Parliamo italiano!
(Let’s speak Italian!)
Have you wanted to learn the language of Michelangelo, Dante, Pavarotti, and Benigni? Do you want to study a language that will enhance your appreciation of art history, music, religious studies, or international affairs? Have you dreamt of speaking the language of your Italian ancestry? Fulfill your dreams this summer in Mason’s Italian language program—Little Italies.
In this intensive program, you will develop intermediate-level proficiency in Italian through class meetings, lunch hour conversations, and weekly excursions. In the classroom, you will be part of our own “Little Italy”—speaking exclusively in Italian, listening to music, reading and writing stories, and watching Italian films. At lunch, you will eat an authentic Italian meal (pranzo) as you learn about the regional differences reflected in Italian cuisine. The daily lunch hour is also an opportunity to speak Italian spontaneously during the social encounter of a shared meal—a tradition that continues in Italy to this day.
Andiamo insieme!
(Let’s go together!)
Your experience of Italian language and culture does not stop in the classroom. You will go on weekly excursions to such places as the National Gallery of Art to tour the Italian collection, Holy Rosary Church to participate in the Festa Italiana, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts to hear an opera, and the Italian Embassy to meet the diplomatic staff and hear about modern Italian politics from the people at the center of that world.
Class Sessions
Classes meet Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to noon. The required lunch hour takes place from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.