Italian forms continuous aspects quite in the same way as its done in English, that is by using a present tense conjugation of the verb stare (meaning "to be") followed by a present participle of the main verb that is in question. And also depending upon the end of the main verb in the infinitive form, the present participle would replace the infinitive suffix with the end -ando (that is if infinitive form if the verb ends with -are) or -endo (if the infinitive form of the verb ends with -ere or -ire).
Example: Sto leggendo ("I am reading").
Present tense
The present tense as well as the present continuous has different meanings in Italian, the latter emphasizes that the action occurs at the time when the speaker is speaking.
For example, Sto pattinando and Io pattino ("I am skating" [now] and "I skate") bring out different notations in regular Italian. While in English, "We are reading" and "We have been reading" to two different effects, there’s no expression that specifies for the previous one in Italian.