Italian for Opera Singers
A 5-weeks, 10-hour course designed for opera and classical singers who wish to refine and consolidate their pronunciation, diction, comprehension of libretti and texts, and interpretive skills in the Italian operatic and classic tradition.

Course Focus:

• Italian phonetics, diction, and singing pronunciation

• Essential grammar and vocabulary for opera singers

• Libretto reading, translation, and text analysis

• Role play and interpretation from standard Italian repertoire

Materials:
Extracts from L’italiano nell’aria (Edilingua), L’italiano per l’opera (Alma Edizioni), selected libretti, recordings, and diction tools.

Outcomes:
Participants will improve clarity of pronunciation and diction, enhance their understanding of libretti, expand specialised vocabulary, and strengthen their interpretive and performance skills in Italian repertoire.

Tuesday - 5 lessons, 10 hours of tuition

Travel with Confidence!
This specially designed course covers all your travel needs, from ordering food to asking for directions. Led by travel journalist Davide Mura, it also delves into Italy’s top destinations and cultural insights, ensuring you make the most of your journey.

Suitable for A1 beginner levels.

Lettura di vari testi di Guido Piovene: un autore che ha cominciato la sua carriera come ‘esploratore’ dell’Italia della seconda metà degli anni ’50, con il volume Viaggio in Italia, resoconto scritto di una fortunata serie televisiva.

Il corso prevede di cominciare con una ‘visita guidata’ di alcune parti di Viaggio in Italia (1957), per poi proseguire con il breve romanzo introspettivo Le stelle fredde (1970), Premio Strega, e Lettere di una novizia (1974). In caso di difficoltà nel reperimento dei testi, si prega di contattare l'Ufficio.  Lettura indipendente.

Reading of selected texts by Guido Piovene: an author who began his career as an “explorer” of Italy in the second half of the 1950s with the volume Viaggio in Italia, a written account of a successful television series.
The course includes starting with a “guided tour” of selected sections of Viaggio in Italia (1957), then continuing with the short introspective novel Le stelle fredde (1970), winner of the Strega Prize, and Lettere di una novizia (1974). If there are difficulties in obtaining the texts, please contact the Office. Independent reading.

Advanced level

This English-taught course explores four iconic Italian films from the post-WWII era, covering Neorealism, Italian-style Comedy and Federico Fellini’s works. Students will examine themes, cinematic techniques, and historical contexts through films by Rossellini, Comencini, Monicelli, and Fellini.

Over five weeks, participants will gain insight into Italy’s cultural and economic transformation while deepening their appreciation of Italian cinema. Films, with Italian subtitles, will be available online for viewing before each class.

Join us on a journey through Italy’s cinematic and cultural history!

Various topics of Italian culture and language, from current affairs to popular culture, to enhance vocabulary, grammar and knowledge of Italy.

Paolo Giordano, Tasmania (2022)

“Tasmania” by Paolo Giordano is a reflective novel-essay that follows a writer grappling with personal and global uncertainty. Moving between Paris, Italy, and the symbolic idea of Tasmania—a far-off place of escape—the book weaves together themes of climate anxiety, parenthood, love, and the fear of an unstable future. Blending reportage, memoir, and fiction, Giordano examines how individuals try to find meaning and direction in a world marked by crisis.

Michela Murgia, Tre Ciotole (2023)

Tre ciotole” (“Three Bowls”) by Michela Murgia is a hybrid book blending fiction and personal reflection. Through a series of interconnected stories, Murgia explores how people respond to life-altering events—grief, illness, endings, and new beginnings. The title refers to a ritual of mindful transition, symbolizing how we must empty, refill, or let go of parts of our lives to move forward. Poignant and intimate, it was her final work published before her death, and reads as a meditation on vulnerability, care, and radical love.