I have studied Italian grammar, done the exercises, and memorized the rules, and I still freeze when it’s time to speak. So I was thrilled to sit down with Margherita Berti, my own former Italian teacher, to talk about why that happens and what the language itself can teach us.

Margherita is a linguist with a BA, MA, and PhD in languages and linguistics, the founder of Italian Matters, and the author of Speak the World Italian (Simon & Schuster). She grew up in Italy, studied English from age six, and discovered as an exchange student in the U.S. that she knew all the rules but couldn’t really speak. That experience shaped everything about how she teaches.

The idea I can’t stop thinking about: in Italian, you don’t say you’re scared, cold, or 35. You have fear, you have cold, you have 35 years. These are things you’re experiencing in a moment, not who you are. It’s a small grammar choice with a big, almost spiritual, implication.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

* Why Italians “have” fear and age instead of “being” them

* Everyday expressions from her book, including in bocca al lupo (and the one reply you’re supposed to give) and allungare il brodo, “don’t lengthen the broth”

* Why the passeggiata needs its own word

* Why so many English speakers treat language like a test, and how to start speaking imperfectly

* Her answer to “We’d all live a little better if we understood the Italian idea of...”

If you’ve ever wanted to learn Italian, Margherita’s advice is simple: start where you are. Her free podcast at italianmatters.com publishes a new episode every Thursday, sorted by level, and her next course round opens in January.

Grazie mille, Margherita.

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Wendy Pojmann’s book started with a raised eyebrow. She was on her way into the state archives in Rome and stopped at her usual bar. The barista heard her American accent and asked, gently, whether she was sure she didn’t want an Americano.

She was sure. But the question stayed with her: why do Italians drink espresso, and why do the rest of us drink something so different? Three years later, she had written Espresso: The Art and Soul of Italy. She researched bars and roasteries in Rome, Turin and Naples, with her Roman husband as her insider guide.

In our conversation, Wendy explains why the Italian coffee break is short by design. It’s a real pause from work and a few minutes of genuine connection with the people around you. Then everyone goes back to their day.

She also explains the cappuccino rule (spoiler: it’s about milk and sleep), what’s in her own kitchen, and why the moka pot isn’t really espresso.

The part that stayed with me most was her mother-in-law. She is 94, an artist who had a show in Helsinki this summer, and she still goes out every day for the market, the pharmacy and her espresso at the bar. Small errands, close to home, each one a reason to move and to see people. It’s longevity without a program, just a life built around the piazza.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation:

📖 Wendy’s info: https://siena.academia.edu/WendyPojmann🇮🇹 Want to experience this rhythm firsthand? https://avantihealth.github.io/avanti-immersion/#join

I recorded this conversation on the first day of fall. It happened to be Giulia’s wedding anniversary, and it was grape harvest week in Tuscany. It felt like the perfect timing.

Giulia was born and raised in the same farmhouse where she lives today, in a quiet town between Siena and Florence. She learned to cook from her grandmother and her mother. She turned that into a life’s work: cookbooks, cooking classes, her beloved newsletter Letters from Tuscany, and a blog that Saveur named the best food culture blog.

We talked about the things that make Italian food feel alive. Seasonal treats appear in bakeries for a few weeks and then disappear until next year. She once photographed her grandmother making lasagna, because “four tablespoons” meant nothing until she saw which spoon Nonna used. And her six-year-old daughter now calls dinner a “family meeting.”

What stayed with me most is this: Italians don’t just eat seasonally, they look forward to seasons. That kind of anticipation is its own form of wellbeing, and it’s something we can all borrow.

🎧 Listen or watch the full conversation above.🍋 Find Giulia’s cooking classes at julskitchen.com and subscribe to Letters from Tuscany.