Estate 2024. (summer playlist)

Learning, Laughing, and Living La Dolce Vita

When John started attending La Squala, his Italian immersion school, we quickly realized he was picking up the language faster than we could keep up! To keep the momentum going (and have a little fun along the way), we started listening together to Apple Music’s Pop Hits Italia channel. We picked pop over the standard top hits—let’s just say, we wanted something upbeat and family-friendly, with less explicit language and more feel-good vibes for our kitchen dance parties.

Bonnie has been taking Italian classes on Thursday nights, working hard toward her B1 certification so we can all have our Italian citizenship. Thanks to her superhuman skills with paperwork and persistence, John and I already have ours. Now, we’re cheering her on as she powers through, and learning together as a family has become our favorite way to support her (and each other).

Listening to Italian music has woven itself into our daily life—it’s on while we commute to and from La Scuola, cook, at dinner, and pretty much anytime we want to feel a little more Italian, no matter where we are. Making a playlist together became our summer tradition, and even though 2024 kept us close to home (Bonnie had a major jaw surgery and absolutely crushed her recovery!), the music brought Italy to us.

This playlist is a mix of our favorite Italian pop songs from 2024—each with its own story or memory. Mark’s top picks? “MALAVITA” by Coma_Cose and “Mezzo Rotto” by Alessandra Amoroso featuring Big Mama. John was all about “TUTTA GOLD” by Mahmood and “Fragole” by Achille Lauro & Rose Villain.

We hope you enjoy listening as much as we loved making it. Maybe you’ll discover a new favorite, or just feel a little more Italian for a few songs. Benvenuti nella nostra casa e nella nostra playlist!