Written by Margo Sorenson, an ILF Contributory Writer. Author of over thirty traditionally-published books for young readers. Margo Sorenson spent the first seven years of her life in Spain and Italy, devouring books, Italian food and still speaks (or tries!) her childhood languages. Her most recent Adult novel, SECRETS IN TRANSLATION (Fitzroy Books, October 2018), takes place in Positano, with plenty of Italian historical sidelights. www.margosorenson.com

All I have to do is hear a few spoken words of Italian, and I smile. The melodic, warm sounds take me back to my childhood in Napoli and Bari the wonderful experiences I had growing up there for four years.

One of my first memories is of the stunning view of the Bay of Napoli from our family’s apartment in Posillipo, Vesuvius looming in the background. Because we were U.S. Diplomatic Corps (that’s why I’m so polite), we had many U.S. visitors to the consulate for business. While my father dealt with them, my mother escorted their families to Pompeii and Vesuvius. I was drafted to come along, because my parents knew we were living in a unique place and wanted me to remember as much as I could. Besides, the Americans got a kick out of a little four-year-old American girl who spoke Italian, and, looking back, I’m sure my parents wanted to show the Americans that an important way to respect another culture was to speak the language.

We would climb Vesuvius a short way up, and I vividly remember when a guide asked me to put my little hand into a “warm pocket,” where I could feel the heat of the volcano. He promised I wouldn’t burn my hand; he was right. Of course, he first spoke to me in English, (I must have looked American, right?), but when I answered in Italian, his smile broadened. The smiles were always there when we spoke Italian. A tour I dreaded was Solfatara, outside Puozzoli, a shallow crater whose fumes smelled exactly like rotten eggs. I would beg my mother to be allowed to stay home, but the answer was always “No”! Visits to Pompeii were many, and I was equally horrified and fascinated by the plaster casts of the dead in the museum, especially that of the dog with the loaf of raisin bread between his jaws. I could imagine the rivers of molten lava coursing down the ancient streets we walked, and those images affected me so powerfully that my childhood nightmare was of running through the streets of Pompeii, my precious dollhouse (from Sears, Roebuck catalog) in my arms, trying to outrun the lava that was hotly pursuing me! Fortunately, I outgrew that.

As an adult, returning to Pompeii and Vesuvius (not Solfatara) was amazing. Yes, Pompeii’s streets seemed strangely narrower! To this day, hearing spoken Italian links me to my treasured childhood in Italy, bringing a smile.

The Italian Language Foundation is pleased to offer this AP Italian Exam Preparatory webinar for you, our Student Members.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO MS. CRISTINA MODICA, an ILF Teacher Member, for her dedication in creating this special webinar exclusively for ILF Student members.

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Written by: Colin Grant, a team member of The Italian Language Foundation, earned a Bachelor of Arts & Science from Indiana University.  He majored in Media Advertising with a Minor in Italian.  Colin utilizes his creative skills in media, advertising and Italian to support ILF’s social media and website content.

In the summer of 2019, I had the pleasure of being able to study abroad in Florence, Italy.  After moving into my new home for the summer, I discovered that I was staying in a part of the city that I would describe as “touristy.”  Walking around the crowds in the Piazza Del Duomo you hear countless different languages spoken as people come from all over the world to see Florence’s beauty.  A goal of mine was to see as much of Florence as possible, so after classes would end, I began taking a few classmates with me to explore parts of the city that we didn’t know.  It was in these quieter areas with fewer tourists that I was able to meet and talk with more people, usually in the piazzas.  This not only helped me improve my Italian language skills but also allowed me to connect with people and see Florence as more than just a beautiful city.

One person I talked with commented that outside of the busy city center, the gelato shops are both better and less expensive.  This gave a few of my classmates and me the idea to try and find the best gelato shop in Florence as we continued to learn our way around.  Luckily gelato shops were a common sighting, and it was never too difficult to find a new one as we walked through the narrow cobblestone streets that often seemed to wind and curve.  After several weeks of exploring new parts of the city and new gelato shops, I began to feel like I knew my way around town.

On my last night in Florence, I went for one last walk and ended up at my favorite gelato shop along the Arno River.  It’s a small shop with only enough room for the counter, which had around twenty flavors of gelato on it.  There was gelato in every color and flavor from traditional gelato such as stracciatella to less traditional flavors like Oreo and mint chocolate chip.  Walking home with a cone in my hand, I couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful Renaissance architecture.  I passed by the Uffizi Gallery, several churches, and buildings that I couldn’t identify.  While taking my phone out to take a picture, I heard a voice behind me “scusi scusi.”  I turned around to see an older man holding out a map, “sai dov’è la stazione di Santa Maria Novella?”  He asked for directions to the train station and luckily we were not far away.  We talked briefly and I pointed out on his map the upcoming intersections that he needed to turn at.  I realized this was the first time I had given anyone directions while in Italy, and Florence felt like much more of a home than a foreign city.

PRESS RELEASE, April 13, 2021, New York, NY

The Italian Language Foundation recently qualified for a matching grant from the Francesco & Mary Giambelli Foundation, and matched a $125,000 donation from the Foundation. The Italian Language Foundation (ILF) is dedicated to the promotion and support of Italian language education nationally. It motivates and rewards students of Italian from middle school through college and offers free professional development workshops to teachers of Italian, and rewards outstanding teachers. Awards for Excellence are offered to qualifying AP Italian students.

Margaret I. Cuomo, M.D., President of ILF, notes: “With the generous support of the Francesco and Mary Giambelli Foundation, and all our donors, the ILF is expanding its programs for students and teachers of Italian. Internships for students of Italian, AP Italian exam prep webinars, and new teacher workshops enhance the learning and teaching of all Italian nationally.

Louis Tallarini, Chairman of the ILF, sees a positive trend in the diversity of students that enroll in AP Italian in the USA and Canada. “Through our goal of preserving the AP Italian program at the high school level,” Mr. Tallarini stated, “we are able to award excellence to an incredibly diverse group of students.

Roughly one-third of the AP Italian students in the US are Hispanic, and Italian language study is also incredibly popular with Asian-Americans. It’s wonderful to support such a multicultural group of students who are linked by their study of the Italian language.”

Angelo Vivolo, a Trustee of the Francesco and Mary Giambelli Foundation, had this to say about that Foundation’s matching grant: “The Giambelli Foundation carries on the legacy of philanthropic giving that Francesco and Mary Giambelli established during their lifetimes – and we are so happy to support the Italian Language Foundation in their strategic approach to keep study of the Italian language alive and well.”

For further information, and to support ILF’s efforts, please visit the website of the Italian Language Foundation at www.italianlanguagefoundation.org.

MORE ABOUT THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE FOUNDATION The Italian Language Foundation is dedicated to promoting and sustaining Italian language education in the United States and supporting the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) program in Italian Language and Culture. The Foundation is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation qualified by the Internal Revenue Service to receive tax-deductible contributions.

PRESS CONTACT: Jefferson Wilson, Marketing & Communications, Phone:(347) 581-6722, Email: [email protected]