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Studentessa Matta

Literature, Music, Film

  • Book Reviews
  • Books, Authors, Comics & Poets
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  • Melissa's Italian Book Posts
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  • La Vita è Bella: Una Favola di Amore e Resilienza

    La Vita è Bella: Una Favola di Amore e Resilienza

  • The Fontana Sisters: How Three Women Transformed Italian Fashion

    The Fontana Sisters: How Three Women Transformed Italian Fashion

  • Sophia Loren Grauman Theater

    Step into Sophia Loren’s shoes / Fare un passo nei panni di Sophia Loren

  • Lidia Poët is Back! Season 2 Delivers Drama, Mysteries, and Stunning Fashion

    Lidia Poët is Back! Season 2 Delivers Drama, Mysteries, and Stunning Fashion

  • Unlock Italian Mysteries This Halloween: Spooky Book Club Adventures

    Unlock Italian Mysteries This Halloween: Spooky Book Club Adventures

  • Piove parole: Rainy day words in Italian

    Piove parole: Rainy day words in Italian

  • 2024 Fall Matta Italian Book Club: La Libreria dei Gatti Neri” di  Piergiorgio Pulixi

    2024 Fall Matta Italian Book Club: La Libreria dei Gatti Neri” di Piergiorgio Pulixi

  • Cinema sotto il sole: Italian Films for Your Perfect Summer Escape!

    Cinema sotto il sole: Italian Films for Your Perfect Summer Escape!

  • Makumba: The Summer Anthem That Keeps Us Moving in 2024

    Makumba: The Summer Anthem That Keeps Us Moving in 2024

  • Isabella Returns: Announcing the Updated 2024 Translation of Il Risveglio di Isabella

    Isabella Returns: Announcing the Updated 2024 Translation of Il Risveglio di Isabella

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

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

  • 2024 Spring Matta Italian Book Club: Brodetto Galeotto di Christina Assouad

    2024 Spring Matta Italian Book Club: Brodetto Galeotto di Christina Assouad

  • Almond Blossoms and Sicily’s Nutty Love Affair with Spring

    Almond Blossoms and Sicily’s Nutty Love Affair with Spring

  • Peppa Pig’s Path to Italian: Giggles, Learning, and Muddy Puddles of Fun!

    Peppa Pig’s Path to Italian: Giggles, Learning, and Muddy Puddles of Fun!

  • Sanremo 2024: The Italian Music Festival Conquers the World… Spotify!

    Sanremo 2024: The Italian Music Festival Conquers the World… Spotify!

  • Fumetti to Fine Art: The Graphic Novels of Ernesto Anderle

    Fumetti to Fine Art: The Graphic Novels of Ernesto Anderle

  • Discovering la Giostra del Saracino ad Arezzo con Zio Paperone

    Discovering la Giostra del Saracino ad Arezzo con Zio Paperone

  • Italian Musical Escapes: Travel with Music Without Leaving Home

    Italian Musical Escapes: Travel with Music Without Leaving Home

  • Italy’s Remarkable Women: Melissa Muldoon’s Novels — Literary Gifts

    Italy’s Remarkable Women: Melissa Muldoon’s Novels — Literary Gifts

  • “She Seduced Me: A Love Affair with Rome” by Mark Tedesco

    “She Seduced Me: A Love Affair with Rome” by Mark Tedesco

  • An Italian “beach read!” Learn Italian with novels by Grazia Cioce

    An Italian “beach read!” Learn Italian with novels by Grazia Cioce

  • 2023 Matta Fall Book Club Pick: Quattro Metà by Martino Coli — Do Soul Mates Exist?

    2023 Matta Fall Book Club Pick: Quattro Metà by Martino Coli — Do Soul Mates Exist?

  • La Chiesa di San Biagio: Sangallo’s masterpiece and jewel of Montepulciano

    La Chiesa di San Biagio: Sangallo’s masterpiece and jewel of Montepulciano

  • Grooving with the Galaxies: How Lorenzo Baglioni Made Kepler’s Laws Sing!

    Grooving with the Galaxies: How Lorenzo Baglioni Made Kepler’s Laws Sing!

  • Måneskin — From Roma to rocking the world!

    Måneskin — From Roma to rocking the world!

  • Sleeping Man – L’uomo Addormentato della Garfagnana

    Sleeping Man – L’uomo Addormentato della Garfagnana

  • Guinigi Tower in Lucca! Towers, Tree Top Adventures and Legends

    Guinigi Tower in Lucca! Towers, Tree Top Adventures and Legends

  • 2023 Fall Matta Italian Book Club: Quatro Metà di Martino Coli

    2023 Fall Matta Italian Book Club: Quatro Metà di Martino Coli

  • Malika Ayane’s Take on Cosa hai messo nel caffè?: A Fresh Spin on a Timeless Classic

    Malika Ayane’s Take on Cosa hai messo nel caffè?: A Fresh Spin on a Timeless Classic

  • Quando, Quando, Quando! Una canzone e tante domande!

    Quando, Quando, Quando! Una canzone e tante domande!

  • Isabella de Medici’s Death: A Mystery Uncovered

    Isabella de Medici’s Death: A Mystery Uncovered

  • LingoPie teams with Netflix: Perfect Pairing for Learning Italian!

    LingoPie teams with Netflix: Perfect Pairing for Learning Italian!

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Dancing the night away here in Arezzo! Dancing the night away here in Arezzo!
We closed down the piazza in the Porta Crucifera Q We closed down the piazza in the Porta Crucifera Quartiere last night… dancing, singing, and even fraternizing with “i nemici”! 

The Giostra del Saracino week rolls on and the rivalries are already in full swing! 🏇🇮🇹

Oh, what a night… didn’t make it home until 2 a.m.! 😂 ❤️💛💚💙

Arezzo during Giostra weekend… there’s nothing quite like it! 

Ieri sera abbiamo praticamente chiuso noi la piazza del Quartiere di Porta Crucifera… ballando, cantando e persino fraternizzando con “i nemici”! 

La settimana della Giostra del Saracino continua e le rivalità sono già in pieno fermento! 🏇🇮🇹

Che serata… alla fine sono rientrata a casa alle 2 di notte! 😂 ❤️💛💚💙

Arezzo durante il weekend della Giostra… non c’è niente di simile!
🇮🇹 Un consiglio dalla Matta 🇮🇹  Matta Italian Lan 🇮🇹 Un consiglio dalla Matta 🇮🇹 

Matta Italian Language Tip!

In the Italian Simple past tense, the Verb PARTIRE uses ESSERE as it’s helper verb

Sono partito/a per l’Italia

I LEFT FOR ITALY.

But why essere instead of avere? Here’s a simple way for beginning learners to think about it: many Italian verbs that describe physical movement from one place to another use essere in the passato prossimo.

Think of these as “traveling verbs.” They move you from Point A to Point B. You physically leave one location and end up somewhere else.

It’s not a rule that works for every Italian verb involving movement, but for an A1 learner, it’s a handy memory trick for these very common travel verbs.

At the A1 level, don’t worry about memorizing every grammatical rule at once. Instead, learn these common travel verbs in little ready-to-use packages: sono andato, sono arrivato, sono partito, sono tornato. The more you hear and use them, the more natural choosing essere will become!

partire → you leave one place
sei partito/a → you left one place

andare → you go somewhere
sei andato/a → you went someplace

arrivare → you arrive at a new place
sono arrivato/a  → you arrived a new place

tornare → you return to where you started
sono tornato/a  → you returned where you started

🇮🇹 Read the latest Matta Post on http://StudentessaMatta.com created just for A1 - B2 Italian language learners!

Vivi l’Italia, parla italiano. 

#StudentessaMatta #MattaItalianTip #LearnItalian #Sfogliare #Sfogliatella GranCaffeGambrinus Napoli ItalianVocabulary ItalianCulture ItalianFood SpeakItalian
Things seen around Arezzo… When you’re Giorgio Va Things seen around Arezzo…

When you’re Giorgio Vasari, hometown Renaissance celebrity and court painter to Cosimo de’ Medici… sometimes you just need a little inspiration from Raphael. 😜

Here he is getting a few pointers from The Triumph of Galatea.

No pressure, Giorgio. Just Raphael looking over your shoulder. 😂

#Arezzo #Vasari #Raphael #Renaissance #StudentessaMatta Toscana
Getting ready for the Giostra del Saracino… the fa Getting ready for the Giostra del Saracino… the fall edition!

Yep, that’s right. Twice a year, Arezzo turns back the clock several centuries and goes gloriously medieval.

The four neighborhoods dress in their historic colors, drummers drum, trumpets sound, flags fly, and hundreds of people in medieval costumes parade through the streets.

And then come the jousters!

Racing up the lizza on horseback, heavy lance in hand, each knight takes aim at the Buratto, hoping to score enough points to bring home the coveted prize: LA LANCIA D’ORO!

All this week the jousters are practicing in Piazza Grande getting ready for the big event that occurs this Sunday. 

I’m introducing a brand-new Giostra fan who has come all the way from Canada 🇨🇦🇮🇹 to experience the spectacle for the first time!

Che vinca il migliore!

(Although… I may have a certain quartiere in mind. 😉)

#StudentessaMatta #GiostraDelSaracino #Arezzo #Toscana #VisitArezzo ViviLItalia ParlaItaliano TradizioniItaliane Tuscany Italia LaMatta ArezzoLife
Ciao a tutti! Sono tornata ad Arezzo! ❤️ I know, Ciao a tutti! Sono tornata ad Arezzo! ❤️

I know, I know… I seem to come here a lot. 😜

But there’s a very good reason: I LOVE IT HERE.

And one of my favorite things about being back? Getting up ridiculously early and wandering through the quiet streets before most of the baristi have even fired up their espresso machines! ☕️

At that hour, Arezzo feels almost like it belongs just to me.

I walk through the historic center, climb up toward il Prato, and watch the sun rise over the rooftops and Tuscan hills. 

No crowds. No rush. Just church bells, sleepy streets, golden morning light… and me wondering: Quanto manca all’apertura del bar? 😂☕️

Because even a romantic sunrise in Tuscany is better with an espresso.

Arezzo, mi sei mancata. ❤️

#StudentessaMatta #Arezzo #Toscana #ViviLItalia #ParlaItaliano LearnItalian ItalianLife ItalianLifestyle VisitArezzo

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  • Blog
    • Italian Language Learning, Tips, Motivation
    • Art & Artists
    • Cultural Anecdotes & Current Affairs
    • Food & Wine
    • History, Holidays, Festivals
    • Literature, Music, Film
    • Traveling, Cities, Excursions
    • Matta Posts with Quizlet Vocabulary Flashcards
    • Sofia la piccola Matta teaches beginner Italian to children
    • Blog Signup
  • About
    • Get to know Melissa
    • What people are saying…
    • Matta Guest Posts
    • Other sites by Melissa
      • Melissa Muldoon Author Site
      • Art of Loving Italy Blog
      • Pinterest Art of Loving Italy
      • Matta Youtube Channel
      • Matta Music Spotify Playlist
      • Matta Podcast
    • News, Awards
    • Studentessa Matta Theme Song
    • Why are you learning Italian? Share Your Story
  • Learn with Melissa
    • Online Lessons + Conversation
    • Learn in Italy with Melissa
    • Join the Matta Italian Book Club — Private & Group Reading Experiences
    • Matta Quizlet Interactive Flashcards
      • Book Club Vocabulary: Io Non Ho Paura
      • Book Club Vocabulary: Guida Astrologica
      • 2022 Italian Words of Week
      • 2021 Italian Words of Week
  • Learn in Italy
    • Matta Travel Programs – Study in Italy with Melissa
      • 2027 June Matta Arezzo Italian Program
      • 2026 September Matta Tuscan Villa Language Program
      • 2026 September Matta & ItalianME Florence Language Program
      • 2026 Arezzo Jousting Festival September Weekend Program
      • Matta Travel Philosophy
    • Previous Matta Language Programs Italy
    • Italian Language Homestay Vacations
    • Walk in Italy Day Experience / Italian Lesson in Italy
  • BookClub
    • About BookClub
    • Commissario Ricciardi: Il posto di ognuno
    • Commissario Ricciardi: Condanna del sangue
    • Commissario Ricciardi:Il senso del dolore
    • Il Treno dei Bambini
    • La Libreria dei Gatti Neri
    • Brodetto galeotto
    • Io non ho paura
    • Quattro metà
    • Prima regola non innamorarsi
    • Il risveglio di Isabella
    • Guida astrologica per cuori infranti
    • Book Club Resource Hub
  • Novels
    • Melissa Muldoon Author Website
    • Amazon Author Page
      • Buy Dreaming Sophia
      • Buy Waking Isabella
      • Buy Il Risveglio di Isabella
      • Buy Eternally Artemisia
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