You will strengthen your Italian knowledge using Nuovo Espresso 6 and reading an Italian novel chosen by your teacher. Your Italian will get stronger, perfectioning your grammar knowledge and your reading skills. 

Caffè Corretto is a special class we’ve created with Mattia, designed to make learning Italian as effortless and enjoyable as sipping a good cup of coffee.

In this class, Mattia will guide students in reading, speaking, and engaging in meaningful discussions about a renowned Italian book, helping them enhance their language skills naturally and effectively.

Join us for an immersive Italian learning experience, where literature and conversation blend seamlessly—just like a perfectly made caffè corretto.

In the Summer Term students will read “Sud” by Mario Fortunato, a richly layered novel that explores memory, identity, and the deep connection between people and place. Through the story of Valentino, who leaves his native Calabria and later reflects on his past, the book unfolds as a journey between past and present, personal experience and collective history.

Set against the backdrop of twentieth-century Italy, “Sud” weaves together family stories, historical events, and emotional introspection, offering a nuanced portrait of Italian society beyond stereotypes. Accessible yet intellectually engaging, the novel provides an excellent opportunity for students to work with authentic Italian while engaging in meaningful discussions about culture, belonging, and the complexity of Italian identity.

Gianna will guide you on a journey of discovery through Italy, with each Term focusing on a distinct region.

In the Summer Term, you will explore Milan and the Lombardy region through the novel “Il morto al primo piano. E altre grane condominiali” by Rebecca Quasi.

Alice appears to have the perfect life as a successful influencer, but behind her carefully curated social media presence lies a much more unusual reality. When a man is found dead in her apartment building, rumors quickly spread, and Alice finds herself at the center of a mystery she never expected. With the help of an unlikely group of neighbors, she sets out to uncover the truth in a story that combines humor, mystery, and human relationships, while offering a glimpse into contemporary Italian life.

Through the pages of this carefully selected book, along with short videos and class discussions, you’ll explore Italy’s regional culture, traditions, and contemporary issues, all while improving your Italian language skills. The course encourages conversation and analysis, offering a dynamic and immersive learning experience.

In addition to reading and discussion, you’ll also review key grammar topics, using the book and videos as a springboard for natural, engaging conversation.

Join us for this unique exploration of Italy—one region, one story at a time!

A series of 10 classes, 2 hours each, dedicated to studying, reading, and discussing one of the most significant works of Italian literature.

In the Summer Term, the group will focus on the book “”Rinascimento privato” by Maria Bellonci, the acclaimed novel that gives voice to Isabella d’Este, one of the most influential women of the Italian Renaissance. Set in 1533, the story unfolds as Isabella, nearly sixty years old, reflects on her life — from her childhood in Ferrara to her years as Marchioness of Mantua, where she navigated politics, power, art, and personal ambition during one of the most brilliant periods of Italian history. Surrounded by painters, poets, popes, emperors, and military leaders, Isabella emerges as a fascinating and deeply human protagonist.

Blending historical accuracy with psychological depth and elegant prose, Bellonci creates far more than a historical biography. Rinascimento privato is a rich reflection on identity, memory, power, and the passage of time, offering readers an intimate and compelling portrait of Renaissance Italy through a uniquely feminine perspective.

Under Mattia’s guidance, you will explore the novel’s psychological depth, linguistic nuance, and philosophical complexity. Each class will combine close textual analysis with engaging discussion, helping you reflect on themes of identity, perception, reality, and self-awareness, while expanding advanced vocabulary and deepening your understanding of modern Italian culture and thought.

Master Italian diction and say with confidence any parola you like! Speak with confidence, charm, and the authentic cadence of Italy.

Each 1-hour lesson focuses on a different aspect of Italian pronunciation, helping you accurately recognize and reproduce sounds. You’ll read with greater fluency and speak with increased clarity.

Your instructor, Francesca, brings extensive experience and a passion for teaching Italian pronunciation, ensuring you receive expert guidance every step of the way.

This group welcomes students of all levels, from BEGINNERS to PERFEZIONAMENTO.

Classes content:

• The Italian alphabet
• Vowels and diphthongs
• Italian consonants: Similarity and differences 
  • • R
    • T & D
    • S & Z
• Italian hard sounds:
  • • Double consonants
    • Letter H
    • C & G
    • SCI & SCE
    • GN
    • GLI
• Stress and intonation
• Apostrophes and linking sounds 
• Recap, tongue twisters and confidence boosts!

Join us for an exclusive 3-week advanced reading group starting September 3rd, where we will discover the novel “I convitati di pietra” by Michele Mari.

With his trademark wit and dark humor, Michele Mari explores friendship, rivalry, the passing of time, and the illusions of youth in a novel that is both entertaining and deeply thought-provoking.

The story follows thirty former classmates who, one year after graduation, make an unusual pact: each year they contribute to a common fund that will eventually be divided among the last three survivors. As decades pass, old rivalries, hidden loves, envy, and ambition resurface, turning a seemingly harmless game into a gripping reflection on friendship, fate, and mortality. Blending satire, suspense, and psychological insight, Mari keeps readers captivated until the very last page.

Guided by our experienced instructor, Martina, you’ll engage in in-depth discussions that go beyond the text, exploring its central themes of identity, memory, social injustice, and belonging, while also reflecting on the historical and cultural context of the novel and its enduring relevance today.

This group is perfect for advanced learners eager to challenge their Italian through rich literary analysis and meaningful conversation, while exploring themes of power, morality, family ties, and the societal undercurrents of contemporary Italy.

Level: Avanzato and up.

iscover the major artistic movements that shaped the first half of the twentieth century in this 6-week course taught entirely in Italian by special guest Professor Simone Ciglia, Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Oregon and internationally recognized art historian and curator.

Through a chronological and thematic journey —from 1900 to 1945 -, participants will explore the evolution of modern art from Liberty to Futurism, Cubism, Metaphysical Painting, Surrealism, Abstraction, and the “ritorno all’ordine’, while placing Italian art within its broader international context.

Designed for students with an Avanzato level or higher, the course offers a unique opportunity to deepen both your knowledge of Italian culture and your advanced Italian language skills. It will be followed in the Winter Term by a second course dedicated to Contemporary Italian Art.

Level: Avanzato and up.

About the Instructor

Simone Ciglia (Pescara, Italy, 1982) is an art historian, curator, and critic. He currently serves as Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of the History of Art and Architecture at the University of Oregon and as Chief Curator of Fondazione La Rocca (Pescara, Italy). His research focuses on marginal spaces within contemporary art, with particular emphasis on its intersections with agriculture, craft, and utopian and dystopian impulses. He serves as a correspondent for Flash Art magazine and writes for a variety of publications, including Treccani and Zanichelli.

He has curated exhibitions internationally, including most recently: The Whisperers (Ditch Projects, Springfield, OR), 2026; Il difficile è dimenticare ciò che si è visto per casa (Ritratto di Pescara per caso). Matteo Fato (Fondazione La Rocca, Pescara), 2025; Il campo espanso. Arte e agricoltura in Italia dagli anni Sessanta a oggi (Palazzo Collicola, Spoleto), 2025; 6 memo per questo millennio. 75° Premio Michetti (Museo Michetti, Francavilla al Mare), 2024. He has curated projects for Pesaro 2024 Capitale Italiana della Cultura, Fondazione Malvina Menegaz, and 16ª Quadriennale di Roma.

Ciglia has also taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Urbino, Italy, and served as an Assistant Researcher at the MAXXI – National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome. He holds a Ph.D. in the History of Contemporary Art from the Sapienza University of Rome.