Are Italian podcasts a good way to improve your listening skills? Of course, they are!
Listening to Italian podcasts can be just as effective as watching movies or tv-shows. With Italian podcasts, learning Italian becomes fun and easier. Just like when you are abroad, you can hear native speakers and get used to pronunciation, intonation and recognizing and learning new words. It is more stimulating because you can listen another person that tell you something about themselves, their country or their language. Moreover, it can be also enjoyable because you can listen to them at any time, wherever you are: you can do it on the go, while driving, cooking or even taking a shower!
Therefore, let’s start by seeing together the list below containing different types of podcasts for all tastes and levels. Here I mentioned podcasts meant for Italians, so that you can get used to Italian normal speech and dive into Italian culture and way of thinking.
As you will see, I included info on where to listen to Italian podcasts – websites, streaming platforms, and mobile applications.
1. I Provinciali
Looking for Italian podcasts regarding Italy’s small towns? Then, I Provinciali is right for you! In this podcast, you are going to find out the provincial life of Italy beyond the big cities, such as Rome and Milan, through stories of regional differences in accents, festivals, local traditions, food, and culture. Thus, “another” Italy is portrayed in a typically Italian conversational way.
You can search for this podcast on Spreaker, iTunes, and Rai Radio 2.
2. Cashmere
To be mentioned is Cashmere – un podcast morbidissimo (a very soft podcast). The Italian stand up comedians Edoardo Ferrario and Luca Ravenna are the hosts of one of the best Italian podcasts of the moment. They discuss different topics with some (sometimes) famous hosts, and talk about current social issues, always with irony. You may be intrigued by episodes about Italian food, regions, festivities, cinema, fashion, and so on. Also, a particularly interesting episode is the one with the American Italian comedian Frank Matano.
You can either listen to it here on Spotify, or watch it here on YouTube.
3. Lingua
Going on, I suggest Lingua, an appealing podcast providing a totally twisted concept of food. 6 stories, lots of guests, funny stories, and also gourmand recipes – usually at the end of each episode – will make you discover the world of food differently where the act of eating is also a way to explore your feelings and memories, too. At the same time, this Italian podcast reminds us that the dinner table is first a place of meeting and intimacy.
Got a little hungry? Well, listen to this podcast on the streaming platform Storytel.
You may need one of this items to listen to your podcasts:
4. 4 Verticale
In the fourth place of our list for Italian podcasts, we have to point out 4 Verticale, a kind of variety show where the speakers get into stimulating and entertaining conversations about culture in Italy through humor, anecdotes, and even some old-fashioned Italian curse words. Besides Italian culture, you’ll also find a bit of comedy, games, interviews, and so on. Furthermore, according to the creators, the goal of this podcast is to give alternative and creative strategies for learning languages away from the monotony of school books and tons of exercises.
Wish to try it? Go on iHeartRadio, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
5. Scientificast
Let’s move on to other intriguing Italian podcasts. Among them, we make reference to Scientificast, a fascinating science podcast whose topics range from physics to medicine. Thanks to a group of experts – including astrophysicists, biotechnologists, and physicists – you can learn more about homosexuality in animals, neutron telescopes, or wonder why an octopus “enjoys” punching other fishes. Don’t panic if you don’t manage to understand everything because speakers generally talk slowly to be followed without any problem. In addition, the science explained here is easy to understand for non-scientists.
This podcast is on the corresponding website, the streaming platform Spreaker, and Spotify.
6. Motivazione e Crescita Personale
Among the countless Italian podcasts at your disposal, one to mention is Motivazione e Crescita Personale. It is about a set of motivational audio recordings lasting 3-4 minutes each. During every episode, the speaker advises on how to face the daily routine with true determination and energy. I’m sure you are going to appreciate this podcast not only for its way of storytelling but mostly for its captivating voice that perfectly suits the soft background music.
This podcast is available on Spotify, Podtail, and Google Podcasts.
7. Ragazzacci
On the contrary, if you intend to go on a thrilling journey through Italian pop culture, you need to give a chance to Ragazzacci. This creative podcast aims to talk about those “bad guys” who left a mark on the world after proving to be talented and excessively stubborn to assert their revolutionary ideas. The “bad guys” in question, who make their appearance during the various episodes, come from the world of television, music, cinema, sport, and art. But that’s not all! Apart from all this, the characters of some episodes are also cultural products that have revolutionized our lives. An example is an episode completely dedicated to Aperol Spritz, king of the Italian Aperitivo.
If you are into this podcast, check it on Voisland, Listen Notes, and Podtail.
8. Corriere Daily Podcast
Going forward, I suggest the Corriere Daily Podcast if you want to be updated on Italian news in 20 minutes a day by the journalists of il Corriere della Sera, a well known Italian newspaper. In fact, I mentioned it in our list of news in Italian.
You can listen to it here or on YouTube.
9. Alle Otto della Sera
To continue, we have to report Alle Otto della Sera. This long-running podcast, produced by Italy’s public broadcaster Radio Rai 2, covers several issues such as arts, sciences, and also history. Additionally, you are allowed to download the episodes you most like and listen to them again at any moment! Since there’s a wide range of options to choose from, the one I’d recommend above all is La Storia in Cucina which questions the innate tendency of mankind to transform food through cooking and traces the history of cooking from a typically Italian perspective, not to mention the invitation to return to local foods.
Did I get you curious? If so, check this podcast directly on Rai Radio 2.
10. Max Mondo
Would you like to visit Italy from your home, gym, or wherever you are at this moment? With Max Mondo you can! What is special in this podcast is the variety of topics ranging from ecological issues, excavations of Italy’s historical treasures to Italian holiday celebrations and local food traditions. By doing that, listeners have the opportunity to know more about the Belpaese, while learning valuable Italian language skills. In case of difficulties in understanding, there are transcripts, a glossary of terms, and extra materials only available to subscribers.
Have a look at this podcast on Apple Podcasts.
11. Morgana
What about a world where women are the main storytellers? Well, that is possible thanks to some amazing Italian podcasts like Morgana. Considered as one of the best Italian podcasts in recent times, Morgana offers its listeners an all-female perspective that tries to go beyond the gender gap. Each episode is devoted to a female character coming from the most different social areas: art, music, cinema, science, politics, and television, too. According to this, powerful and countercultural women like J.K. Rowling and Margaret Atwood can be told in an original manner with simple language.
Hence, what are you waiting for? Go check this podcast on Storie Libere, Spotify, and Radio Italiane.
12. CinefiliSerialmente
Are you keen on cinema? Do you want to know more about the last movie you watched? Here is CinefiliSerialmente, a podcast in pills where two tireless guys speak about everything concerning the world of cinema. They are so good at doing it that you can’t help listening to them. Plus, a strength of this podcast is due to the various insights from the two authors. These insights are never useless and out of topic; instead, they give you some context to help you analyze critically the movies you watch. As regards the language, the conversation flows clearly and pleasantly, while the words and expressions used are not redundant or complex, but always fresh and effective. Highly recommended!
Where to listen to this podcast? On Spreaker, Podchaser, and Listen Notes.
13. 2024
Produced by Radio 24, 2024 is a weekly podcast providing the latest news on technology, more specifically its business trend in society, the latest updates related to its new products placed on the market, and the rise of emerging startups. Nevertheless, the focus is on what’s happening now in the Italian and international tech world, and what we expect to see in the future. Other major themes are computer translations, online payments, the development of financial software, video games, and so on. As is to be expected, a fast and quite complex Italian is used here. Don’t worry about that because you can easily slow down your podcast player a bit when necessary!
This podcast appears on Radio 24, Audiocast, and Radio Italiane.
14. Long Story Short
For music lovers, this Italian podcast could be interesting. Every week they talk about music artists, their stories and their evolutions. Long story short gives reviews to the artistic path of musicians and singers.
Listen to it here.
15. Pop Porno
Moving forward, here comes one of the greatest Italian podcasts: Pop Porno. Its author tries to create a profound bond with the audience through authentic stories regarding Italian and international pop culture: from the annual Sanremo Music Festival and conspiracy theories about reptilians to the Free Britney movement. Why choose this podcast? Because of its freshness in telling human stories that are wisely and musically scripted.
You can refer to this podcast on Podtail, Listen Notes, and Spotify.
16. Veleno
Going deeper and deeper into the complexity of the Italian language, you could bump into Italian podcasts like the investigative report Veleno, a real-life crime story set in Italy. The story is about an inquiry concerning presumed criminal acts at the expense of a dozen children.
After the investigations, the children involved were taken from their families and never saw their biological parents again. Seven episodes long, this podcast, created by the Italian journalist Pablo Trincia, aims to tell the true story focusing on the smallest detail without being too dreary. Being internationally well-known, both Italian and English transcripts of this podcast exist to let learners read them both.
This podcast can be found on Spotify, the streaming platform of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, and Audiocast.
If you are interested, you can also watch the TV series based on the podcast itself and released on Amazon Prime.
17. DL Podcast
If you are into workouts, you may like to listen to Italian podcasts about crossfit, gym, self defense and these sorts of things. In this case, try out the Danny Lazzarin Podcast. He hosts athletes and professionals to chat about sports, weights, nutrition and lifestyle.
You can find it here on Youtube and on Twitch.
18. Mitologia: le meravigliose storie del mondo antico
For those who are interested in this subject, I suggest listening to Mythology: the wonderful stories of the ancient world. Through stories about the heroes and heroines of ancient Greece and Rome, the storyteller tries to discuss social and cultural conventions with his audience. In addition, he wonders about what we inherited from our ancestors’ world.
If you want to dive into the past, go check this podcast on Spotify, Podtail, Audiocast, and Spreaker.
Why listen to Italian podcasts?
I could mention many reasons. Listening to Italian podcasts has several benefits on your listening skills for sure. If you pick a topic you like and material that you can understand it can be very engaging. You will get used to Italian sounds, different Italian voices and ways of speaking. Similarly, your total exposure to real spoken Italian made of slang, regional distinctions, idioms, everyday vocabulary and cultural references can help you have a smoother conversation with Italians. Not to mention that you will always have a topic to talk about in Italian!
Where to find Italian podcasts?
For each podcast I listed, I also pointed out streaming platforms, websites, channels, or mobile applications where to listen to Italian podcasts. One of the most used is obviously Spotify, followed by Podtail and iTunes for last. Also Youtube that has occurred in a few cases. Others are exclusively Italian online platforms and websites. The last thing to remember is that all of these tools are for free.
Start listening to your favorite Italian podcasts and don’t forget to ask your Italian friends what kind of podcasts they usually listen to.
