This episode’s audio doesn’t exist, and we have technology to blame (poof! gone into cyberspace!). Instead of listening to this episode, feel free to use the notes below to learn more about the topic. And if you’re like, “CHER, NO. I NEED THIS EPISODE,” then let me know in the comments below. I’ll put it on my list to record again!

Lisa and her husband began their journey by wanting to renovate an entire Italian village.

While that hasn’t happened yet (and isn’t one of their big goals anymore), they have managed to renovate a farmhouse or two in Italy.

When you listen to Lisa talk about the small village (max five families) where her family lives,  it’s such a dream and will make you want to book a trip there right now.

Especially if you love organic vegetables and a simpler pace of life.

You’ll learn:

— How Lisa and her husband got started with renovations

— How they have managed to raise their children between Australia and Italy

— Why they left Italy in the first place and how they managed to return

— How her children have adapted to the Italian language after just one year

— Three methods Lisa is using to learn Italian

— Three Italian words/phrases that Lisa  loves hearing and saying

— A glimpse into the daily life of Lisa and her family

My favorite articles from Renovating Italy

— A Day in the Life: A Million Small Moments

— My 50th: An Invitation to Dream

— Italian Renovations: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back and a Dream

Resources Mentioned

— La borgata – hamlet, small village

— Piemontese – dialect with a mix of French and Italian

— Calabrese – dialect of Calabria

— Padua – dialect of the Veneto

— Duolingo

— Renovating Italy Meets House Hunters International (Full clip to come soon! Check on Lisa’s site for updates.)

Get to know Lisa

— Site: http://www.renovatingitaly.com

— Twitter: @RenovatingItaly

— Facebook: Renovating Italy

— Pinterest: Renovating Italy

Want ridiculously helpful support when learning Italian? Use Italki.

Italki is an online community of language learners and teachers to help you take whatever foreign language you’re learning to the next level.

What’s cool about it is that you can learn directly from home via Skype on your own schedule and skip the traditional school curriculum – which I love because I’ve always been a rebel.

It’s totally affordable, too. I spend $10 with my tutor Giulia – a native speaker – for each 45-minute session, and the lessons are based on what I want to learn, which helps me retain information because I’m genuinely interested.

This style also encourages me to take note of the areas I need to strengthen throughout the week when I watch Italian movies, read books or newspapers, and talk to friends from Italy.

Signing up with Italki is completely free, and you can use the site to find language partners for free until you feel ready to hire an informal or professional teacher.

Go to Italki and start tackling those problem areas you’ve been dealing with alone, like those pesky prepositions, the endlessly confusing sentence structure, and that subjunctive tense that’s been driving you crazy.

Visit Italki now and sign up for a free account.

All links above are referral links.