AUTHOR · PUBLISHER · TEACHER
Serena Capilli
I write stories that make Italian stick.
Graded readers, a magazine and a slow Italian podcast for adult learners who want to read real Italian and enjoy it. Originally from Sicily, I live and write in Rome.
30,000+
copies sold
14
graded readers
3
languages: Italian, Spanish, French
2016
teaching Italian online since
MY STORY
How stories got my students talking
A story gives even beginners something to talk about.
What I learned in my conversation lessons
I grew up in Sicily and today I live in Rome. I speak seven languages, so I know exactly what it feels like to look at a page and understand only half of it.
My books were born in my conversation lessons. I noticed that a short story helped my students speak, even at the lowest levels. They retold what happened, talked about the characters and said what they would do in their place. The story gave them the words and a reason to use them.
So I started writing stories for my own students: clear texts set in real Italian places, with the words people actually use. In 2022 those stories became my first graded readers. Today they are read by learners all over the world, and I still write every book myself.
Everything I publish is built the same way: manageable texts, useful expressions, and plenty of chances to reuse what you learn. I want reading in Italian to feel like a pleasure you come back to.
MY METHOD
How my books teach
I call it the Paguro Method: comprehensible input built around chunks you can use straight away.
Stories first
You learn more when you want to know what happens next. Every chapter is short enough to finish in one sitting.
Chunks, not lists
I teach word combinations you can reuse in conversation, not isolated vocabulary to memorise.
Read and listen
Every book has audio recorded in clear, slow Italian, plus exercises with answer keys.
WHAT I CREATE
Learn with my stories and resources
Short stories & graded readers
Stories set in Italy, from A1 to B2, with vocabulary, exercises and audio.
Piazzetta Italiana magazine
Italian culture and everyday life in accessible Italian for intermediate learners, with exercises and audio.
Slow Italian podcast
Short episodes for A2–B1 learners, with transcripts and useful expressions.
CREDENTIALS
The teacher behind the stories
Years of teaching adult English speakers shape every page I write.
- Certified Italian teacher, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
- Degree in Linguistic and Cultural Mediation
- Teaching Italian online to adult English speakers since 2016
- Books also purchased by universities
- Author of 14 graded readers in Italian, Spanish and French
READERS
What learners say
“Serena’s writing captures your interest and makes it easy to learn new phrases.”
“This is one of the most effective Italian learning tools on the market.”
“Amazing book!! It’s the first foreign language book where I have found all the skills together to learn Italian.”