Ordering coffee in Italy

How do you order a coffee in Italy?
Will you be able to get away by mixing a few semi-Italian terms coined by Starbucks such as "Venti", "Misto" or "Frappuccino"? Not really...

As you may expect, there are a vast array of choices for coffee in Italy. In Trieste, the city where I come from and where the famous Illy brand is produced, you can find more than 60 different kinds of coffee. That said, the original Italian coffee is what Italians call caffe' espresso (or simply caffe').

Here are some of the most common types of coffee you can order at a Bar (that's how coffee shops are called in Italy):

• Caffe' espresso (or simply caffe’) is very concentrated as it is made with less water.
• Caffe' lungo is made with more water even though the amount of coffee is always the same. The caffe' lungo is still served in small cups.
• Cappuccino is an espresso with milk served in a large cup and with foam on top. The Italian cappuccino is smaller than the American one.
• Caffe' macchiato is an espresso with a drop of milk and foam on top.
• Latte macchiato (not to be confused with caffe’ macchiato) is a glass of milk with a drop (stain) of coffee.
• Caffe’ latte is a foamless espresso to which some warm milk has been added.
• Caffe' americano is a very diluted espresso served in a large cup.
• Caffe' corretto is an espresso with a shot of liquor (usually Grappa or another liquor of your choice).
• Caffe' Hag is a decaffeinated espresso

And now, a little test for you: What's the name of the three coffee in the photo above?

p.s. Get ready for Italy with our eBook! We feature 350+ tips and 190+ pictures to get you immersed in the real Italian culture.

Italian for Kids: Cars (video)

How do you name the different parts of a car in Italian?
My daughter Silvia Tosolini, 7 is happy to help you finding that out. Enjoy!

- Can't see the video? Watch it from YouTube
- iPod version (MP4 - 7.6Mb)
- More Italian videos by Silvia

Share your Italian photos with Photosynth

Here is an exciting technology that will help you bring to life hundreds of photos of Italy and convert them into an immersive interactive online experience.

Microsoft has finally publicly released Photosynth, an online application that has the ability to reconstruct scenes or objects from a bunch of flat photographs.

Using techniques from the field of computer vision, Photosynth examines images for similarities to each other and uses that information to estimate the shape of the subject and the vantage point the photos were taken from. With this information, Photosynth recreates the space and uses it as a canvas to display and navigate through the photos.

As a Microsoft employee I had a chance to play with Photosynth long time ago. But other than generically blogging about it, I couldn't really share any specific details.
Now that Photosynth is public domain, I encourage you to take a closer look at it and try to "synth" some of your own photos. The first time you visit the site, you'll need to download and install a special plugin for your browser (Windows PC only).

- Microsoft Photosynth web site
- How to introductory video
- Various user generated synths of Italy

Italian word of the day via Twitter

If you are into social media and geeky stuff, you've probably heard about Twitter. Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.

What's the relationship between Twitter and Italy? Well, I just found out of a new Twitter user called @italianword who broadcasts on a daily basis a new Italian term together with its meaning and a link to its audio pronunciation.

If you are studying Italian and are looking for an easy reminder of a new word to learn every day, then consider getting a Twitter account and follow @italianword.

p.s. I do have a personal Twitter account @tosolini but I mostly twit about work stuff. If you think I should start twitting about Italy more often than I blog, please let me know and I'll consider doing it.

Pasta-Fest (video)

Like every Italian, I love pasta.
Every time I go back to my home town, I make a point to visit a large grocery store to enjoy the unmatched variety of food on display. In this video I capture the experience of walking down the pasta aisle.

- Can't see the video? Watch it from YouTube
- iPod version (MP4 - 6.7Mb)

Italian culture tips on your iPhone

Looking for an easy way to view our hot Italian culture tips right on your mobile device? Well, just point your smartphone browser to http://m.italyfromtheinside.com/. This is the new mobile version of this blog accessible from any smartphone, including the cool iPhone.

Basic visitation rules for Italian churches

Hot summers in Italy demand light clothing. But if you plan to visit churches and monasteries, you might be prompted at the entrance with a sign that reminds you some basic visitation rules that apply to all sacred places.
These directions may include to wear appropriate clothing, to refrain from walking around during a celebration, to mute your cell phone and to leave pets out.

Italian churches are rich of history and in constant "fund raising mode" to face recurring maintenance and restoration costs. Donations in any form are always appreciated.
One way to contribute is to listen to the audio-visual history guides that are often present in the most popular churches.

These devices haven't changed much in the past 20 years (except for the price of the recording), and they offer a succinct summary of the key historical facts of the place in various languages.
I consider them the precursor of the MP3 audio guides that are becoming increasingly popular for portable devices like the iPod.

Italian for Kids: Astronomy (video)

My daughter Silvia, 7 has found a simple way to explain the basics of the Solar system. Here is a new episode of her video podcast series 'Italian for Kids', for the first time also starring my son Alessio, 4. Enjoy!

- Can't see the video? Watch it from YouTube
- iPod version (MP4 - 4.7Mb)

The cost of forgetting to validate your train ticket

I already mentioned in a previous post the requirement for all train passengers to punch their tickets before they get on board. The reason why I'm reposting this important detail is that TreniItalia, the organization that runs all trains in Italy, just raised their fines if you forget to validate your ticket.

The increase is significant, from €25 to €200 (which translates in $300 these days). If you pay the fine within 15 days then the amount is going to be reduced to €100, if you pay on the spot or at the final destination it is reduced to €50.

Should you forget to punch your ticket, a best practice is to inform the ticket conductor right away. While there is no guarantee that you'll avoid the fine (multa), it might help demonstrate your overall good faith.

N.B. First time in Italy? Check out our eBook with hundreds of time and money saving tips collected for you by real Italians.

Watch Italian TV news online

What do Italian families do at 8pm every day? They dine together and watch the evening news (Telegiornale).
RAI is the Italian public TV network and encompasses three main channels: RAI 1, RAI 2 and RAI3. While all three channels collaborate on reporting national and local news, they have been historically characterized by different political views of their respective newsroom management.

Nevertheless, RAI has stepped up considerably their commitment to Internet programming and they have been publishing online a wide variety of shows including my favorite Telegiornale, called TG1.

Here is how you can watch it too. Go to RAI Web site and click on the TG1 icon indicated by the arrow.



The latest TG1 video edition will show up in a pop up window and stream for 30 mins (you may need to enable pop ups for this site).
Don't forget to browse around for a wealth of other TV and radio shows including documentaries and cartoons for the youngest. Yes, everything is in Italian of course...

Rick Steves' new Italy audio walking tours

Rick Steves is a popular writer of European travel guidebooks and host in several travel shows on public television and public radio. His excellent Italy guides offer plenty of detailed information on places to visit and affordable accommodations in main Italy destinations (N.B. Our eBook is a perfect companion of Rick's guides as we focus on the Italian culture and how to deal with everyday things in your trip).

Among his new media initiatives that I like the most are the FREE audio walking tours of Rome, Florence and Venice.
These audio tours are downloadable MP3 files narrated by Rick himself that you can put on your portable device such as an iPod or SmartPhone. Rick explains the history of places like the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, the Uffizi Gallery and other important locations as if you were hiring a dedicated guide.

I praise Rick for embracing blogging and podcasting as a way to create conversations with his audience and I look forward to see his audio tours start covering more areas outside the classic tourist circuit.

Podcast #16 - Folk music from Milan

I CantaMilano are an Italian folk group performing traditional and popular songs from Milan. The lyrics are sometimes in local dialect and they tend to narrate romantic and fun stories of how simple people used to live in the past. I had the pleasure to record a few songs from them during a brief visit to Milan a few months ago.


Listen / Download this episode in MP3 format
(12Mb - 16:41 mins)

Don't miss future podcasts!

Podcast #15 - Learn Italian with free podcasts

Podcasts are a wonderful way to learn a new language, and luckily there are several good shows that focus on Italian. My favorites are My Daily Phrase Italian and LearnItalianPod. If you own an iPod or other MP3 player, you can take advantage of this medium to listen to Italian conversations while you are driving, commuting to work or just walking your dog.
It's powerful, effective and free.

In this episode, I interviewed Max Braglia, producer of the popular and successful language show LearnItalianPod.
Max shared with me some interesting insights on his podcast, how it all started and how he plans to evolve it in the future. Enjoy!


Listen / Download this episode in MP3 format
(11Mb - 15:37 mins)

Don't miss future podcasts!

Hot chocolate made the Italian way

Among my favorite treats I get all the times when I visit Italy are the cream filled croissant (brioche alla crema) and the hot chocolate (cioccolata calda). Every coffee shop (bar) will sell fresh croissants as they are part of the traditional Italian breakfast cappuccino e brioche.

American hot chocolate is usually prepared by mixing hot water with cocoa powder. If you order one in Italy, you'll find that the barista will mix the cocoa powder with real milk and stir and foam it for 15-20 seconds until a thick consistency has been achieved.

I often found that hot chocolates that could hold my spoon standing still were the most delicious ones.

Trentino: Traditional Flavors (video)

Enjoy this video about traditional food flavors of Trentino region. I previously covered this area in a podcast with the Trentino Tourism Office, which kindly granted me permission to post this video and a few more to come.

- Can't see the video? Watch it from YouTube
- iPod version (MP4 - 12Mb)

Italy online maps getting more sophisticated

Last January I posted a video demoing how you can explore Italy from the sky using Google Maps and Microsoft's Live Search Maps. They are both excellent tools and you'll not be disappointed either way.

Working myself at Microsoft though, I've done some extra research about the recent coverage improvements of the Italian territory using our services, and here is what I discovered.

New bird's eye views
Live Search Maps now offers bird's eye views for 70+ Italian cities. What it means is that you can enjoy aerial views at low altitude of several important cities in Italy and at different angles too!
Check out Udine, Milan, or Padua.
Here is a current unofficial list which will grow overtime.

To try yourself, go to Live Search Maps, enter one of the cities in the list, zoom a little closer until the Bird's Eye label in the toolbar is enabled. Then click it and enjoy!



Photosynth technology meets maps
I already blogged about this cool technology which turns photo into 3D experiences. Photosynth is still an unreleased product incubated by Microsoft Research. What excites me are the integration possibilities with online mapping services.
For example, you can start from a satellite view of Rome and drill down to the details of St. Peter's cathedral.
This video demos exactly this scenario.

Listen to Italian music online

Are you wondering where to find and/or discover new Italian music?
Check out Italia.fm, an aggregator of various Italian private and public radio stations that broadcast music, news and other shows over the web.

Podcast #14 - The Italian truffle

The truffle (tartufo in Italian) is a rare type of edible mushroom, or fungus that develops underground in relation to and dependent on the root of a tree. In ancient times truffles were considered the food of the Gods, with powerful aphrodisiac properties, much favoured by the passionate Jove.

The subject matter expert of this podcast is Mauro Mencaroni of Giuliano Tartufi, an Italian shop specialized in truffle products. He'll share some interesting insights about this very expensive garnish.

Please note that this interview is conducted in Italian.
We'd love to hear your feedback if you like us to continue producing from time to time some podcasts in Italian too.


Listen / Download this episode in MP3 format
(6Mb - 8:21 mins)

Don't miss future podcasts!

When should you go to Venice?

VeniceHotel.org offers an interesting online service: the crowd forecast. If you plan to visit Venice and your dates are flexible, then it's best to choose a time when the city is least crowded. The rooms cost less; there are shorter queues for the museums; and the city will be more enjoyable. The chart only forecasts the crowd for the next 20 days.

How to say Happy Holidays in Italian

How can you say 'Happy Holidays' in Italian? Here are a few words that are commonly used this time around:

Merry Christmas - Buon Natale
Happy Holidays - Buone Feste
Happy New Year - Buon Anno
New Year's eve - Capodanno
Best wishes for 2008 - I migliori auguri per il 2008
Filled with joy and peace - Pieno di gioia e serenita'

Our editorial staff Francesca and Paolo together with our associate podcaster Silvia, 7 (and future talent Alessio, 4) augurano a tutti voi Buone Feste!