Giovanna graduated at the Università di Roma La Sapienza in History of Literary Critics and later completed a graduate level training course in text theory and education. She taught grade school Italian, History and Geography in Rome for five years before focusing her teaching of Italian as a foreign language. After moving to Paris, France, where she lived for nine years, she taught Italian language at several universities. During her time in Paris, Giovanna also co-authored a textbook on teaching methods for Italian as second language and translated and revised texts for various publishers such as: La Scuola, Giunti, Larousse and CNED. In 2006 Giovanna spent a year teaching Italian at the University of Iowa. Forever fond of teaching and mentoring students, Giovanna continues this passion while also operating her own interior design business, Gio Style Design, LLC.

Alessia started teaching Italian to foreigners in the early 90's, working for the AFSAI (Associazione per la Formazione, gli Scambi e le Attività Interculturali), an association that promotes and supports short and long-term exchanges throughout the world.

She has served as director of the Sardinian branch of the association and oversaw the long-term exchange program for students staying in Italy for one year. She also organized and managed several short-term exchange programs throughout Europe financed by the European Community (mainly through the Youth for Europe program).

After graduating from the University of Cagliari, in Sardinia, Italy, with a Master degree in Language Teaching Methodology and Linguistics, she won a scholarship to study at the Scuola di Specializzazione in Didattica della Lingua Italiana a Stranieri (School for the Teaching of Italian as a Second Language) at the Università per Stranieri di Siena. Her studies focused on the methodology of teaching Italian

Paola graduated from the Università Cattolica di Roma in 2004 with a degree in Dentistry. While practicing Dentistry she also worked as a translator, focusing mostly on articles published in medical journals. Her passion for the Italian culture inspired her to change careers, so she earned a DITALS certificate from the Università per gli stranieri in Siena, for teaching Italian as a foreign language. In Rome, Paola taught at the Leonardo da Vinci school. She also worked for Thomas More College, where she taught American students who were studying abroad.  Born and raised in Rome, Paola has a profound appreciation for classical history and literature and loves to share her passion for all things Italian.  Paola enjoyes spending her leisure time traveling and exploring new cultures through dance. 

Massimiliano was born and raised in La Spezia, Italy. He graduated in Literature with a major in Classics from the University of Florence. He taught Italian literature and History in Treviglio, a small town near Bergamo. In 2003 Massimiliano moved to Chicago and continued his teaching career as an Italian and Latin teacher in Chicago Public Schools and in Lake Forest. Whilst teaching full-time, he earned a Master's in Clinical Psychology at Roosevelt University and a Master's in Education at National Louis University. He is currently a full-time student at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology as well as a language instructor here at ItalCultura.

Claudia earned her degree in Comparative Language at the University of Milan, focusing on English and Russian literature. During her university years she travelled across Russia, England, Ireland, and the USA, doing research on different aspects of Modernism. After moving to Chicago she took a Master's degree in English Literature at DePaul University. She wrote her thesis on Virginia Woolf's shorter fiction and its relation to British philosophy. Claudia enjoys working as a translator and interpreter, and as an independent researcher on different themes of Italian and English literature for different Chicago cultural institutions. Teaching is an essential part of her life as she is also a certified yoga instructor. Claudia taught Italian at DePaul University and Columbia College.

Silvia was born in Tuscany and has a degree in Foreign Languages and Literature, at the University of Pisa.  After that, she took a two year Forth Level Postgraduate Course in French Language in Paris. Then a one year Postgraduate Course in Teaching of Italian as a Foreign Language. She has been official Translator and Interpreter for Business Negotiations and Documents, for Multinational Chemical Company (based in France, Belgium and Italy).  She has been teaching Italian as a second language in "Dante Alighieri School", in Livorno.  She has been the Coordinator for the Teaching of Italian L2 at the School of Italian Language "Italiamo" at "British School" in Pisa and she was in charge of the training of teachers at the same school. After traveling in different countries, mainly France and Spain, she moved to Chicago in 2007.

ItalCultura is the official language school of the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago. We take pride in our native speaking instructors who help our students prepare to obtain their official language certification.

Lucia has spent her childhood between (fair) Verona and Venice. She earned a BA in Italian Language and Literature (U of Padua, IT and Munich, GER), an MA in Journalism and Publishing (U of Verona, IT), an MA in Comparative Literature (U of Bergamo, IT, Guelph CA, and Lisbon PT) and she is currently pursuing her PhD in Rhetoric at Northwestern University. She started teaching Italian at Munich's Department of Foreign Languages, and continued doing so throughout her nomadic career. Her own multi-lingual experience made her aware of the many joys and obstacles of language learning; on top of that, she earned her certification as a teacher of Italian, studied didactics, and researches cognitive mechanisms of learning across the centuries. Beyond teaching and researching, Lucia is an avid reader and traveler who loves live music, biking, and getting to know new people and places.

Laura was born in Lecce (Southern Italy); she has dual Italian-American citizenship and she moved to Chicago in September 2022.
She attended a humanistic high school, focused on literature, ancient Greek, and Latin. Then she graduated in Law at the University of Salento (Lecce - Italy) and later she passed the Italian bar exam.
After moving to Chicago, she taught Italian language at private schools to children and adults, falling in love with the city, the Chicagoans and with the teaching.
She is focused and determined, tidy and well organised; she has always loved reading and writing, she is very creative and naturally inclined to work with both children and adults.

Sara Noli is a professional educator with extensive experience in language teaching and coordinating academic programs. Originally from Sardinia (Italy), Sara earned a Master's degree in Italian Language Teaching from the University for Foreigners of Siena and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Cagliari. Currently works as an Adult Education Instructor at Oakton College, headquartered in Skokie, IL. Throughout her career, she has held significant roles such as Coordinator of the Italian Language and Culture Program at the Universidad del Norte in Colombia and has taught Italian at prestigious academies such as the Leonardo Da Vinci Institute and the Dante Alighieri Society in Bogotá. Moreover, she has expanded her professional experience by working in various public and private institutions; she also has some publications in indexed journals on languages and political science. Sara is recognized for her skills in planning educational programs, managing

Maria Luisa, a native of Ferrara, Emilia Romagna, Italy, discovered her passion for literature and languages while attending a humanistic high school in her hometown studying ancient Greek and Latin. She furthered her education at Ca’Foscari University of Venice, earning a Bachelor's degree in Arts Management. Continuing her academic journey, she pursued a Master of Science at Bocconi Business School in Milan, specializing in the Management of Arts, Culture, Media, and Entertainment.
Having honed her skills in marketing and communication with renowned international brands such as Luxottica, Ferrari, and Michael Kors, Maria Luisa embarked on a new chapter in 2023 when she relocated with her family to Chicago. Driven by her deep appreciation for Italian culture and a desire to serve as an ambassador abroad, she found her calling in teaching Italian as a foreign language in the United States. Maria Luisa brings a wealth of cultural insight and professional experience to her role, making

Matteo holds a degree in Communication Sciences and has specialized in German language, literature, and society at the University of Erfurt. He has earned certifications in German from the Deutsche Institut and in Slovenian from the Filozofska Fakulteta in Ljubljana. Matteo began his career teaching Italian to foreigners in various private language schools in Ljubljana in the late 1990s. His teaching expertise is further enhanced by his certification as an Italian language mentor from Berlitz, which has taken him to Ljubljana, Milan, and New York City.

From 2000 to 2008, Matteo played a pivotal role in organizing Italian language courses at the Italian Cultural Institute in Ljubljana while serving as an official translator for the Slovenian government, translating from Slovenian to Italian. He currently teaches Italian at the Jezikovni center of the DOBA Private University in Maribor, offering online courses, and in-person at the LUNG (University of Nova Gorica).

In addition to his

Simona holds a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from the Università Cattolica di Milano. Always passionate about books, she was delighted to find a job at the publishing house of the Slow Food international movement, where she worked as an editor and proofreader for 18 years. Although she didn't teach it, she was constantly engaged with the Italian language, editing and rewriting texts, articles, books’ chapters. The experience of coordinating the work of Italian and foreign authors, translators, illustrators, and photographers motivated her to study and practice foreign languages as much as possible.

In 2012, her life took a significant turn when she moved to Mexico with her family, an experience she wrote about on her blog Mevoy. After Mexico, Simona moved to Luxembourg, where she lived for six years and truly enjoyed the multicultural environment. In August 2021, she and her family relocated to Chicago. Her multilingual journey has made her keenly aware of the challenges of

Giovanni was born and raised in Pescara, Italy and he is a dedicated language educator. He teaches Italian and Spanish at various levels, emphasizing communication, cultural immersion, and student engagement. During the summer, he teaches at the Scuola Italiana of Middlebury College’s Language Schools, where he also helps organize cultural events. Giovanni believes that language learning goes beyond grammar—it’s about connecting with people and cultures. His approach fosters confidence in speaking and understanding through real-world practice. He is also the Founder and Co-Director of WorldLangAmerica, a non-profit that connects high schools and universities students across the U.S., Canada, Italy, France and Germany for meaningful language exchanges.

Currently, Giovanni is pursuing a Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures at The University of Chicago, specializing in travel narratives, colonial Pacific literature, and translation studies. He holds Master’s degrees in Span