a black and white photo of a man wearing a hat.

About IIS

May 11, 2023

Meet our teachers: Mattia Milone

Mattia has been a teacher at IIS for several years.

Read this interview to get to know him better.

Teachers have a crucial role at IIS, so we believe that helping our students to get to know them better is one of the main goals of our Blog. Starting from this article, we will introduce our teachers every few weeks, so that you can learn something more about each of them.

To start, we recommend looking at our page About us | SFIIS.

Today we got the chance to have a chat with Mattia Milone, who is teaching both group and private lessons at IIS, both online via Zoom and in person in our new headquarters.

How long have you been teaching Italian? How long for IIS?

I’ve been teaching Italian for almost 10 years. I started at IIS 4 years ago.

What made you choose to become a teacher?

What I love the most about teaching my language is that I feel like a deliverer of new ways of communication for those who have never learnt it before. Learning a new language, most of my students say, is like discovering a new side of oneself. It is gratifying for me to witness the moment when they find that out.

Where are you from? How often do you visit your hometown? What do you miss the most?

I’m from Milano, but was born in Puglia, where now I visit the most when I’m overseas.

Of Puglia, I miss a lot of things. The list is long: swimming into the sea -we have an Ocean here in Northern California, but we cannot really enjoy it!- certain flavors, sounds of the dialect, focaccia & raffo beer, vestiges of Mediterranean past civilizations…

Of Milan, I miss going to La Scala – but I find the Symphony here in Oakland almost as great. I also miss the opportunity to walk and see lots of people in the streets, enjoying restaurants open till late. I miss my friends, my familiarity with people and places. I miss the beautiful unpredictability of certain events you can encounter only in Italy.

What is your favorite Italian dish? Do you like cooking?

It would be easier to ask me what is NOT my favorite Italian dish, and even then, it would be hard to find one. No, I do not particularly enjoy cooking. I enjoy my wife’s cooking. Even though she is American, she cooks like an Italian nonna: same rituals, same patience, same expression of creativity.

Is there a monument or place that you recommend our students to visit if they go to Italy?

There are many. But if I have to choose one, I would say Castel del Monte in northern Puglia.

Can you share with our students some tips for learning Italian faster?

Do not get discouraged when grammar seems hard, or when you cannot reproduce the same exact phonetic sounds. Emancipate yourself from any sort of inhibition. Speak even if it is not always correct. The more you speak the more you learn. And, most importantly, have fun!

“A language is not just words. It's a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is. It's all embodied in a language”

Noam Chomsky

a bunch of hot air balloons flying in the sky.

Travel

Apr 20, 2023

A Journey of Discovery Italian Unicity

There are important Italian cities that are worth visiting. 

But the countryside is the pure heart of traditions. 

At Istituto Italiano Scuola we believe that travel is a pure form of education because you learn another culture while having the full experience of it.

Before traveling to another country, learn about its history, customs and some handy phrases and words to help you interact with the locals. But, more than that, a great way to get an authentic feel for the culture is to get in contact with someone who has visited the country before, or better yet, lived there. You can search on the Internet looking for everything you want to know about that country, but you can’t have the real sense of the country is.

A native can give you an idea of the culture from a local’s perspective, useful advice, or where to find the “hidden gems” in the city, even though it could be a small town.

There are famous cities in Italy, like Rome and Firenze, but let’s focus more on the countryside, those that better represent the Italian reality and culture.

For these reasons, we interviewed our teacher, Barbara, to speak about Mondovì, her native town situated between Langhe hills and the foot of the Alps.

What makes Mondovì unique?

Like many medieval towns, Mondovì’s old center is on top of a hill. From there, you can enjoy a unique view from the Ligurian Alps to the Matterhorn (called Cervino in Italian), at the border with Switzerland.

What are the ‘hidden gems’ in your city?

Mondovì is the Italian capital of hot air balloons. The microclimate of the area creates ideal conditions that allows the hot air balloons to fly safely and easily control landing. If you want to learn how to “drive” a hot air balloon, or if you want to enjoy a ride, come over to Mondovì the first week of January for the annual festival, that showcases balloons from all over the world.

What are the cultural traditions of your city?

Every year in February, the ‘Moro’ and his court, ‘rules’ the town for the week of Carnival. Legend says that the captain of the Moors fell in love with the most beautiful lady of Mondovì and for this reason, he decided to save the town. Every year, for Carnival, the ‘Moro’ and the ‘Bela Monregaleisa’ parade in the streets of Mondovì followed by their court of musicians and ladies in waiting.

What is a traditional dish of your city?

Mondovì is near the site of the University of Gastronomic Sciences, the birthplace of the Slow Food Movement. Typical dishes are ravioli al plin, bagna cauda, vitello tonnato, and raw meat with white truffle. There is a specific treat for Mondovì: “Monregalesi al rhum,” – chocolate candies filled with rhum. Delicious!

Through the words of Barbara, you already get some interesting facts about Mondovì. But you can get more, going there and having the whole experience by yourself or with your family.

Because we believe that language, travel, and social and cultural gatherings are the core of our experiential learning programs, you can’t miss the opportunity to go through realities like Mondovì.

“One’s destination is never a place,
but a new way of seeing things.”

Henry Miller

a group of people sitting on a couch watching a movie.

Movies

Mar 31, 2023

Italian movies not to be missed

There are several Italian movies that are worth watching.

Here are our top picks for our students.

At Istituto Italiano Scuola we believe that a useful tool to learn Italian and improve our students’ listening skills is watching an Italian movie. You can also think of using the subtitles tool, in case you feel not ready to watch an entire movie in Italian. In this case you should watch it a first time with subtitles and then re-watch it a second time without them, trying to check if you can understand more of the dialogues having watched it already a first time with that little help.

There are big masterpieces famous worldwide, like Federico Fellini’s movies, but we want to focus more on recent films, those that represent better the current Italian reality and culture. Since one of our non-profit goals is to spread the knowledge and love for the Italian culture, we believe that the following movies will help us succeed in our mission.

Please note that we will give you recommendations on the starting level of Italian for each film, so that you can pick the ones that better fit your Italian learning journey.

“Io non ho paura”, by Gabriele Salvatores.

Can be watched from Beginners 4 up.

It is an ideal movie for students with little Italian knowledge for its use of simple and easy to understand language. This movie gives a clear idea of life in Southern Italy, helping understand Italian matters less know abroad, like the season of kidnapping in Italy, which lasted over 17 years.

“Smetto quando voglio”, by Sidney Sibilia.

Can be watched from Pre-Avanzato 1 up.

A movie that is best for our advanced students as it uses a more complex language, and the actors often use dialect expressions. It is perfect to learn more about the Italian drama of unemployment and temporary employment in a fun and entertaining way.

“L’incredibile storia dell’Isola delle Rose”, by Sidney Sibila.

Can be watched from intermedio 1 up.

A movie unknown by the American public, but extremely interesting to discover something new and totally unexpected about Italy and the Italian lifestyle.

“Habemus Papam”, by Nanni Moretti.

Can be watched from Elementare 1 up.

Nanni Moretti is renowned for being one of the best contemporary movie directors, and this movie in particular is able to provide an unconventional and entertaining view on the Vatican and the Church reality in Italy.

“The movies we love and admire are to some extent a function of who we are when we see them.”

Mary Schmich

Books

Mar 9, 2023

Italian books’ list

... For all our Italian books’ lovers

Istituto Italiano Scuola is renowned for the presence of reading books in its group’s classes. Our students start reading a book with their teachers from level Elementare and keep reading throughout all our levels.

We believe that a reading book can be our students’ best friend, a valuable tool to learn Italian while getting involved in a story, flipping its pages with the classmates week by week. Choosing the book for the following level has slowly become a class effort, with the teachers and their students discussing together what to read as in a typical book club.

Here below some books, we want to recommend to our readers, based on our teachers and students experience, for level Avanzato onwards – you must be proficient in Italy to read these books in Italian!

“L’amica geniale”, Elena Ferrante

The story of two friends, Elena and Lila. The book gives a meticulous portrait of these two women while telling the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. Through the lives of these two women, you will read the story of a neighborhood, a city and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her two protagonists.

L’amica geniale – Libreria Pino

“Mordi e Fuggi, Il romanzo delle BR”, Alessandro Bertrante

Italy in 1969 had occupied universities, protests, tensions in factories. Alberto Boscolo is twenty years old, comes from a normal family, he is enrolled at the University but wants more. Disappointed by the inconclusiveness of the Student Movement, he approaches what will soon be the nucleus of the Brigate Rosse. The months pass, Alberto participates in demonstration actions, self-financing robberies and the first arson attack, but his sense of dissatisfaction does not subside. He wants to be serious. In a foggy, violent and unforgettable metropolis, the book gives life to a tumultuous and vibrant human story, in which, intertwining fiction and news, we see the crucial facts that will trigger the tragic events that happened in the following years.

Mordi e fuggi. Il romanzo delle BR – Libreria Pino

“Il treno dei bambini”, Viola Ardone

Based on true events, a heartbreaking story of love, family, hope, and survival set in post-World War II Italy. Though Mussolini and the fascists have been defeated, the war has devastated Italy, especially the south. Seven-year-old Amerigo lives with his mother in Naples, in a poor neighborhood. One day, Amerigo learns that a train will take him away from there to spend the winter with a family in the north, where he will be safe and have warm clothes and food to eat. Together with thousands of other southern children, Amerigo will cross the entire peninsula to a new life. Through his curious, innocent eyes, we see a nation rising from the ashes of war, reborn. As he comes to enjoy his new surroundings and the possibilities for a better future, Amerigo will make the heartbreaking choice to leave his mother and become a member of his adoptive family.

Il treno dei bambini – Libreria Pino

“La Ragazza di Bube”, Carlo Cassola

Mara is Bube’s girlfriend, a woman who in the confused post-war years, in a Tuscany still devastated by tragedy, faces reality with strength, an ancient sense of duty and perception of the passing of time. Mara evolves thanks to her love for Bube, who has committed a homicide and gets arrested and condemned. Albeit slowly, time hardens her, making her less serene but more aware of her tasks, while she is waiting for Bube to complete his 14 years imprisonment.

La ragazza di Bube – Libreria Pino

“You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.”

Sydney J. Harris

a woman sitting on a window sill reading a book.

About IIS

Feb 14, 2023

Learn about our school story and mission

Getting to know Istituto Italiano Scuola

Istituto Italiano Scuola was founded in 1998 with the mission of teaching the language and promote the culture of Italy in Northern California and beyond.

As a non-profit organization, we are committed to providing a stimulating and engaging environment in which to learn Italian, while simultaneously exposing students to the rich diversity of Italian culture and tradition.

Therefore, we promote the Italian language and culture with the broadest range of language courses, from beginner to proficiency, along with special events and workshops.

High-quality education with social and cultural gatherings creates a truly immersive environment that ensures the learning of the Italian language and a brief experience of the Italian lifestyle.

We truly want our students to experience the essence of the Italian culture, learning from our experienced instructors, who are native Italian speakers and hold a degree from Italian universities.

We envision a world where performance and entertainment are combined so people experience joyful moments within their busy lives.

“The purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”

Sydney J. Harris