Italian Language Class FAQs

Currently our Italian language courses for kids and adults are taking place online. In January 2023 we will offer two kids in-person courses in-person in Glendale. Please note that we are based in California so the times for online courses listed on our website reflect Pacific Standard Time.

Great question! We will begin offering in-person classes for our youngest students in January 2023 in Glendale. Our goal is to open a location in Burbank and in Orange County for our Fall 2023 session. Fondazione Italia will however continue to offer a wide range of online Italian language courses for kids and adults.

We currently use the platform Zoom to hold all our online Italian language classes. The teacher and students meet virtually live weekly on the day and time published in our course catalogue. Classes are not pre-recorded. In order to give our students the best ‘classroom’ experience, our teachers are able to share their screen as a whiteboard to project pages from the textbook, display articles, play interactive language quizzes and games, show videos, and lecture

For adults click here to take an assessment test that will help determine which level is right for you. For kids, please contact Lorena Bignamini to discuss which class will be the right fit for your child. If you register for a class for yourself or your child that ends up not being the best fit, you will always have the option to move to a different class.

Absolutely! Send us an email or give us a call to let us know which class you would like to try. As long as a class is not sold-out, you will be sent a link in order to join the class to see if you like it. If after the class you would like to register, we will happily help you take care of enrolling in the class.

For the adult classes ONLY, we record each lesson and then provide students with a link to the recording the day after a class. This is a really great perk because students can download the class and refer to it for review or if they miss a class. Due to laws protecting the privacy of minors, we are unable to provide this service for the children’s classes.

We recommend that you find a quiet spot to set-up a computer or tablet. You will need a stable internet connection, microphone, and camera (either external or built-in your computer) to receive the full benefit of an online class.

Most of our older children and adult classes do use textbooks. The textbook we use for the adult Beginning to Pre-Intermediate levels is New Italian Espresso 1 (new edition) from Alma Edizioni. The upper-level adult classes from Intermediate to Advanced use New Italian Espresso 2 also from Alma Edizioni. These textbooks are available in e-book or hard copy format. Hard copies can be purchased directly from our bookstore or you can find them online. For our kids classes, please see the "Textbook" tab on the specific class page for the title of the book that will be used.

We are always glad to start a second class if one is sold-out. Just let us know the name of the class you are interested in by sending us an email. As soon as we have enough students to start a new class (minimum of four students), we will do it!

Absolutely! For our children’s Primi Passi and Piccoli Amici classes students are able to join at any time during the session. For our more academic older children’s classes and adults classes, we can accept new students up to mid-way through the course or on a case by case basis. If you join a course late, the course fee will be pro-rated so that you don’t pay for the lessons you missed before joining the class.

You can absolutely enroll! Our Primi Passi class does not require parents to know Italian. In fact, participating in our class with your child is a great way for you to also learn Italian. Parents are encouraged to repeat words in Italian during class and follow the teacher's lead.

YES, we do! We offer private classes (one-on-one) semi-private classes (two students) and private group classes. If you have specific needs, time restrictions, or simply would like to take a class with a group of co-workers, friends, or family, we can arrange a course tailored to your specific needs.

Learn More Here:
Private Lessons

Students will be able to receive a full refund if they provide us notice of their need to withdraw from the class BEFORE the second class meets. If we are not advised of your cancellation before the second class meets the course fee is non-refundable.

Unfortunately, no. We cannot consider employment for a foreign teacher unless they already have the necessary work permit that allows them to work in the United States.

Our school is growing so we are always looking for experienced and motivated Italian teachers. Unfortunately, Fondazione Italia is unable to sponsor work visas. If you already have the necessary employment authorization documents to be able to work in the United States, please send your resumé to Lorena Bignamini.