The Instructors of ItaLingua

Carmelo Amore - comes from Modica, Sicily. Carmelo graduated in Visual Arts at the University of Bologna. He also received a "diploma" as elementary school teacher. He taught for one year to elementary school kids, one semester to high school students (photography, web and graphic design) in Italy. In Paris for three years he taught italian to different classes. He enjoys teaching and he's very creative.

Anna Baldi - obtained her Laurea in Modern Foreign Languages and Literature from the University of Rome. She has been working as a teacher of the Italian language, in Europe and in the United States for more than 20 years.

Mary Blum, PhD, - studied both Classical and Medieval Latin, as well as Anglo-Saxon English, as part of the preparation for her doctorate in English literature, with a focus on medieval and modern poetry, from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque. Mary has taught various courses at different levels, ranging from high school to undergraduate college, and currently teaches Latin at Stuart Hall for Boys.

Elisa DiFiore - After graduating from Università Orientale in Naples, she moved to Rome, where she became a videogames journalist. Love for adventure and for her American husband brought her to San Francisco, where shey shares her time equally between teaching Italian, playing games and perfecting her cooking skills.

Luisa Ferralis - born and raised in Padova, Italy. Lived also in Munich, Germany and in Paris, France. Earned her Laurea in Economics and Tourism from the University of Venice. She then obtained an MA in Italian from Middlebury College in Vermont and taught for several years Italian at the Pennsylvania State University. She recently moved to the Bay Area and immediately continued teaching Italian. She loves teaching, traveling and meeting people from all over the world.

Francesca Gaspari - the Executive Director of ItaLingua. She graduated from the Conservatory of Music in Bergamo. Francesca obtained her Associate degree in Business Administration, and pursued legal studies. She has been teaching Italian and organizing cultural events at ItaLingua since 1995.

Barbara Gautero - born and raised in Piemonte, Barbara received her “laurea” in English language and Literature at the University of Torino. Her curriculum focused on teaching foreign languages with a particular emphasis on didactic methodologies. In Italy, she taught English to high school students and while she worked at her families bookstore. She moved to San Francisco in 2004 and immediately started to teach Italian. She loves teaching and considers it the best possibility to communicate and share her knowledge and passion for linguistics, literature, art and cinema. She has been teaching at Italingua since 2005.

Nicoletta Gherardi - born and raised in Rome, she graduated with certification in the German and English languages. She worked for nearly 15 years in the Public Relations division of an American company in Rome, while tutoring High School students in both German and English languages and literature. In 2001, she moved to San Francisco and has been teaching Italian language and culture since then.

Sara Russell - Sara grew up in Tuscany. She earned an M.A. in Italian Studies at the University of California - Berkeley and is currently working on her PhD in Italian Studies.

Stefania Scotti - obtained her Laurea in History of the Italian Language from the Facoltà di Lettere at the Università La Sapienza di Roma. She is a certified interpreter and has taught the Italian language and Italian literature in middle schools and has worked as a foreign exchange trader for Italian banks in Paris.

Cecilia Rizzi - born in Udine, in the north-east of Italy. She earned her laurea in Modern Foreign Languages and Literature at the Universita degli Studi di Udine, followed by her Masters in Teaching English To Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at San Francisco State University (SFSU). While in graduate school, she was was on the staff of the Italian Department at SFSU. Since 2004, she has been on staff teaching Italian with enthusiasm at Italingua.