The Anthony in Italy Podcast

EP12: How to Actually Learn Italian, with Margherita Berti

Margherita Berti has a linguistics degree, runs an online Italian language school with thousands of students, and has been teaching Italian for over five years. In this episode, we get into what it actually takes to learn Italian — not the theory, but the real stuff.We talk about the B1 certificate (what it is, who needs it, and whether it matters for citizenship), how long it realistically takes to go from zero to conversational, and why most people are studying wrong. We also get into learning Italian without living in Italy, the Lei vs. tu debate, how Italians react when you try to speak their language, and the phrases that actually matter when you travel here.I've been learning Italian since 2022 and I still have plenty to work on — so I had questions too.🇮🇹 We cover:What the B1 certificate is and who actually needs itHow long it takes to get conversational (realistic answer)The biggest mistakes Italian learners makeHow to make progress without living in ItalyItalian for travelers — what to learn, what to skipThe formal vs. informal (Lei vs. tu) debate in 2026Learning Italian for ancestry and citizenshipBergamo dialect and what "alura" means📚 Find Margherita here: Website: https://italianmatters.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italianmatters/ Podcast: https://podcast.italianmatters.com 🌟Book — Speak the World: Italian History and Culture Through Language: https://italianmatters.com/book/Chapters00:00 Introduction to Margherita and Italian Matters02:56 Understanding Italian Language Certificates07:12 The Reality of Learning Italian09:17 Anthony's Personal Italian Learning Experience10:54 Tips for Tourists Learning Italian15:36 Italian Pronunciation and Common Errors18:34 Immersion and Finding Italian-Speaking Friends27:50 Formal vs. Informal Italian (Lei vs. tu)30:57 Connecting with Italian Ancestry and Citizenship32:03 Family Vocabulary for Talking About Your Roots33:59 Geographic Language Nuances (cities, regions, prepositions)36:42 The Importance of Language in Cultural Connection39:55 Overcoming Age Barriers in Language Learning42:28 How to Immerse Yourself Without Living in Italy44:54 Practical Tips for Language Practice47:39 Exploring Bergamo Dialect49:27 Margherita's Book: Speak the WorldAbout me: I'm Anthony Calvanese — an American living in Italy since 2022. I've traveled across all 20 regions and share honest takes on Italian culture, travel, and language — without the fluff.Italian citizenship questions? Check out becomeitaliani.comItaly travel questions? Check out anthonyinitaly.com

EP11: Matrimoni Italiani, Musica Napoletana, e la Vita di un Musicista

In questo episodio parlo con Kyrios, un sassofonista della provincia di Napoli che oggi vive e lavora a Perugia. Parliamo della sua storia con la musica, di come ha iniziato a suonare il sax da bambino e del percorso che lo ha portato a studiare al conservatorio e a lavorare come musicista professionista tra matrimoni, eventi e DJ set. Durante la conversazione tocchiamo molti temi diversi. La scena musicale in Italia, le differenze tra studiare musica al sud e al nord, la cultura musicale napoletana e l’influenza di artisti come Pino Daniele. Parliamo anche delle differenze tra matrimoni italiani e stranieri, di come gli eventi funzionano in Italia e di cosa significa davvero lavorare come musicista oggi. Una conversazione su musica, cultura italiana e la vita quotidiana di un musicista.

EP10: Living Between Cultures — Britain, Greece & Italy

Note: there were some audio issues during this recording - for best experience, watch it in YouTube with subtitles. In this episode, I sit down with Harry to talk about life between cultures — growing up British, spending time in Greece, and living in Italy. We get into some of the small cultural differences that people don’t always notice until they live here: coffee culture, breakfast habits, drinking culture, food traditions, and the pressure many Italians feel to live up to expectations. We also talk about work, risk-taking, and why some jobs in Italy struggle to attract workers. It’s not that people don’t want the jobs — often it’s that the pay doesn’t match the cost of living.Food naturally comes up a lot in this conversation. We compare Greek and Italian food culture, why Greek meals tend to revolve around sharing plates while Italian meals are more structured, and why Italian cuisine has such an incredible amount of regional variety. We also talk about the Mediterranean diet — why it can be incredibly healthy, and how it can quickly stop being healthy if you’re doing aperitivo, taglieri, pizza, and two bottles of wine every night.

EP9: The Real History of Italian Food: Class, Culture, and Carbonara

In this episode, I sit down with food historian Zach Nowak (PhD) to dig into the real history behind iconic Italian dishes — and why so much of what we think we know is wrong. This is a conversation about culture, migration, nationalism, and the stories we tell ourselves about food. We get into the salt wars in Umbria and why Umbrians still eat unsalted bread, the cultural symbolism of torta al testo, and how pizza evolved from street food to a national icon. We talk about the real story behind pizza Margherita, the messy (and possibly American) origins of carbonara, and the birth of Italian-American cuisine. Zach breaks down why “authentic” Italian food is mostly a myth, how bad wine used to be, and why culinary traditions — like food itself — are always evolving. It’s funny, surprising, and full of stories you probably haven’t heard before. 🍕 We cover: * Why Umbrians eat unsalted bread (and fought a salt war) * How torta al testo fits into local identity * Pizza’s evolution from poor people’s food to global symbol * The myth of pizza Margherita * Carbonara’s possibly American roots * How Italian-American food became its own thing * Why “authentic” Italian food doesn’t really exist * The surprisingly bad history of Italian wine * Food myths, nostalgia, and what’s actually worth preserving 📚 Books mentioned in the episode: * Hungering for America – https://amzn.to/4oYOsLT [https://amzn.to/4oYOsLT] * The History of Pizza (translated by Zach) – https://amzn.to/4pHmwxn [https://amzn.to/4pHmwxn] * On Food and Cooking – https://amzn.to/48GiXl5 [https://amzn.to/48GiXl5] * Truffle: A Global History by Zach Nowak – https://amzn.to/3KYPARE [https://amzn.to/3KYPARE] About me: I'm Anthony Calvanese — an American living in Italy since 2022. I’ve traveled across all 20 regions and share honest insights about Italian culture, travel, and food — without the fluff.

EP8: Living in Italy, Playing Country Music, and Figuring it All Out

Nate and I sat down for one of those meandering, no-rush conversations about what it’s actually like to live in Italy—not the Instagram version, but the messy, funny, frustrating, sometimes absurd day-to-day stuff. We talked about learning Italian (and butchering it along the way), the oddities of dining out, what it means to be a musician here, and how different the cultural wiring is compared to the U.S. There’s beer. There’s music. There are stories about language mishaps, the real cost of living abroad, and the weird, wonderful way Italy gets under your skin. If you’ve ever thought about moving here—or just want to know what it’s like beyond the vacation glow—this one’s for you. Nate on Instagram: @bozemanate [https://www.instagram.com/bozemanate/?hl=en]Nate’s band: Kantner Brothers [https://www.instagram.com/kantnerbrothers/] 📍 Mentioned in the episode: Snack Bar Anna:https://share.google/N7VtUPbHbjDn8Vx02 [https://share.google/N7VtUPbHbjDn8Vx02] Books that helped with Italian:Italian for Dummies: https://amzn.to/3LgyMWi [https://amzn.to/3LgyMWi] 501 Italian Verbs: https://amzn.to/3JqV7Qq [https://amzn.to/3JqV7Qq]