Who is Podcast Italiano?

My name is Davide and my goal is to help you to learn Italian.

From foreign languages to Italian

Let me introduce myself: my name is Davide Gemello and I was born in 1995 in Turin, Northern Italy. I have loved learning foreign languages for many years, and this passion led me to study languages and translation at university.

I've learned 5 languages: English, Spanish, Russian, French, Portuguese, plus others I've only abbled with. But today, if I had to tell you, the one I am most passionate about is perhaps my mother tongue and the one I have been teaching for years: Italian.

From my passion for foreign languages came the idea of creating online content for students of Italian. And that's how, in 2016, I launched this project. At first it was just a podcast, hence the name; then, in 2017, I also opened the YouTube channel, with the same name (although it's not a podcast... yes, I know, it's weird).

At first it was more of a hobby than anything else: I had a dream to make it a job. A few years later, in 2020, that dream became a reality. The project since then has continued to grow, as have the students who follow me on the various platforms and learn with me every day.

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My story

How I ended up here

1995

Infancy

I'm born and raised near Turin, a beautiful but underrated (as we Turin people like to say) city in cold northern Italy.

2007-2011

A teenage rocker

As a teenager, I'm a long-haired rocker with dreams of being a professional musician and playing synths in a progressive metal band. At the same time, my passion for languages is born.

2012-2016

University

I choose to study first translation and interpreting for my bachelor's degree, then languages for international communication for my master's degree. Clearly, I never liked money....

2016

Podcast Italiano

I launch Podcast Italiano, a project to help foreigners learn Italian through interesting content. I have a dream to one day to make it my job (although, in my heart, I'm afraid I'll end up working at McDonald's).

2019-2020

The dream comes true

I start earning from my business, mostly from private lessons, which I have since started giving with increasing frequency. I finish university in April 2020, at the height of the pandemic. Having nothing to do, I devote myself full-time to Italian Podcast, which begins to grow faster and faster.

2024

Today

Podcast Italiano has never stopped growing and today is a small business that produces free content and paid courses for students of Italian from all over the world.

Podcast Italiano's philosophy

I have always tried to create content that is different from what is on other channels and podcasts for students of Italian. On my YouTube channel, my videos in the past few years have reflected my great interest in linguistics: I often talk about curiosities and lesser-known aspects of the language, which I often compare to its Romance sisters
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In the podcast, on the other hand, I talk not so much about language as about culture, society, history, and sometimes even my personal life. I offer a variety of episodes of various genres, levels, and topics.
On this site you will definitely have a way to do that: here you will find all the content I have created (videos and podcasts), some free resources and my paid courses. And then there is the Italian Podcast Club, where you will find more content reserved for supporters of the project. Finally, there's also Instagram, where I produce Italian pills every week.
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My content has changed from 2016 to the present, but there is one aspect that has remained the same: it must be 100 percent in Italian. To learn a language it is essential to immerse yourself in it: to listen to it and read it as much as possible, following the principle of massive exposure to comprehensible input.

On this site you will definitely have a way to do that: here you will find all the content I have created (videos and podcasts), some free resources and my paid courses. And then there is the Italian Podcast Club, where you will find more content reserved for supporters of the project. Finally, there's also Instagram, where I produce Italian pills every week.

In short, a lot of stuff: if you set out to listen to everything I've produced over the years, you could spend hundreds of hours listening to my voice (and some have even done it, poor them... just kidding). I think you'll find something that suits you!

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Some numbers

Over the years, Podcast Italiano has become one of the most well-known and followed platforms for students of Italian

+3 mil

podcast listens

+190k

YouTube subscribers

+500

students enrolled in my courses

Contact me

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What they say about me

Mikko

The story of Italo was interesting to follow. Interesting intermediate texts with audio are hard to find. Especially having multiple people talking. A strong recommendation from me to take this course.

Scott Runkel

“La Storia di Italo” is an incredible resource for anyone who knows a little Italian and wants a fun, easy, entertaining way to improve their listening comprehension, vocabulary, and knowledge of grammar. I love the story itself, but I’m also amazed by the production value and the way that Davide and his Podcast Italiano team have woven a tapestry of sounds, voices, characters, and music. You can sit back and listen and feel like you’re traveling back to the Italy of the 1960s. The included resources—such as transcriptions with vocabulary, grammar notes, and even exercises and comprehension questions—transform an entertaining story into a true series of lessons that is sure to take your Italian to the next level! Highly recommended!

Junie Curtiss

I got really into this charming story. There are little surprises in every chapter. Is it for you? Best for B1 students looking for a book perfectly at your level. A lot of authentic dialogue, beautifully read, plenty to learn and study but not overwhelming.

Linda Mackowiak

La Storia di Italo is a fun and helpful Way to study Italian. It offers an alternative to the usual dull and frustratingly typical grammar and vocabulary lessons by bringing you along into a charming story. The method used for learning vocabulary, grammar, and the improvement of comprehension is quite effective while at the same time being very enjoyable. Highly recommended to help take you into the intermediate levels of language capability or to solidify your ability at this level.

Bernardo Ríos

Una historia que te mantiene en tensión, unos ejercicios elaborados y adecuadamente conectados a las lecciones aprendidas, unas explicaciones gramaticales sencillas y concisas y anotaciones de léxico constantes y de fácil acceso visual. ¡Un gran curso! Espero con ganas el siguiente.

Natasha Boyle

Grazie, Davide ed Erika, per questa storia e il corso! Mi sono piaciuti un sacco. Avete fatto un ottimo lavoro. Mi è piaciuta molto la storia e ho imparato molto con le spiegazioni. Spero che ci sia la terza stagione!

Katherine Pontarolo-Maag

Il corso di pronuncia Fonetica Italiana Semplice è un capolavoro senza paragone. Pieno di tecniche pratiche, spiegazioni facili da capire ed esempi illustrativi, questo corso esplora ogni aspetto della pronuncia italiana con precisione e chiarezza. Per chi apprezza la bellezza della lingua italiana e ci vuole avvicinarsi di più, qui vi aspetta un percorso molto istruttivo e piacevole.

Hanneke Moons

Mi sono piaciuti la storia, il testo con il lessico, la spiegazione chiara della grammatica, le flashcard Quizlet. È stato facile avere la disciplina per seguire l'intero corso. Grazie mille!

Karina Donovan

This was such a great course and Italo's story was so compelling and touching! I learned so much along the way...grazie mille, Davide!! Secondo me, tu sei un insegnante fantastico!! Everything you do is top notch!!

Camilo Delfino

Se vuoi parlare in modo naturale e capire l'influenza del tuo accento nel tuo italiano e perché quando parli suona strano alle orecchie dei madrelingua, Fonetica Italiana Semplice fa per te. Io sin da quando ho cominciato ad imparare l'italiano non avevo capito cosa specificamente mi tradiva nel mio accento mentre parlavo italiano con dei madrelingua. Mi sta certamente aiutando a migliorare il parlato in italiano.

Michele LiCalsi

I am thoroughly enjoying the La Storia di Italo (for the A2-B1 level). Davide has created a multi-part learning resource that is engaging and provides comprehensible material for students with the opportunity to listen, read, and write. La Storia di Italo is delivered in installments so there is time to fully digest the material before moving on in the story. I always look forward to the next episode, which often takes you in an unexpected direction. This narrative format is a seamless way to learn vocabulary because words are contextural and are easily remembered because they are part of the story. Key phrases and select vocabulary are noted in the margins and each episode highlights an aspect of grammar with a full explanation and practice exercises at the end of the text. There are also comprehension questions about the story. An answer key is included. The text and audio file, with and without music, can be downloaded so you can listen and/or read at any time. Everything is also accessible directly on the course platform. I signed up for the Italo Story because of my very positive experience with Fonetica italiana semplice - Corso di pronuncia. I am continually impressed by Davide’s approach to language and I highly recommend this course. Michele LiCalsi

Dana Weiss

Ringrazio moltissimo e di cuore per questi consigli, per il tempo che ci hai dedicato e per lo sviluppo di un argomento così importante come la pronuncia. Sei riuscito a rendere meno faticoso e più divertente l’approccio verso un aspetto della lingua così importante.

Viaggio nello spazio (storia)