Storyearning’s Italian Uncovered course introduces you to the musical Italian language through an engaging, ongoing narrative followed by practical lessons on grammar and culture. StoryLearning’s method is based on the idea that humans communicate through stories, meaning that using a story will help you learn and remember a new language.

Italian Uncovered Course Overview

The level one online Italian Uncovered course includes ten chapters. Each chapter begins with the next section of the narrative, read by native Italian speakers. Then you move into six brief lessons within the chapter, including a lesson on cognates and translation, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, culture, and speaking practice. 

Can Italian Uncovered help you develop basic fluency in Italian? Check out this review of the online Italian Uncovered course to find out!

Things to Consider Before Buying Italian Uncovered

Native English speakers often struggle with Italian pronunciation and grammar concepts like conjugations. Of course, Italian is a Romance language. This means that you will have lots of advantages as you learn Italian, like the many words used in both English and Italian, called cognates!

But while Italian is considered one of the easier languages for an English speaker to master, it still offers some challenges.

First, you may find training your tongue in Italian pronunciation quite tricky. Italian words like gatto (cat) and basso (short) use double consonants, which you pronounce more strongly than single constants. Certain consonants like double S’s or double R’s also require you to draw out the sound.

English tongues sometimes trip over the Italian rolled R sound as well. You have to relearn how to position your tongue in your mouth to make this sound properly!

Italian grammar does share some similarities with English grammar, but it has confusing conjugations and uses gendered nouns, unlike English. Learning the basic rules for what ending to place on words takes some time. 

Because of the specific challenges of learning Italian, the best introductory Italian course for an English speaker should focus on pronunciation training and grammar concepts like conjugations.

Features and Benefits of Italian Uncovered

To find out if Storylearning’s Italian Uncovered course offers the tools you need, check out the key features and benefits of the course here.

StoryLearning’s Story

The method behind the StoryLearning program uses the idea that because we communicate through stories, we can also learn a new language through stories. Every chapter in the course starts with a new segment of an ongoing narrative to hook you in. 

Besides keeping you engaged, the story component of the program also uses an immersive approach to build your listening comprehension. First you hear the story in Italian, and then you read the story in Italian.

Without giving away any spoilers, the story features students Marta, David, and Tony deciding to travel together to Italy. Once there, they follow clues in a mysterious library book as they travel from city to city.

Qualified Tutors

One of the great features of Italian Uncovered is that the video lessons feature a qualified Italian tutor with impressive credentials, like Martina, who grew up in Venice and has a master’s degree in Language Sciences and Linguistics.

This also makes the video segments of each lesson on grammar, culture, or pronunciation clear and easy to follow.

Italian Uncovered Online Community

When you begin the Italian Uncovered course, you have the option to join an online community of other students. 

The optional access to an online community of fellow language learners can help boost your confidence in your speaking ability and also provide extra resources as you learn.

Focus on Culture

Another benefit of the Italian Uncovered course is its focus on culture. Every chapter includes a brief lesson on an element of Italian culture, such as the history of pasta or an introduction to Italy’s capitols. 

In fact, you can even watch a bonus half-hour tutorial on Italian hand gestures!

Grammar and Vocabulary Lessons and Games

Every new segment of the ongoing story in each chapter introduces you to specific grammar concepts in Italian. This is a fun way to ease into concepts like Italian conjugations. 

Besides video lessons to explain the concepts, the program features simple games and challenges like this timed matching game to help you remember what you learn.

Pronunciation Training Lessons

Every chapter in the course includes a lesson on pronunciation as well as a lesson focused on speaking practice. The pronunciation lesson features a brief video lesson, usually 15 to 25 minutes in length. Your professional Italian tutor demonstrates key pronunciation techniques and encourages you to mimic them during this segment.

The speaking practice in each chapter consists of a written guide for you and a conversation partner to practice out loud. You may find this element of the course less useful than a program that features direct speaking software because Italian Uncovered does not have the option to speak into a microphone and receive feedback.

Italian Uncovered Cost and Payment

Signing up for the Italian Uncovered course has a one-time purchase price of $297. If you complete the course and want to move on, you will then need to purchase access to the next levels of the program as well.

The price tag may seem high, but Italian Uncovered does come with a rare money-back guarantee if you complete the program and feel that you did not learn the language.

Plus, you can check out a free seven-day trial of the program to decide if you like it before committing to the full price.

Alternatives to Italian Uncovered 

StoryLearning’s Italian Uncovered has a lot to offer, but you may also want to consider alternatives.

Think In Italian (Ripeti Con Me)

If you prefer a bit more serious (doesn’t mean dry) in-depth approach to mastering Italian, trying out Think In Italian may be worth your consideration. Each of the Think In Italian’s lesson comes with a transcript which helps you move along and review effectively. The program founder Stefano builds lessons in an intuitive manner, and he makes sure you speak out the sentences as you progress. Each lesson is only 30 minutes, and you get loads of content with this Italian learning program.

• Cost is $39.80/mo or $357/yr. Also a lifetime membership with a great discount
• Its spiral mastery method ensures you retain what you’ve learnt
• It’s not for learners who want game-type entertainment in language learning – it’s all business and it does its business well

ItalianPod101

If you learn best through listening, you may love ItalianPod101 with its podcast-style lessons. Lessons cover a wide range of topics from business Italian to 800 core Italian words.

• Cost ranges from free with limited access to $47/month with lots of helpful extra features
• Great for audio learners or people on the go
• No direct speaking software

If you like the idea of learning via a podcast, click here to check out ItalianPod101!

Pimsleur Italian app

The updated Pimsleur Italian app-based course offers a comprehensive approach to learning Italian, focused on audio lessons that use a Spaced Repetition System to help you permanently remember the new language.

• Costs $20.95/month
• Focus on grammar and key, useful vocabulary
• Uses tons of active listening to keep you engaged
• Features direct speaking software for pronunciation feedback

If you like the idea of a structured language course, take a look at the Pimsleur Italian app here!

Conclusion

Italian is a beautiful, melodic language, but it can offer unique challenges for an English speaker such as tricky pronunciation and complex grammar. A language-learning program like Italian Uncovered approaches these challenges by offering video lessons taught by professional tutors to explain grammar concepts and demonstrate pronunciation.

The only drawback to this course is that it does not use software that enables you to speak into a microphone and get feedback on your spoken Italian.

If you like the idea of livening up your language learning with a story-based approach, click here to check out Italian Uncovered!

We have lots of ideas for your perfect language learning journey. Check out our “Best Way To Learn Italian” and “The 23 Best Online Italian Courses Compared: A Showdown“