SHORT STORY IN SIMPLE ITALIAn · CEFR A2
Incontri in Sicilia
Learn Italian through
family roots while exploring Sicily.
Follow Fiona, an American in search of her Italian heritage, as her journey toward dual citizenship leads her to the medieval Sicilian village of Montalbano Elicona.
Created for lower-intermediate learners, this engaging graded reader combines natural dialogue, useful vocabulary, and authentic Sicilian culture.
By Serena Capilli, Italian teacher and author.
Read the first chapter
Meet Fiona as her search for Italian roots begins. The free sample introduces the story, its accessible language and the Sicilian setting.
Audiobook included
What you’ll find inside
A complete reading and listening experience designed for A2 Italian learners.
Natural Italian
Real-life dialogue, useful expressions and carefully graded language at a lower-intermediate level.
Vocabulary support
Bilingual vocabulary lists help you keep reading without losing the thread.
Comprehension support
Short chapter summaries reinforce understanding and recall.
Sicilian culture
Explore family roots, traditions and daily life in a medieval Sicilian village.
THE METHOD
The power of learning through stories
Why learn with stories?
My stories are written in accessible Italian help you connect the grammar and vocabulary you have already studied and see how the language works in a meaningful context.
As you read, repeated exposure to natural language patterns helps you internalize word order, sentence structure, and useful expressions. Poco a poco, Italian begins to feel more familiar, helping you understand more and build sentences with greater confidence.
Why learners choose it
An excellent learning resource
Such an excellent learning resource, and a fun read too. Serena is a superb teacher and an engaging storyteller.
A story that leaves you wanting more
The language is contemporary, using many idioms and providing exercises to reinforce their meaning. It was a pleasure to read and leaves you wanting more.
THE COMPLETE EDITION
Read and listen at your own pace
Incontri in Sicilia includes 16 short chapters and approximately 5,200 words, with bilingual vocabulary lists, chapter summaries and natural dialogue.
The digital edition includes PDF, EPUB and an MP3 audiobook, so you can combine reading and listening wherever you study.
Frequently asked questions
What is Incontri in Sicilia about?
It’s about Fiona, an American searching for her Italian roots in Montalbano Elicona, a hilltop borgo in Sicily. Her search for the documents she needs for dual citizenship turns into a journey through Sicilian culture, identity, and belonging.
What Italian level is the book for?
It is designed for lower-intermediate learners at CEFR A2–B1. The language is carefully graded, with natural dialogue and enough support to keep the story accessible, but it also makes great review material for upper-intermediate learners.
How to use this short story?
Read it, listen along with the free audio, and talk about it. You can also write short summaries or simply highlight the phrases that are useful to you. The language is modern and realistic, and there are plenty of ready-to-use phrases for your Italian practice.
Which formats are available?
Does the book include audio?
Ready to read Italian differently?
Discover Sicily with Fiona while building vocabulary, listening comprehension and a more natural feel for Italian.