Italingua Institute

I love ItaLingua! I started in Level 2 and am now in the next class for speaking and conversation skills. They are challenging classes, but not TOO challenging. You learn through the challenges and it’s explained very well. I definitely plan on following this as long as I can. I’ve learned so much and can’t wait to use it when I visit Rome again. I’ve learned more through this class than I did from submerging myself in the Italian culture for 3 months in Rome and taking a language class over there. The price is great for the amount you learn and how well it’s taught! Highly recommend!

I love Italingua! I love it so much that I am willing to drive up the 101 from Belmont at 5pm just to get to my 6:30pm Italian Class every week!
Francesca is an amazing teacher, she knows how to make the classes fun, engaging, and educational at the same time. The classes are organized with lots of handouts and we have weekly homework assignments to keep us in-​check during the week. Erica has subbed for Francesca a few times and she’s a lovely teacher as well. They’re both native speakers so they naturally bring this fun cultural flare to the classroom. Can’t wait to be super fluent so I can converse with my Sardinian in-​laws!!!

Excellent classes completely in Italian (as soon as possible). Enthusiastic, supportive teachers are native speakers, almost universally very capable of working with students of all levels. Classes are small, generally 7 or fewer, lots of opportunity to practice. Each class usually based on some reading which students discuss or write about, grammar (less in more advanced classes, but students always need review), songs, video, games that give students insight into Italian culture, history, art, etc. Classes are lively and fun.

Learning language is one of those things that really happens best in the context of live, face-​to-​face conversations with other people. Apps and online courses are fine, but never work as well as classes. Italingua has been a great class that keeps things as fun and light as possible, while still making you talk and talk and repeat and repeat – the foundation of learning. Margherita is delightful, patient, and fun, and has respect for her students’ different learning processes. I’m returning.

I have always wanted to learn Italian and a friend of mine recommended Italingua because she has had such an amazing experience taking classes there. Even though I have only taken the three beginning classes so far — I have had nothing short of an exceptional learning experience and plan to continue taking classes there until I’m FLUENT!!!
The instructors I have had are always native speakers (this is very important in my opinion if one wants to gain a proper understanding of a culture and language!) and they are so very, very patient in their teaching methods. I mean, come on, it can’t be easy for an Italian to hear a beginning student constantly bludgeoning their beautiful language!
For me, Italingua has been a perfect combination of small class size, innovative approaches to teaching and learning and VALUE — the tuition is extremely affordable for this high quality, personalized instruction.
One last little side note, and another plus about Italingua in San Francisco is the location — it is SUPER convenient to get to (Powell Street station). So there you have it! No more excuses! Start learning Italian today!

There are classes in Berkeley and San Francisco in convenient locations. I have taken 7 courses there and have found all the instructors excellent and enthusiastic. This is a course of study over time that provides a basis for grammar and reading as well as conversation, but it is not dull by any means. I am very impressed with the level of teaching and having fun besides. I highly recommend Italingua!

After learning Spanish primarily through skype lessons at a fabulous local school (SF Spanish) I decided to try learning Italian via skype with ItaLingua. It’s been a great experience!
My teacher is Federica and she’s fantastic. She’s patient, good at reviewing complex concepts, and since she also speaks Spanish is great at helping me make connections between the two without getting me confused by the similarities. We’ve been following the same book they use at Italingua (Prego), which is surprisingly good for a textbook. She also prepares handouts for our classes for further review and we spend classes both learning new material and practicing it through dialogues.
At some point I might consider making the MUNI ride downtown for a group class but for now I’m pretty content to roll out of bed and learn italian from my kitchen table. For those of you who hate MUNI and prefer one-​on-​one learning, skype lessons with Italingua are the way to go!

When I decided to come back to my Italian (I used to speak it years ago) I had a tough task — being familiar with the basic grammar and having some working vocabulary I tried to find a school that would further build up my knowledge and offer conversational practice which is so difficult to find outside of Italy. I found Italingua School and was impressed by it from day one. The thing that attracted me most was that this is a place where they care about your studies and they are really interested to see your progress in learning Italian — thanks to the incredible teaching staff (all native speakers) and, of course, the Director of the Program Francesca.
The groups are kept small, so each and every student gets individual attention and feedback during the classes, the material is entertaining as well as informative and smartly chosen. The atmosphere in the classes is relaxing and friendly, when you come to Italingua after a hard day at work, you really feel at home. The teachers are all very enthusiastic and motivating. Francesca is an ardent and talented professional with an amazing well-​rounded knowledge on how to build the language program.
So, whether you need to quickly pump up your conversational Italian before your vacation or desire to learn Italian in depth from scratch, Italingua will help you to effectively plan the curriculum for your short or long term goals. I highly recommend this wonderful school! Grazie mille, Italingua!

I am loving this place! I am in Italian III and it’s the best language class experience I’ve ever had — great teachers who are encouraging, nice, and who give you a chance to «try» without being negative about your errors and yet still correcting them! I’ll be back term after term until I can do this! Thank you!

I was sitting in JFK, waiting to fly back to SF after spending a month adventuring in the Mediterranean, when I decided I should take up Italian lessons in school again. I looked up ItaLingua on my phone, a school I had previously researched and decided was the best in SF, and discovered that their next session coincided serendipitously well with my returning. After half an hour (I was using a 3G on iOS4) of checking the website, I emailed the school director, Francesca, and mentally committed to joining.
I’m glad I did, because the experience was a lot of fun. I had previously taken an introductory class at CCSF and had eight months with a private tutor I found on Craigslist, but I think the learning environment at ItaLingua was the best for me. CCSF, while way cheaper, had too many students, many of which didn’t really seem to care about learning (read: kids trying to get units), while the private tutoring sessions I had were a bit too casual. ItaLingua was the perfect balance between the structure of a classroom and individual attention.
Our teacher, Deborah, was a great teacher, very understanding and was able to accommodate varying levels of expertise. There was never an instance when anyone needed to feel stupid, as the learning environment was very nurturing. My fellow classmates were all great people and I enjoyed learning with them, so much so that I’ve decided I will continue to the last intermediate class for the next session with the lot.
(Learn more about the school and Deborah in this article I wrote:
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If you want to learn Italian, ItaLingua is your best option. They are a non-​profit and could use your support, so please do consider this amazing school. With locations in downtown San Francisco and Berkeley, attending is very convenient.
It seems like an eternity ago when I was sitting in that airport terminal. I’m glad the idea to check up on the school popped in my mind. It was the smartest thing I did that day, ironically juxtaposed with the fact that I had just paid $ 8 for a single bottle of Brooklyn Lager.

I just completed my Italian I session and will be continuing to take classes here because of the following reasons:
1. the teacher makes learning fun and explains the language in a easy to understand way
2. they teach in a way that I learn well, just like my french classes in HS/​College!
3. Small classes with other working professionals like myself who actually want to learn the language.
I’m bummed that we have a two week break but looking forward to Italian 2!

I have been taking Italian classes at Italingua since June 2011 and I am having a really fun time and learning alot.
The great thing about Italingua is they offer classes in the evening for us older students with day jobs, and if you miss a class on your scheduled night they let you sit in on the same level on another night. The teachers are knowledgable and easy-​going so I didn’t feel afraid to speak during class. The emphasis in my beginning couse was on feeling comfortable speaking and a smaller emphasis on grammer to start. Which made the classes feel very lighthearted and enjoyable.
I tried taking a similar course via SF City College and I found it very difficult and slightly dull. And as a working adult, I found City College to be inflexible with my work schedule. We were only allowed one absence and there was no way to make it up.
I really recommend Italingua if you are looking for an Italian Language school in San Francisco!

This is a great school, with small classes and motivated teachers. Its a great environment to learn and I highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn italian.

I took Italian 1 here, and I loved it. My teacher was really great, and I had another teacher sub in for a class which I was initially disappointed about, but she turned out to be amazing too. Both teachers I had were from Italy, so they could tell us helpful information like what expressions Italians use and don’t use. The location is great, right off the BART/​Muni. And if you can’t make a class they are very flexible about accomodating you if you want to take that week’s class on another night. I can’t wait for the next lesson!

Classes are small, allowing plenty of personal attention. They’re very accommodating if one needs to make up a class, or get a little extra review.
I’m taking Italian 1, and our professor Francesca is energetic, entertaining, and makes learning fun. Her engaging teaching style makes sure everyone gets a chance to speak and practice in class. She not only teaches structure and grammar, but also points out many pronunciation, idiomatic, and cultural nuances of the language. It might not seem like much at the beginning, but I know from studying other languages that these subtleties are important. As one gains more fluency, knowing (or at least being aware of) these characteristics help them to know the language more completely, and not simply through rote memorization.
They give one a more solid foundation which helps one gain not only rote knowledge of the language, but a more complete understanding of the style of communication as well.
It’s a once-​a-​week class, so doing the homework, studying outside of class, and reading the book all complement each other. There are also extra meetings where Italian politics and culture are discussed.

I took three classes at Italingua. The classes are affordable (about $ 245 for eight weeks), the teachers are wonderful and enthusiastic (and all native speakers). The class sizes are also quite small, so you get a lot of individual attention (I think the largest I ever saw was 14 people, but not all the people show up anyway).
Just a warning, though: it gets a lot harder in Italian II. Italian I and Travelers are great courses to get started with.

I just enrolled for my second class at Italingua and I couldn’t be happier about it. I took Italian in college, so I signed up for class to refresh my skills, never expecting that it would be the highlight of my week. The teachers are great from the intro levels on up (the Cowboy agrees, he took the Italian 1 class with Francesca and loved it), and the class size is small so you get plenty of help and learn a ton.
Highly recommended!

I would give Italingua 10 stars if I could! The teachers are amazing. Cecilia is patient and really pushes her students, Francesca is so entertaining in class that you can’t help but love and learn the language. I took levels 1, 2 and 3 and loved all of them. I had to quit for a few terms because work was taking over my life, but I will be back!
Grazie mille, Francesca & Cecilia!

Italingua is a great place to learn Italian. I bought tons of cds, books, Rosetta Stone, trying to learn it. Finally I took a friends advice and started taking lessons from Francesca at Italingua. I am finally learning how to converse verses spout out phrases from books. I conjugate verbs. I speak in Italian for over an hour. It is worth the investment to take lessons here.

Infodiva sono qui. Devo scrivere questa recensione in l’italiano. Posso ma non volgio. Applause Please. You just read the results of my studies @ Italingua. This is a Great Language School! Take my word for it.
Italingua Institute
San Francisco has long enjoyed a thriving Italian community. Originally composed of immigrants who settled here, bringing their culture and language, the population has grown to include Americans of Italian descent and Italophiles of all nationalities.
Eleven years ago, Italingua Institute was founded to give San Francisco’s Italy-​loving community a school of language and culture. A large number of Italian scholars and professionals living in the Bay Area ensured a strong pool of teachers, presenters, and seminar leaders that could share their knowledge and passion. One of the founding directors, Prof. Rosabianca Lo Verso, took advantage of this expertise, expanding the initial offerings of four beginning grammar classes to include advanced grammar studies, conversation, literature, history, and Italian civilization. She organized seminars on Italian cinema and cooking, and created a vibrant program with a loyal following.
In 1996, current director Francesca Gaspari joined the school as a teacher and quickly became a favorite with students. Her enthusiasm for teaching has carried over to her leadership of the school. Describing her goals, she says, «I want to create a piece of Italy in San Francisco, a cultural center where people can get a sense of Italy, read Italian books, watch Italian television. I want to build a community that is more than just a school.»
To that end, Italingua now brings Italophiles together with grammar and conversation classes taught by university-​educated native speakers who undertake ongoing professional training, as well as seminars on Italian opera, Renaissance art, cinema and theater, wine and food, politics, regional traditions and folklore from throughout the country.
Italingua is a California non-​profit organization with locations in San Francisco and Berkeley.
Office Hours
Monday through Thursday 10:30am — 1:30pm and 2:30pm — 6pm, and Friday 2:30pm — 6:30pm.
Our Director reserves Thursday evenings from 5pm — 6pm for the purpose of meeting with students.
Francesca Gaspari, Executive Director
Locations:
San Francisco classes meet at 870 Market Street, Suite 708.
East Bay classes are held in Berkeley at 2015 Center Street @ Milvia.
There is just too much information on the website and about what the school offers to include in this review.
Sono Infodiva sono reppin Italia La Lingua Le Gente La Cultura Ti voglio bene… Vedro di presto. Translate Unilocalers Educate Yourself Learn A Language Like I did. Americans are the laughing stocks of the world when it comes to language. Don’t get me started.