Benvenuti al Blog di Matta!

Welcome to the Matta Blog!

Esplora l’Italia attraverso articoli settimanali!
Explore Italy Through Weekly Posts!

Benvenuti al Blog di Matta!

Welcome to the Matta Blog!

Esplora l’Italia attraverso articoli settimanali!
Explore Italy Through Weekly Posts!

learning Italian

art & artists

culture & news

food & wine

history festivals

books media

travel events

piccola matta

Italian Language Learning, Tips, Motivation

Say Goodbye to Fear and Hello to Fluent Conversations in Italian! New Online 4-hour Course.

Follia Linguistica: Giocando con Foglie, Folla e Folletti!

Studentessa Shares Her Experience from the 2024 Matta Italian Language Program in Lucca

Semplicemente Fantastico! Dive Into Italian Culture with the 2025 Matta Language Programs

Sofia, la Piccola Matta Teaches Italian

Enjoy the language-learning adventures of Sofia, la piccola matta — Now on Amazon in print & epub!

Find Sofia, la Piccola Matta on Amazon

Introducing “Sofia, la Piccola Matta Teaches Italian! By Melissa Muldoon

Sofia, la Piccola Matta, and Moka the Beagle Teach Basic Italian: Numbers, Colors & Adjective Rules

Art & Artists

Arezzo is La terra di Piero: Discover the artistic legacy of Piero della Francesca

Ilaria del Carretto: The 13th Century Lucchese Beauty Whose Legacy Lives Beyond the Tomb

Singing the “Rap”tures of Sansepolcro and Piero della Francesca

Everyone’s talking about David (and now I’m chiming in too)!

Cultural Anecdotes & Current Affairs

Mastering Italian Pronunciation: The Double Trouble with Mispronouncing Italian Words

2024 Olympic — Italy’s Wild Ride: Cheesy Tales, Lost Rings, Historic Wins & Unexpected Fails

La canicola estiva! Roman Ruff-erences: Unveiling the Bark-tastic Origins of the Dog Days of Summer – Youtube Video

Discover the Exciting History and Gameplay of La Giostra del Saracino: Arezzo’s Iconic Medieval Joust

Food & Wine

What turns a bad day around? La torta di pere e cioccolato!

Eat like a local in Lucca! My recommended restaurant picks — inside and outside Lucca’s walls.

Tiramisu – having your dolce and eating it too!

Tacchino arrotolato — turkey with an Italian twist

Grammar Lessons

How to Say “We Should Have” or “We Were Supposed to” in Italiano

Mastering Italian: How Small Steps with ‘Goccia’ Lead to Big Language Gains

Ovunque tu vada, vacci con il tuo cuore: Understanding Ovunque and Dovunque in Italian

Direct Object Pronouns: The Secret Ingredient for Spicing Up Your Italian!

Is it a masculine or feminine Italian noun? How to tell the difference & why it matters.

Explore the World of the Birds and Bees in Italian: Fun Facts and Vocabulary

History, Holidays, Festivals

Saluting the Superheroes in Our Lives: Our Moms!

Announcing the 2024 Matta Arezzo September Giostra del Saracino Weekend

Gobble Up the Good Times: Let the Thanksgiving Festivities Begin!

Galoppa galoppa, o bel cavalier — la Giostra del Saracino fa venire

Books, Music & Film

Unlock Italian Mysteries This Halloween: Spooky Book Club Adventures for Every Language Level

Announcing the Fall 2024 Matta Italian Book Club: Dive into Mystery with ‘La Libreria dei Gatti Neri’ by Piergiorgio Pulixi

Sun-Kissed Cinema: Dive into Italian Films for Your Perfect Summer Escape!

Announcing the Updated 2024 Italian Translation of “Il risveglio di Isabella” — Isabella is back!

Traveling, Cities, Excursions

2024 Matta Lucca Program in Full Swing: Italian Learning & Cultural Fun!

Semplicemente Fantastico! Dive Into Italian Culture with the 2025 Matta Language Programs

Boost Your Italian Before You Go: Enroll in the Matta Four-Hour Traveler’s Italian Course

Ready for an Italian Adventure? Join the 2024 Matta Italian Language Programs!

Posts by Date

“Waking Isabella” A new novel about Italy set in Arezzo by Melissa Muldoon

Arezzo Città del Natale – the Count down to Christmas begins!

Il paradiso delle signore – Season Two: Will Mori Live? That is the question!

Ellius Jewelry – made in Arezzo with a passion for history

Ellen Chapman – Studentessa Matta blog reader explains why she learns Italian

Mercatino di Natale – Italian Christmas Market in San Francisco

SpeakIta Learning Italian is Fun with Gloria – Guest Post

Italy Book Tour Spotlight on The Painter’s Apprentice by Laura Morelli

Falling for Italy all over again! Join me nel bel paese in 2018!

Venetian Blood: Review for Italy Book Tours

Arezzo 2017 Highlights from our Fall Italian Language Program—Youtube Video

Con antico ardore: 2017 September Joust in Arezzo

Learn Italian in Arezzo in 2018. Join me!

Palazzo Medici: Walking in the footsteps of Medici Princes

Siamo alla frutta: Great little expression that means to be done with something (but not in a good way)

Preply: Find online teachers – language learning just a click away

La Giostra: Arezzo & the Joust setting for next Matta language program

La Pazza Gioia – Like Crazy: Film by Paolo Virzì

Matta & Il Sasso Montepulciano Language Program: Join us in 2018!

Where there is language learning there are friends

Learn with Melissa

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Travel Programs

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