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A narrow stone street in Ortigia, the old island quarter of Syracuse in Sicily, with shuttered balconies above

Italy Is Not One Language: Where to Hear the Others

The Italian you learn in a lesson is a Tuscan literary language that a unified state chose and then had to teach. What people speak at home is a different, older map — and it is still audible in the street.

Sardines cooking over charcoal on a Portuguese street grill

How to Read a Portuguese Menu

Portuguese menus are written in a kind of shorthand: a dish, a place, a way of cooking. Learn the shorthand and the whole meal opens up — including the plate of things that arrived without your asking.