I came into this program knowing no Italian. Italian instruction in the classroom is supplemented by numerous on and off-campus activities planned by the Italian faculty and organized by the bilingual resident teaching assistant for the program.
Activities range from pasta making lessons to Venetian mask making workshops.
Students take study trips to the Getty Center and to an Italian family-owned buffalo mozzarella farm and factory where they learned the art of making real Italian mozzarella. They also visit and interview the Italian proprietors of Italian boutiques in Los Angeles and local restaurants, grocery stores, and pizzerias. Additionally, because Pitzer is host to students from the University of Parma and other areas in Italy throughout the summer, Language Institute students frequently have the opportunity to meet and socialize with native Italian speaking peers in the informal settings of the pool, the dorm, the student center, and other areas on campus. Throughout the summer students have access to the impressive collection of instructional media titles for Italian held at the Fletcher Jones Language and Culture Lab . Click here to check out student pages from the 1999 beginning Italian class .