Orlando furioso: an Italian book for intermediate learners (B1)
Ludovico Ariosto · adapted by Alessio Insegnante · CEFR level B1
Ludovico Ariosto's classic (1532), rewritten for learners of Italian at level B1: calibrated sentences, footnotes, a final glossary and comprehension questions in every chapter.
In production · soon in 6×9 paperback and on Kindle
The plot of Orlando furioso
Charlemagne's army is besieging Paris, and the most beautiful princess in the world has escaped from his camp. Half the knights of both armies ride after her — among them Orlando, the emperor's greatest champion, who abandons the war to look for her. What he finds in a wood, one afternoon, will take his reason away: two names carved on a tree.
To give him back his wits, a friend will have to fly to the Moon on the hippogriff: up there, everything lost on Earth is kept in bottles. Ariosto's masterpiece — the poem that invented the flying horse, the ring of invisibility and the journey to the Moon — fully retold in simple prose. It is the sequel to Boiardo's Orlando innamorato: there Orlando falls in love, here he loses his mind.
Why read Orlando furioso to learn Italian
The stories interweave like a modern series — Ariosto suspends one thread and picks up another — training you to hold several plots together in Italian, the key B1 skill. And if you read the Orlando innamorato (A2), the same characters are here one step up: a natural level ladder.
Inside this reader
CEFR adaptation
The text is fully rewritten for level B1, with controlled vocabulary and syntax, while staying faithful to the original plot.
Footnotes and glossary
Footnotes on difficult words and a final glossary, so you can read independently without a dictionary.
Comprehension questions
Every chapter ends with questions to check understanding, just like in class.
Paperback and ebook
6×9 paperback on cream paper, or Kindle ebook. The same text also lives in the ti app.
Language focus: what you practise
In this level-B1 edition you mainly practise the present subjunctive, the conditional, real hypothetical clauses and discourse connectors. The vocabulary revolves around knights, madness and magic: the key words, with translations, are in the glossary below and recur throughout the text, so you learn them in context.
Essential glossary (Italian · English · Dutch)
| Italian | English | Dutch |
|---|---|---|
| l'ippogrifo | hippogriff | de hippogrief |
| il senno | wits | het verstand |
| la follia | madness | de waanzin |
| la luna | moon | de maan |
| il cavaliere | knight | de ridder |
| l'assedio | siege | het beleg |
| l'anello | ring | de ring |
| la spada | sword | het zwaard |
About the author: Ludovico Ariosto
Ludovico Ariosto (1474–1533), poet at the Este court of Ferrara, worked on the Orlando furioso all his life, publishing three versions up to the definitive one of 1532. His elegant irony is one of the most modern voices of the Renaissance.
Details and difficulty level
B1 is the threshold of independence: longer sentences, the present subjunctive, rich everyday vocabulary. This reader suits intermediate students and anyone preparing a B1 certification (CILS, CELI, PLIDA). Format: 6×9 paperback on cream paper or Kindle ebook; 20 chapters with footnotes, a final glossary and comprehension questions. All level B1 books →
Frequently asked questions
What level of Italian do I need to read Orlando furioso?
This edition of Orlando furioso is rewritten for CEFR level B1. B1 is the threshold of independence: longer sentences, the present subjunctive, rich everyday vocabulary. This reader suits intermediate students and anyone preparing a B1 certification (CILS, CELI, PLIDA).
Is this Ludovico Ariosto's original text?
No, it is an adaptation: the plot and spirit of Ludovico Ariosto's original remain, but vocabulary and syntax are rewritten for level B1, with footnotes, a final glossary and comprehension questions at the end of every chapter.
When is it coming out?
The book is in production and will be on Amazon soon, in paperback and as a Kindle ebook. The same text already lives in the ti app.
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