Weekend a Venezia
Chiara and Tommaso arrive at Santa Lucia station on Friday evening and discover that their usual vaporetto stop is closed for repairs.
What you'll learn
- Bilingual graded story
- Native narration
- 6 useful words
- 4 comprehension questions
Then shadow
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Pause after this line and repeat it aloud without translating. Aim for three clean repetitions.
1Listen first
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Native Italian narration of this exact text. Keep the transcript visible on the first pass.
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2Then shadow
Chiara e Tommaso arrivano venerdì sera alla stazione Santa Lucia e scoprono che la loro abituale fermata del vaporetto è chiusa per lavori.Your Italian story
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Chiara e Tommaso arrivano venerdì sera alla stazione Santa Lucia e scoprono che la loro abituale fermata del vaporetto è chiusa per lavori. Chiedono al personale della quale linea può portarli comunque vicino a San Marco e scoprono che possono prendere la linea 1 con una piccola deviazione. Durante il viaggio lungo il Canal Grande guardano palazzi dorati dall'acqua mentre sentono musica lontana dalle fondamenta. Sabato mattina passeggiano fino alla pescheria rumorosa vicino a Rialto: Tommaso chiede cortesemente se c'è ancora del calamaro fresco per un pranzo tardivo. Più tardi, tra calli strette, perdono quasi l'orientamento, ma una signora gentile suggerisce: «Sempre dritto fino alla libreria con i libri gialli in vetrina.» Domenica, prima della partenza, Chiara scrive nel quadernetto parole chiave come vaporetto, calle e ponte, perché vuole ricordare il weekend senza inseguire subito foto perfette online.
Show full English translation
Chiara and Tommaso arrive at Santa Lucia station on Friday evening and discover that their usual vaporetto stop is closed for repairs. They ask the dock staff which line can still take them near San Marco and learn that they can take line 1 with a small detour. During the journey along the Grand Canal, they watch golden palaces from the water while hearing distant music from the canal-side walkways. On Saturday morning, they stroll to the noisy fish market near Rialto, where Tommaso politely asks whether there is any fresh calamari left for a late lunch. Later, in the narrow alleys, they almost lose their way, but a kind woman advises them: “Keep going straight until the bookshop with the yellow books in the window.” On Sunday, before leaving, Chiara writes key words such as vaporetto, alley, and bridge in her notebook because she wants to remember the weekend without immediately chasing perfect photos online.
Vocabulary recap
Reading Comprehension Exercise
A2 Italian Reading Comprehension Exercises
1. Why do Chiara and Tommaso need to ask about a different vaporetto line?
Correct: Because their usual stop is closed for repairs
Their usual vaporetto stop is closed for repairs, so they ask the dock staff which line can take them near San Marco.
2. What do they do on Saturday morning?
Correct: Visit the Rialto fish market
On Saturday morning they stroll to the noisy fish market near Rialto, where Tommaso politely asks about fresh calamari.
3. What does Chiara write in her notebook on Sunday?
Correct: Key words like vaporetto, alley, and bridge
Chiara writes key words like vaporetto, alley, and bridge because she wants to remember the weekend without chasing perfect photos online.
4. Sfida: Perché Chiara preferisce scrivere parole chiave anziché fare foto?
Correct: Perché vuole ricordare il viaggio in modo più personale e autentico
Chiara vuole vivere il momento senza l'ossessione di foto perfette, preferendo un ricordo più autentico.
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