For the past few years, I have had the pleasure to teach Italian to people from the Cleveland community at the Alta House in the heart of Little Italy. The diligent students attending the classes vary in age, gender and cultural background. Nevertheless, when it comes to learning La Bella Lingua, they all share equal enthusiasm and passion for our charming romance language. But, why do they wish to study Italian? Naturally, for those individuals who are from an Italian heritage, studying the language stems from the desire to learn their ancestors’ native language and to experience a sense of intimacy with their cultural heritage. Simultaneously, for other students, it represents an enduring wish that matured after having traveled to Il Bel Paese. Each of the students has unique and interesting reasons for which they have embarked on the adventure of learning this beautiful language. Please enjoy some student testimonials!

GEORGE L., a third generation Italian American whose grandparents emigrated from the central regions of Abruzzo and Lazio: “Ci sono tre ragioni principali perchè studio l’italiano. Primo, le lingue in generale mi interessano. Quando ero giovane ho comprato un manuale di conversazione per imparare qualche parola d’italiano. Mi ricordo che non riuscivo a pronunciare “gli” neanche con l’aiuto della nonna. Adesso studio l’italiano per affermare la mia identità. Benché io sia americano ho radici italiane. Voglio che le due culture mescolino dentro di me. Per questa ragione parlo italiano e inglese, mangio la cucina italiana e americana, e ho un passaporto italiano e americano. Finalmente studio l’italiano per comunicare meglio con i miei parenti in Italia.” “There are three main reasons I study Italian. First, I like languages in general. When I was young, I bought a conversational manual wanting to learn some Italian words. I remember I could not pronounce “gli,” not even with the help of my grandmother. Nowadays, I study Italian to affirm my own identity. Even though I am American, I have Italian roots. I want to be part of both cultures. For this reason, I speak Italian and English, I enjoy the Italian and American cuisine, and I have an Italian and an American passport. Finally, I study Italian to better communicate with my relatives in Italy.”
DEBBIE W., an American, has studied La Bella Lingua ever since her first trip to Italy several years ago: “Ho voluto imparare l’italiano dal mio viaggio in Italia dodici anni fa. È una bella lingua. Voglio anche parlare con i miei amici italiani nella loro lingua madre. Non sono un ficcanaso ma mi piace ascoltare le conversazioni in italiano anche se non sono inclusa.” “I have wanted to learn Italian after my trip there 12 years ago. It is a beautiful language. I also want to converse with my Italian friends in their native language. I am not a nosy person, but I like to listen to conversations in Italian, even if I am not included.”

LINDA C. is a third-generation Italian American student whose paternal grandfather was from Napoli and paternal grandmother was from Palermo. Their love story blossomed on the boat on their first trip to America.“Io studio l’italiano ora per diverse ragioni, ma ho iniziato a studiare l’italiano cinque anni fa perche viaggiavo in Italy per vacanza. I miei nonni sono nati in Italia e ho voluto vedere il loro paese natale. Ho voluto anche comunicare con la gente lì nella loro lingua - ordinare i pasti nei ristoranti, chiedere informazioni, comprare i biglietti, per musei, treni, cattedrali, e concerti, fare le spese per regali per la mia famiglia e i miei amici, prenotare in hotels.Continuo a studiare l’italiano ora perche amo come suona. E una bella lingua, così musicale. I miei studi in italiano mi hanno insegnato molto sulla gente, la cultura, la cucina e la storia del paese.” “Nowadays, I study Italian for different reasons, but I started studying Italian five years ago because I was planning a trip to Italy. My grandparents were born in Italy and I wanted to visit their native country. I also wanted to communicate with the people there in their own language, order meals at restaurants, ask for information, buy tickets for museums, trains, cathedrals, and concerts, buy presents for my family and my friends, make reservations in hotels. I continue studying Italian because I like the way it sounds. It is a beautiful language, so musical. Also, studying Italian has taught me a lot about the people, the culture and the history of the country.”

For LINDA K. an American, her wish to study Italian came unexpectedly resembling a “love at a first sight story.” “Molto tempo fa, sono arrivata a comprare una cassette. Conteneva la canzone “Da una finestra aperta.” Ascoltando la canzone, ho deciso di studiare le parole per capirla per lo meno un pò. Dopo di imparare qualche parole, volevo continuare. “Da una finestra aperta” mi ha aperto la possibilita di cominciare a studiare l’italiano. Questa canzone comparte l’agri dolcezza di un rifugiato che si abitua ai suoni e le viste dell’ Italia, il suo paese accogliente. Come il cantante in un un nuovo paese, mi trovo ad aprire una finestra un pò straniera ogni volta che inizia la classe d’italiano. Ma per me, guardare fuori da questa finestra è una scelta... una scelta dolce.” “A long time ago, I happened to buy a cassette. It contained the song “From an Open Window.” Listening to the song, I decided to study the lyrics to understand it at least a little more. After I learned a few words, I wanted to continue. “From an Open Window” has given me the possibility to start studying Italian. This song shares the bittersweet of a refugee who gets used to the sounds and views of Italy, his welcoming country. Like the singer in a new country, I found myself opening a somehow foreign window each time the Italian lesson begins. However, for me, looking out from this window is a choice…a sweet choice.”

For KATE C., studying Italian has been a lifelong dream which started when she was a little girl, her nonno being her very first Italian teacher: “Imparare l’italiano è stato il mio sogno durante tutta la mia vita. Mio papà è nato in Sicilia e quando ero piccola, siamo andati a trovare i miei parenti in Sicilia. Ho incontrato i miei cugini e abbiamo giocato insieme, ma non ci potevano capire. Negli Stati Uniti, a casa dei miei nonni, parlavano un dialetto siciliano. Non hanno insegnato la lingua ai loro figli perché non hanno voluto insegnare il dialetto. L’assimilazione era la norma. Mio nonno ha provato a insegnarmi, ma non parlava inglese bene, e non era un maestro bravo. Ma, sempre diceva “la lingua italiana è la lingua più bella del mondo.” “Learning Italian has been a dream all my life. My father was born in Sicily and, when I was little, we went to visit my relatives in Sicily. I met my cousins and even though we played together, we could not understand each other. In the U.S., at my grandparents’ house, they spoke the Sicilian dialect. They didn’t teach the language to their kids because they didn’t want to teach them the dialect. The assimilation was the rule. My grandfather tried to teach me, but he didn’t speak English well and he was not a good teacher. However, he would always say ‘the Italian Language is the most beautiful in the world.’”