This page will be updated in the coming weeks.

As you plan to spend the summer immersed in Italian language and culture, you should strongly consider getting the most from your experience by studying Italian with us. Our Italian courses during the summer will have minimal homework and no papers. Class time will include both traditional activities and workshops outside the classroom. Your practice will be done in the field: in parks and piazze, at our aperitivi and cene italiane, and interacting with Italians in other authentic settings around the community.

Though our Italian language courses are not for credit, it might be possible to exempt a course, in order to start in Italian 11 during the fall of 2025 (see below, or contact Dr. Chiara Trebaiocchi, <ctrebaiocchi@fas.harvard.edu>). Passing an Italian language course in Milan and Siena might allow you to skip a semester of language instruction during the academic year, granting you admission to a more advanced Italian courses upon your return to campus. Regardless of credit and future course decisions, we believe that those students who have spent the summer in Italy with us, and who have concurrently taken our language courses, will gain a deep knowledge of Italian society. Indeed, the film screenings, language tables, and community interactions (especially the Palio) that are built into the course ensure that there will never be a better opportunity to learn the language with immediate relevance and ample opportunities to practice.

Beginning Italian. Twice a week, probably on Monday and Wednesday, 75 minutes. Instructors: Finlay Darlington-Bell and Katie Larson.
Recommended for students who speak little or no Italian and want the basic tools for using the language to get around Italy. The aim of the course is to cover most of Beginning Italian (i.e. Italian 10 in the Harvard curriculum), although the material is adapted so as to be as relevant as possible to the topics addressed in the summer course. It is focused on developing basic communication skills to facilitate and enhance the summer-immersion experience. Students who pass the course could place into Italian 11. Speak with your instructor and with the director of the Italian language program, Dr. Trebaiocchi, for more information.
Students participating in Beginning Italian are advised to purchase a grammar manual before leaving for Italy. We recommend Barron’s Italian Grammar, 3rd edition; used copies are fine (and very economical). If you have already decided that you’d like to continue with Italian 10 or 11 in the fall, you may wish to go ahead and purchase access to Parliamo italiano, the online textbook that we use in the Italian language program at Harvard. You can also purchase a physical copy of the textbook if you so desire. Please contact Katie Larson if you have questions.
If you plan to continue studying Italian on campus in the fall, please let Katie Larson know.

Intermediate/Advanced Italian. Twice a week, usually on Monday, and Wednesday, 75 minutes. Instructor: Louise Rossetti. This course is meant for those students who have finished at least Italian 11 (or equivalent) who wish to improve their fluency. There will be a mix of grammar review, literature, and discussion at a pace suitable to the participants. Grammar review will reference Parliamo italiano. Students who no longer have access due to the online expiration date need not re-purchase access and will be able to reference pdfs instead. We recommend purchasing Italo Calvino’s text Le città invisibili in Italian for use in our book club-style discussions. Additional in-class assignments will include materials relevant to the Friday field trips and local events.

Final exam. Students who wish to be placed into Italian 11 in the fall must pass a verification exam at the end of the course (in addition to class participation and a passing score on weekly quizzes) and speak with Dr. Trebaiocchi. While you cannot receive credits for your language instruction in Torino, Trento and Siena, please contact Dr. Trebaiocchi to discuss options to carry over the work done during the summer.

Continuing with Italian in the fall.  If you pass the Beginning Italian course, you will be approved to start in Italian 11 at Harvard in the fall, leading into Italian 20 in the spring and jump-starting a Citation (or more) in Italian language. The summer course will not cover the exact grammar and vocabulary as Italian 10 on campus, but students will be well-equipped to continue with the more grammar-based Italian 11 if they take advantage of the immersive and communicative experiences of the summer.
Students in the Intermediate and Advanced classes will receive personalized suggestions regarding their continuation with coursework in the fall.
For planning and further information, please contact Dr. Chiara Trebaiocchi, <ctrebaiocchi@fas.harvard.edu>.

Full immersion.  You will have many opportunities to practice and improve your Italian, during language classes but also in informal settings. In Turin and Siena we may be joined by Italian students who take our course and participate in our activities; while they will be happy to practice their English, they will also be excited to speak Italian with you.
You will fully immerse themselves in Italian language and culture in Siena, where they will be attached to the contrade running the Palio. The contradaioli will be happy to share their culture with you, but not all of them speak English. Knowing some Italian will be crucial to fostering this relationship.
Prof. Erspamer and the TAs will organize weekly social gatherings in Italian, especially dinners, aperitivi, and of course ice cream. Even students who arrive without knowledge of Italian will find that they are able to speak with ease by the end of the summer.