato, nel retro della casa. Io e mia sorella Angela, che stavamo battendo la lana, interrompemmo il lavoro.

“Quali armi? Che succede babbo?” chiesi sorpreso.

“Non c’è tempo, ti spiego durante il cammino… tu prendi il coltellaccio, che non si sa mai!” Mi strinse una spalla con la mano. Gli lanciai uno sguardo interrogativo ma obbedii.

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at C1/C2

La carriera – dietro le quinte del Palio di Siena – level C2 Italian easy reader ebooks - 'La carriera - dietro le quinte del Palio di Siena' - cover image

“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!

Buy now -50% | Free sample (.pdf) | Free online audio | Other ebooks at C2

P.S. Free Trial Lesson Offer Next Week!

Learning Italian/French/Spanish/German?

Next week our sister website NativeSpeakerTeachers.com will be running their semi-annual Free Trial Lesson promotion.

Regular online meetings with a native speaker teacher of the language you’re learning help give structure to your self-study, and are essential to practice speaking and interacting!

But many students are anxious that one-to-one lessons might not be right for them. We were nervous ourselves, before we tried being online students!

So why not take the chance to do just the one, for free, while the promotion is on?

There’ll be details of how that works in next week’s email. Watch this space!

No longer interested?

All bulk emails we send (including this one) contain an unsubscribe link, usually at the bottom. Scroll down to find it, click the link and select ‘unsubscribe’. That will permanently remove your email address from our ebooks mailing list.

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Don’t forget – the 2025 January Sale on ebooks ends tonight!

Don’t forget – the EasyReaders.org 2025 January Sale ends tonight, Sunday February 2nd.

Coupon code 2025-January-Sale-25%-Off is still valid on EVERYTHING in our online store,  which specialises in ebooks for learning foreign languages, in particular Italian, but also French, Spanish, German and some other languages.

Browse our extensive range of ebooks for learning Italian:

Italian Easy Readers | History/Historical | A Day in the Life of…Italian LiteratureWorld LiteratureItalian Cinema | Opera

Easy Reader Multi-Packs!Italian-English Parallel TextsSelf-Study Workbooks

And/or other languages:

Spanish | French | German

You’ll find FREE sample chapters for just about everything, so you can get an idea of the level and format of the material, and decide what may work best to keep you learning in 2025.

For example, ‘Easy reader’ ebooks, which are simplified texts and accompanying online audio at 12 different levels!

Or ‘parallel text’ ebooks (simplified texts + translations) at different levels – the language you’re learning along with a line-by-line translation into English.

Depending on the way you prefer to learn, either could be ideal for supplementing a more traditional language course.

An ebook ‘easy reader’ might normally cost £9.99, but until midnight tonight you can use coupon code 2025-January-Sale-25%-Off to reduce that by 25%, to just £7.49.

Stock up on the study materials you need today, before the 2025 January Sale ends. The next similar promotion won’t be until the end of March…

Italian | Spanish | French | German

Don’t forget, the coupon code to save 25% on the published prices is 2025-January-Sale-25%-Off .

Paste it carefully into the box in your cart, where it says ‘Coupon Code’.

Then presss the ‘Apply Coupon’ button. Finally scroll down to check that your order total has been discounted by 25%, before proceeding – it’s the order total that is discounted, not the item price which you see on your screen, though that amounts to the same thing.

Italian | Spanish | French | German

EasyReaders.org | Ebooks catalog | Cart

No longer interested?

All bulk emails we send (including this one) contain an unsubscribe link, usually at the bottom. Scroll down to find it, click the link and select ‘unsubscribe’. That will permanently remove your email address from our ebooks mailing list.