Program Structure
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 Fall Term, students will read “Il fuoco invisibile” by Daniele Rielli, a gripping multi-voice narrative that explores one of the most devastating ecological and social crises in recent Italian history. Through the lens of his own family’s dying olive trees, Rielli reconstructs the arrival of the Xylella bacterium in Puglia—an epidemic that has killed over 21 million olive trees and transformed the landscape into a vast, silent graveyard. Blending investigative journalism, personal reflection, and cultural analysis, the book uncovers the perfect storm of denial, misinformation, public outrage, and judicial conflict that erupted in response to containment efforts. Part family memoir, part environmental inquiry, and part social commentary, Il fuoco invisibile offers a powerful meditation on identity, nature, and the stories we tell ourselves in times of crisis.
A series of 8 classes, 2 hours each, dedicated to studying, reading, and discussing one of the most significant works of Italian literature.
In the Fall Term, the group will focus on the book “Ragazzi di Vita” by Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Under Mattia’s guidance, you will discover the linguistic richness, social depth, and emotional nuance of Pasolini’s writing, while exploring the themes of identity, marginalization, and youth that define this deeply human and emblematic work.
The book offers a raw and poetic portrayal of postwar Rome through the picaresque, and at times comic, tragic, and grotesque adventures of a group of street boys from the city’s marginalized outskirts. Set between the monumental heart of Rome and its expanding postwar suburbs, the novel captures the cruel yet tender rite of passage from childhood to adolescence. It stands as a powerful symbol of a transformative moment in Italy’s social and cultural history.
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
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- R
- T & D
- S & Z
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- Italian hard sounds:
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- Double consonants
- Letter H
- C & G
- SCI & SCE
- GN
- GLI
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- Stress and intonation
- Apostrophes and linking sounds
- Recap, tongue twisters and confidence boosts!
Join us for an exclusive 7-week advanced reading group starting October 9th, where we will discouver the novel “La ferocia” by Nicola Lagioia.
Guided by our experienced instructor, Martina, you’ll engage in in-depth discussions to explore a haunting and layered narrative that begins with the mysterious final moments of Clara, a magnetic young woman whose presence could light up or darken any room. Found walking naked along the Bari–Taranto highway shortly before her death, Clara becomes the center of a story that unravels two intertwined youths, a powerful family, and a city gripped by ambition, secrecy, and the corrosive vanity of power.
Lagioia paints a vivid portrait of a world where money can fix anything—until it can’t—and where the legacies of the fathers are etched into the fragility of their children.
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.
Gianna will guide you on a journey of discovery through Italy, with each Term focusing on a different region or area of the country.
In the Summer Term, our focus will be on Liguria, a coastal region in northwestern Italy known for its dramatic landscapes, colorful seaside villages, and rich maritime traditions.
Our literary guide will be the delightful and witty novel “I garbati maneggi delle signorine Devoto ovvero un intrigo a Sestri Ponente”, a story set in the charming neighborhood of Sestri Ponente, near Genoa. The novel offers a humorous yet affectionate glimpse into the lives of its characters, while painting a vivid portrait of Ligurian culture and everyday 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 10$ nonrefundable registration fee will be automatically added at checkout.
Books are not included in the enrollment price.
DISCOUNTS
BRING A FRIEND: If you enroll with a friend (new to IIS), you both get a 10% discount
ENROLL IN 2 GROUPS: if you enroll in 2 groups in the same Term, you will get a 15% discount on the second group's enrollment (the less expensive)
PRIVATE CLASSES: if you are enrolled in a group, you can purchase private classes with a 10% discount
BULK REGISTRATION: if you enroll in 2 or more Terms at the same time, you will not pay the $10 registration fee and will get an additional 10% discount
To get these discounts, send an email to italianschool@sfiis.org
