One of the most common questions that we get is if we have any teachers or tutors to recommend both while students are abroad in Italy and while they’re home.
To answer that question, I turned to all of you – the members of The Iceberg Project community – to ask about your most highly recommended Italian teachers and tutors… and you definitely came through.
Below you’ll find a list of 20 options. Some are native speakers in Italy. Others are native speakers in the US or Canada. And some are English speakers that could offer a different perspective on learning the language.
When possible, I’ve included their full name, location, contact info, and any tidbits about them that readers provided (although I did not include their names for privacy). They are in no particular order.
If you think your tutor or teacher should be included in this list, leave a comment below and we’ll add them!
Finally, to be clear, I’ve only worked with a few people on this list and have not personally vetted them myself. The people I have worked with and LOVED are Blessy, Beatrice Massaro, and Manuela Andragna.
I hope it’s helpful!
1) Matteo and Katie of Joy of Languages
Website: joyoflanguages.com
Contact: katie@joyoflanguages.com
Student comments: “I am doing a year long online Italian course through joyoflanguages.com – the founder of the school and head teacher is Katie Harris. I can not recommend her highly enough. As an experienced ESL teacher, online developer and “professional student” of languages I can highly recommend Katie’s approach in terms of content, instructional design and delivery. She and her partner Matteo really make learning Italian a lot of fun and I look forward to each new topic. They also make Easy Italian and 5 minute Italian podcasts which are great.”
2) Rachele
Contact: https://www.italki.com/teacher/4305174
Location: Milan, Italy
Student comments: “I would recommend Rachele on Italki. She is anything but boring, we laugh a lot and share bits of our lives. She often emails out links to resources she has found to give additional help to her students. She is based in Milano, has young children, if any of these things matter to people.”
3) Riccardo Cristiani
Website: dante-learning.com
Contact: info@dante-learning.com
Location: Milan, Italy
Student comments: “I have been having Skype lessons with Riccardo for 5 years. I’m 68 years old. My 32 year old daughter has also been learning from him for 2 years. He is an intelligent, adaptable, approachable, interesting teacher. Once you have signed up for lessons, you also receive his challenging and well researched grammar blogs in your inbox every second day.”
4) Irene Caracci
Website: https://www.duespaghetti-yib.com/
Contact: There is a contact form at the bottom of her homepage on her website.
Location: Milan, Italy
Student comments: “I would like to recommend my teacher Irene Caracci. She lives in Milan, and does Skype lessons. Very fun and knowledgeable.”
5) Ema
Website: https://www.italki.com/teacher/3115093
Location: Rome, Italy
Student comments: “I highly recommend Ema. In particular she specialises in Italian and modern art and fashion and builds this into her lessons.”
6) Martina Scattolin
Website: italianbites.org
Contact: https://www.italianbites.org/contact/
Location: Venice, Italy
Student comments: “My recommendation for Italian tutoring is, with no reservations, Martina Scattolin. I highly recommend this accomplished, creative, innovative woman.”
7) Rossella Chiolini
Website: http://www.illuminalanguages.com/
Contact: rossella@illuminalanguages.com
Location: San Diego, CA
Student comments: “I have been taking private lessons with Rossella for years, both in person and now via zoom. I have been studying Italian for the last 20 years and she is the best teacher that I have ever had! I highly recommend her.”
8) Raluca Berger
Contact: ralucaberger@yahoo.com
9) Claudia Cevoli
Contact: allyoucanlearn@gmail.com
Location: Italy
10) Simona Giustini
Contact: simona.giustini@gmail.com
Location: Montreal, Canada
Student comments: “I live in Montreal, Canada and I met her through the Italian Consulate where she teaches. She is from Rome. Beautiful, sweet and a great teacher!”
11) Beatrice Massaro
Website: www.italianoconbeatrice.com
Contact: italianoconbeatrice@gmail.com
12) Blessy
Contact: https://www.italki.com/teacher/1353852?hl=en
Location: Rome, Italy
Student comments:
- “Organized and on time
- Patient and insightful, helps me think outside the box
- Uses Google docs which is extremely helpful
- Puts images on the Google Docs and asks that I create a story or dialogue
- She has very good questions that make me think
- You have a copy of the Google Docs to study following the lesson
- Extremely helpful with grammar, giving many good sentence examples
- She is relaxed, speaks slowly enough to understand.
- Immersion: Probably the most important part of her lesson is her Insistence on speaking only in Italian and when you struggle for a word, she asks you to find another one in Italian that is similar. Discourages defaulting to English.”
13) Laura T.
Website: http://www.learn-italian-online.net/
Contact: https://www.italki.com/teacher/3132050
Location: Padua, Italy
Student comments: “I love my tutor and have met her twice in Italy, once in Milan and once in Florence.”
14) Antonella Calvo
Contact: aoneal@odu.edu
Location: Norfolk, VA
15) Santino Santinelli
Website: www.italianskypelessons.com
Contact: italianskypelessons1@gmail.com
Location: Ascoli Piceno, Italy
16) Sara Zanelletti
Contact: sarazanelletti@gmail.com
Location: Los Angeles, CA
17) Manuela Andragna
Contact: https://www.italki.com/teacher/5763861
Location: Toronto, Canada
18) Monika Dorfmann
Contact: Monika.dorfmann@gmail.com
Then… there were a couple of people who offered up their services, and I want to make sure they’re included too!
19) Emily Rothenberg
Contact: emily.rothenberg@gmail.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/emilybrothenberg
She says: I am not a native speaker; however I have done professional translation, some interpretation, worked in Italy multiple times, and am an experienced language teacher and private tutor (English, Italian, Spanish). For Italian, I am most comfortable working with people at a beginner through intermediate level. I usually make my own curriculum but can accommodate what someone’s specific needs are (business, conversation, study abroad, etc.).
20) Niki Nicastro
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-nicastro-37226115/
Contact: nikinicastro@gmail.com
Location: NYC
He says: “I am a professional native Italian tutor and translator and I have taught Italian for the past 9 years, on all levels, from absolute beginners to advanced, in groups or privately.
I am “diplomata” in Languages and I have also studied Literature and Philosophy at the University of Bologna. In Italy I also took diction courses, so I speak Italian precisely, correctly, and without any regional accent. My English is also excellent, so I can explain questions regarding grammar and vocabulary to beginning students. I always personalize lessons depending on the age, level and goals of my students. I do have a method and always try to create new ways to learn this wonderful language, however, all the lessons and the programs are custom for each learner. I am based in New York where I have been living for 10 years, and I am available to teach online via Skype, Zoom or Facetime. At the moment I have students everywhere in the states and abroad, and the age of my students are from 4 to 80 right now!
