Italian Beyond the Classroom

Students, Italian professors, and Italian TA cooking, playing bocce, learning Italian card games, and enjoying authentic Italian meals together in the Casa italiana!

The Romance Language House

The mission of the Romance Language House is to promote foreign language development within the campus community. Through living in an environment in which house members speak at least one Romance Language (Italian, French, Portuguese or Spanish), residents are encouraged to speak and interact in their respective foreign languages. Members of the house also reach out to the college community through planning, organization, and promotion of the house events and through attendance of the weekly foreign language tables. The goal of the Romance Language House is to educate others on foreign languages and diverse cultures through living in a shared environment as well as opening up that environment to the college community as a whole. 

Casa italiana (Italian House)

The Casa italiana offers students interested in Italian language and culture an opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom. Residents live in a multilingual environment with other students interested in Romance languages and have opportunities to practice Italian through informal conversation, shared meals, cultural activities, and events.

A native Italian student from the University of Bologna also lives in the house, providing residents with additional opportunities to use Italian and engage with contemporary Italian culture. The Casa italiana can be especially valuable for students preparing to study in Italy and for students returning from abroad who want to continue using Italian on campus.

Students interested in living in the Casa italiana should consult the current Romance Language House application information or contact the Italian Studies program for additional information.

WHY LIVE IN THE CASA ITALIANA?

Laura Celedón: "Living in the Casa has allowed me to further expand my network of Italian-speaking students and Italian students coming directly from Italy. By attending events, such as playing board-games, making homemade gnocchi, and inviting other Italian students to the house, my knowledge of Italian culture and language has immensely grown and has given me the necessarily tools and prepared me for studying abroad in Italy."

Taylor Stroili: "I loved having the opportunity to meet students not only from Italy but from other areas of Europe, as well, and practicing the language in addition to learning new ones was a great experience to have! I loved our group dinners and movie nights which contributed to the sense of community shared by the students that live there."

Natalie McNeill: "I loved living in the Italian House because I got to practice my language skills with the Italian OSA, play Italian card games, and cook great food. I also liked being surrounded by other students who are passionate about languages and liked being able to meet the OSAs from other countries. Plus, the house and the bedrooms are beautiful!"

Julia Sanguinetti: “After living in the Italian House for half a semester, I discovered my passion for the Italian Culture. My grandfather was born in Genova but I did not have the chance to learn deeply about Italy from him. However, I am now finding many different opportunities - such as Italian dinners, events and movies - to learn more and more about the Italian lifestyle and culture. By being able to live with other Italian speakers, I also develop and improve my language skills and become able to express all my ideas through this beautiful language. Living in the Italian House is by far one of the most enjoyable parts of my stay at Dickinson College.”